3 Social Media Copywriting Tips That Don’t Make You Feel Sleazy
Bro marketing teaches us that you have to use manipulative marketing tactics to sell your stuff online. But I call BS!
The era of bro marketing is over. You no longer have to make people feel like shit in order to get them buy from you. You can sell your stuff just by showing people how awesome you are and how valuable that thing is that you're selling.
And one of the best places to build relationships and trust with your audience is on social media. Social media copy tends to be more conversational and friendly, so many people struggle to write social media posts without feeling weird about it.
Below, I’m going to share my top 3 copywriting tips for writing social media content that doesn't make your audience feel crappy or make you feel sleazy about it, but they still work.
3 Social Media Copywriting Tips That Won’t Make You Feel Sleazy
Want to write high-quality social media posts that get people interested in your offers without making them feel bad about themselves? In my decade of experience as a copywriter, I’ve found that there are 3 things that all great social media posts include.
Check out this video for an overview of the 3 social media copywriting tips that will help you write more impactful, less sleazy social media posts.
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Now, let’s dive a little deeper into each must-have element of your sleaze-free social media posts.
1. Use a hook to grab people’s attention on social networks.
My first tip is probably something you've heard before if you’ve ever taken a class on writing copy.
Open with a hook!
You've only got a few seconds to make an impression on your audience and to get them to stop and read your post. So you don't want to waste your hook on something that's shame-y or mean because people will just scroll on by.
Instead, you want to open your social media posts with something that's relevant and interesting enough to get people to stop and say, "I really want to read the rest of this."
Example
My go-to when I can't think of something super cool, unique, and creative is to just open with a question, a quote or a short statement that says something that people will have opinions about.
For example, something that people say a lot is, "I write copy that converts or content that converts." I think that this is just overblown. So I might open a post with a statement that says, "Content that converts isn't enough."
That's something that's not super controversial. We’re not all going to bite each other's heads off or anything.
But it’s interesting and controversial enough that someone might stop and say, "Wait, what? I've got to read the rest of that."
Keep in mind
If you're not a particularly controversial person or not someone that bucks the system, you could just ask a question. Make sure it’s one that’s relevant to your target audience, and try to make it a question that really makes them think!
2. Show; don’t tell. (Or create social media copy with feeling.
My second tip is a piece of advice that I often give to college freshmen in their beginning university writing classes:
Show; don't tell.
This is a basic writing strategy that's really going to help you when you write social captions or really any kind of content writing. Instead of telling someone something, you show them an example of what it can look or feel like.
Why is this important? Well, when you tell a person something, they take it at face value. But when you show them, they're able to see themselves in whatever you're talking about.
Example
Here’s an example. As a copywriter, I can tell you that writing your sales page copy is frustrating. And that might be something that you identify with if you've tried to write sales page copy before.
But we could have different understandings of what “frustrating” means. Or if you’ve never written a sales page before then you may not understand just how frustrating it is.
Instead of telling you it’s frustrating, I can show you.
I might describe what it feels like when you sit down to write your sales page. You end up writing the same headline over and over again, just tweaking a word here and there, until you're ready to just throw your laptop across the wall.
Which one of those is more effective?
While a lot of people can agree with the fact that writing a sales page is frustrating, they're more likely to connect with the specific feelings that surround that thing. So when you're writing your own content, think about how you can show someone something rather than just telling them.
Keep in mind
Client stories or testimonials are a great way to show instead of tell your audience about the value of your offer.
When you share a story about one of your clients and show how they’ve changed over the course of working with you, you’re creating a visual for the reader that makes the transformation more real.
3. Bring your target audience into the conversation.
My third tip is to bring your audience into the conversation. This is something a lot of people forget to do when they're writing social captions.
Social media is still a ”social” platform, so you really want to try to start conversations and bring your audience into the conversation. When you engage your audience, they are more likely to be interested in your content.
Example
One of the easiest ways to start a conversation is to ask a question, usually at the end of the post.
Ask your audience something that's easy for them to answer. It should be something that they don't have to think too hard about it but also something that gives them a chance to engage with whatever you're talking about.
For example, let’s say you create a LinkedIn post that discusses your take on an important topic in your industry. At the end of the post, you might ask, “What do you think?” or “What’s your experience with this?” This gives social media users the opportunity to chime in.
Another quick and easy way to help people engage is to ask them to drop an emoji in the comments about something specific. You might write an Instagram post about your week and end the post with ”Drop a fire emoji if you're fired up to start your Wednesday.”
The easier you make it for people to engage on social platforms, the more likely they will be to engage. People like emojis. And when they can drop an emoji and don't even have to type anything, it’s a super-easy way to engage.
Keep in mind
If you feel like you've just been talking at your audience, then maybe it's time to add some engagement elements to your social media campaigns.
When you make engagement a regular part of your social media strategy, you’re inviting your audience to chime in often. This helps you build a social media presence that prioritizes relationship- and trust-building. (Which is always a good marketing strategy!)
Writing a clear call to action
There’s one thing that we didn’t talk about that’s very important when it comes to writing sales content. (Or really any content marketing.)
It’s the call to action.
A call-to-action, or CTA, is a clear, specific statement that tells the reader what you want them to do next. You are calling on them to take an action that should be inspired by the copy you’ve written.
Here are some quick tips for writing a solid CTA:
Start with a power word. Use a strong specific verb to start your CTA. Instead of “if you want more information, grab the guide,” start with “Grab the guide” to make it more active.
Make sure your CTA is clear. Instead of “click here,” try something more specific like “download,” “grab,” or “browse.” They should know exactly what you want them to do.
It doesn’t always have to be about buying. Your CTA isn’t always “buy my thing.” Sometimes it’s asking the reader to download, sign up for, or watch something.
If you’re writing a LinkedIn or Facebook post that’s meant to be more of a nurturing, engaging, or relationship-building post, you might ask a question at the end to bring the reader into the conversation.
Your CTA in this case should tell them exactly how you want them to respond. “Tell me in the comments below” or “Comment with your favorite X” are great examples of calls-to-action that work for engagement posts.
How to organize your copy across social media platforms
So now that you have some ideas about how you can improve your social captions, you're going to need a place to organize all that great content you're about to write.
I have a free content calendar template that you can use to organize your social media marketing content across channels. It‘s free. It's in Google Sheets, so you don't have to download any software or learn a new tool. It's really easy to modify to make it your own.
So if you need an easy way to organize your content, download my free Google sheets content calendar template.
After you sign up for the content calendar template, you’ll get an email with a link to the template and a video walking you through each of the tabs and showing you how to get the most out of the content calendar.
Final takeaways
If you want to write social media captions that don’t make you feel sleazy but can still help you make a connection with your audience and sell your stuff, use these 3 strategies:
Open with a hook. Write something interesting that draws the reader in and stops the scroll.
Show; don’t tell. Show your audience what it feels like to do something or experience something rather than just telling them and asking them to take it at face value.
Invite your audience to the conversation. Ask an engaging question, get their opinion on a topic, or tell them to drop an emoji. The easier it is for them to engage, the more likely they will be to engage. (And the algorithm loves that!)
And don’t forget to end your social post with a clear, strong call-to-action. Tell people what you want them to do after they’ve read the post, and they might just do it!
Don‘t forget to download my free Google sheets content calendar template. It’ll help you keep your social content organized across social media channels.
