What makes a good social media post?
There are lots of elements that go into a good social media post.
A fabulous photo or video can really stop people in their tracks, which is what you want.
But it needs to be backed up with a good written caption that brings them into your world and makes them want to stay.
And there are three key ingredients that go into making a good, written social media post.
The purpose
There should be a reason why you’re posting on social media in the first place. And that reason shouldn’t just be to stay visible or because you haven’t posted anything for a while.
It should be part of getting people to know, like and trust you. And you need to post a good mix of content for your audience to be able to do that.
I talk to my strategy clients about content buckets. And all your content should sit in one of these 3 buckets:
What you do
Who you do it for
You and what makes you tick
If you just posted about your offer every day, people would get bored of your content very quickly. It’d be the same if you kept posting pictures of your dog or your lunch.
I’m not saying you can’t post a picture of your dog or your lunch (that’s great behind the scenes content that gives people an insight into who you really are). But it’s important to mix it up with other, more informative or value-led content.
So, whenever you write a social post, ask yourself why you’re posting it.
Is it to educate your audience?
Do you want to inspire them?
Is it to entertain them?
Do you want them to buy your thing?
If the answer isn’t clear to you, it won’t be clear to your audience either.
Your post should have one purpose. Don’t be tempted to talk about all your offers and services in one post, because that’s only going to confuse your audience.
Keep it simple and to the point – save the other stuff for other posts.
The hook
While a nice image of you will likely grab attention, it’s your hook that’s going to draw your reader in and make them want to click to read more.
A hook is that very first line of content that’s going to either grab your reader’s attention and make them want to continue reading, or make them carry on scrolling.
It may only be a few words, but that first line has to do a lot of heavy lifting. Because we’re all consumed by content these days, and it takes a lot to stop the scroll.
If you just posted “Happy Friday” with a selfie, that’s not going to be enough to grab attention. Plus, it goes back to making sure your content has a purpose.
You want to get the balance just right between authentic and true, and outrageous clickbait.
I’m sure you’ve seen those ridiculous headlines online that sound so absurd you just have to click to read more. But when you read the full story, it’s been blown way out of proportion, and you end up feeling disappointed and a little betrayed.
Don’t be tempted to make an outrageous claim if you can’t back it up. The rest of the content needs to deliver on what you stated in your opening. Otherwise, whatever trust you’ve already built with your audience is going to get eroded very quickly.
On the other end of the scale, you don’t want your hook to have your audience yawning with boredom because you’ve used the same, old boring intro that’s been done to death.
I die a little inside when I read “I’m delighted to announce…” or “We’re excited to share…” because those kinds of posts aren’t putting the audience first. You need to put yourself in your audience’s shoes and think from their perspective.
So, if you do want to share some exciting news, try: “You won’t believe what happened yesterday”.
This kind of hook creates intrigue and makes your audience want to read more. And that’s what you want.
Aggravating a pain point of your ideal client is also a good idea for a hook, because it immediately resonates with your reader.
You want a hook that offers value and sounds as though it could genuinely help your readers. Think about what your ideal client is struggling with and how you can help them.
Another good hook hack is to open with a question, because people immediately know you’re talking to them rather than at them. If the question doesn’t relate to them, they’ll carry on scrolling, and that’s fine.
Sometimes, the idea for the hook comes first, and your post follows. Other times, it’s a struggle to think of a good hook.
In that case, my top tip is to write your hook last. Get the crux of your post written first so you know the purpose and what you want to say. Then go back and write the hook.
It could be that you pull a quote from the middle of your post and use that as a hook. Or the ending of your post, could become the hook.
The call to action
The aim of posting on social media is to promote what you have to offer and get your readers to remember you.
But how do you get them to do that?
How do you get them to take the next step and become obsessed with you, and not just scroll onto the next post in their feed?
That’s where the call to action comes in. Also known as a CTA.
It’s the next step you want your audience to take to keep them in your corner of the internet for longer.
Say, you’ve written a post you’re really proud of. You’ve put your heart and soul into it. You’ve pitched it at your ideal client perfectly. And then you put it out into the world.
If someone reads your post and thinks 'wow, I really like this person. I really like what they have to say’, they’re ready to take the next step and they’ll want to know how to do that.
If there’s no natural next step for them to take, they’ll carry on scrolling, move onto the next person’s post and forget all about yours.
You might think the next step is obvious, but it might not be obvious to your audience. People want it made easy for them. They want their hand held.
So if you just say: “Details on my website”. That means they’ve got to find your website and navigate to the right page. It’s much better to put the direct link in your post.
Annoyingly, Instagram doesn’t let you include links in your post captions, so you’ll need to add the link to your bio and direct people there. Or you could encourage people to DM you for the details.
Your CTA doesn’t have to be as brazen as 'buy my thing', it could be to invite them to comment. Or you could suggest they 'save this post for later'.
The majority of your posts should have a call to action of some kind though. But there are plenty of different CTAs you can try.
Here are some of my favourites…
Book a call
Sign up here
Drop me a DM
Grab my freebie
Join my email list
Read the full blog
Check out my website
Save this post for later
Comment X to get access
Tell me I’m not the only one
Follow me for more tips on X
What do you think? Drop a comment.
Give it a go for yourself and let me know how you get on
And when you’re writing your call to action, think of more creative ways you can say it. For instance, one of my favourite and softer CTAs that I use is: “If you liked this post, you’ll love my weekly email”. Then I direct people to my newsletter sign up page.
Remember not to bombard people with different CTAs. Pick one call to action for each post.
If you don’t get people carrying out whatever call to action you include, don’t be disheartened. It doesn’t mean your content is rubbish and you should give up. Quite the opposite in fact.
They say people need to see something at least seven times before they take action. And that number is always on the up, due to how much content we're consuming. So, if you have something to sell, keep talking about it.
Use different formats like videos, carousels and traditional posts to get your message across.
The 3 Rs
It's all about reusing, repurposing and recycling your posts. And it’s not as hard as you might think – even just trying a different hook or a different call to action can transform a post.
I keep a spreadsheet of all my published posts for each month. Then, if I’m stuck for what to write, I go back three months or so and recycle something from there.
Or I look back at what I posted this time last year for any seasonal inspiration.
Want your social media to work harder for you without the headache or feeling like you’re constantly having to create content?
Comments