The 3 things you should include in EVERY social media post

Do you find writing your LinkedIn posts tricky?

Do you know what you want to say, but get in a muddle when you start to write? Or maybe you don’t even get that far and end up staring at a blank screen.

Then this article is for you!

I’m going to break down the simple steps to writing better social media posts (that work across LinkedIn and your other social media platforms) so that you can get the job done and get on with your day.

The three key components of a social media post

Your posts can be broken down into three simple sections

●????The headline - to grab your readers’ attention

●????The body copy - short, simple sentences to make it easier to read

●????The call to action - telling your readers what to do next

Let’s look at each of those in more detail.

1. The call to action (aka the CTA)

You may be wondering why I’m starting with the CTA when it’s the last thing on the list above? Well, there’s a very good reason for that.

You see, most people make the mistake of writing a post then shoving a CTA at the end as an afterthought.

The problem with this is that the CTA is sometimes forgotten, or it jars with the rest of the copy, or - and this one is really common - it competes with other CTAs in the post.

So here’s what you need to do - write your CTA first.

When you write the CTA first it makes you more intentional about your post - you’re clear about the action you want your reader to take. And it helps you to focus the rest of your post towards this goal.

One post = ONE CTA.

It takes practice, but give it a try.

2. The headline (sometimes known as the hook)

When people are scrolling through their feeds, they only see the first two or three lines of a post before they have to press ‘see more’.

This means those first few words need to really grab their attention and make them stop in their tracks.

The best headlines create curiosity or provoke an emotional reaction and they also offer a benefit to the reader.

Here are some examples:

●????How to get your teenager off tech without them hating you

●????Why dieting doesn’t work and what to do instead

●????How to create a month’s worth of content ideas in under 10 minutes*

●????3 time-management tips that actually work…

?*And you can actually read this one here >>

3. Body copy (the main post text)

People often ask me whether long or short posts are best and the answer is, there’s no right answer. Personally, I like to mix it up and do some of each. You need to test what works for you… and your audience, of course!

What I can tell you is that people are more likely to read your post if it’s well formatted.

This means it’s written in short, simple sentences - no long words or jargon - and has lots of paragraph breaks to create white space.

Reading on a screen - especially a phone - is hard work for our eyes, so big chunks of text are a definite no-no.

Most people (er, make that all of us) skim-read copy, so you need to make key points stand out. Here’s how:

●????Use bullet point lists

●????Use emojis ????

●????Create subheadings with capital letters

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And a top bonus tip…

Just be natural

A lot of my clients say they struggle to sound natural when they write. If you feel the same, this little trick will help.

When you’re writing your social media content, imagine you’re talking to just one person. What would you say to your ideal client if they were standing in front of you? Say it out loud before you write it down.

There’s a fab free app called Otter* that lets you make voice recordings and then transcribes them into text for you. You might feel a bit daft at first, but it’s a great way to get your thoughts down in writing on the days the keyboard may not be your friend.

*Other similar apps are available, obviously. ???

Need more help?

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