We live in a world of communication overload. I know that I get overwhelmed managing two email addresses, a Facebook account, Twitter account, Google+ and a LinkedIn account. I receive thousands of messages each day across these platforms, but realistically there are not enough hours in the day to read them all. So the question is, how do people select what to read?
I had the opportunity to attend a PRSA event titled, “Social Media Writing Bootcamp.” During the session, led by Ann Wylie, a communications and social media guru, we learned the reasons why people read and share via social media and tips for being heard. Because there are so many messages suffocating individuals, people pick what they will read based on two questions:
- What’s in it for me?
- What do I have to do?
The majority of readers select and share information that is interesting, entertaining, helpful or funny. As social media writers, we need to develop content that is relevant, interesting and easy, in order to be heard. I’ve outlined some tips Wylie shared during her session below.
- Be Relevant. To be relevant, be an informer. Wylie suggests sharing tipsheets, studies, white papers speeches and webinars. Social media channels should not just be a venue for distributing press releases. In fact, that should be a small portion. Most posts should be about the reader, use “you”, and focus on how-to guides.
Using numbers in the headlines can also help drive traffic. Have you ever noticed how websites like Buzzfeed always use odd numbers in catchy headlines? Apparently there is method to their madness. Odd numbers do better.
Wylie also shared the 70/20/10 test. This means that 70 percent of your Twitter content should be sharing tips and tricks. 20 percent should be joining conversations, introducing people, answering questions and commenting on other posts. Only 10 percent should be “chirping” or talking about yourself, whether it is a company or an individual. For example, tweet like JetBlue:
@JetBlue: If you’re traveling today, be sure to check your flight status. Weather in the Northeast is causing delays. http://bit.ly/jbalert
- Be Interesting. Social media posts need to be interesting, catchy and thought provoking. Wylie suggests writing in the V.O.B., voice of the blog, not the voice of the company. You want posts to have a personality versus being corporate speak. A good exercise is to decide what that voice will be, and be consistent. Are you the favorite uncle? Jon Stewart? Anderson Cooper? A good test is to read your tweet after saying, “Hey! Did you hear?”
Wylie pointed to the FBI as a great example. Most companies will not have content as engaging as the FBI, but you can learn from their catchy phrases. Three tips for tweeting like the FBI? Find the drama, push the verb and choose interesting nouns. Here’s an example:
@FBIPressOffice: Con Artist Who Scammed Nuns Gets His Due: How a New Jersey man defrauded an order of nuns and others out of mo… http://1.usa.gov/15ubCi6
- Be Easy. The last tip is how readers decide if they’ll click based on how much effort is required. To help elevate your posts, cut through the clutter and make your posts and blogs easy to scan. You don’t want readers to have to work to view your content. Blogs and online material should be clear and concise. The easier your tweet is to read, the more likely you’ll get picked up in a sea of social media messages.
Ragan.com does a great job of publishing blog posts that are short and easy to scan. The headlines are also catchy and include odd numbers. Here’s an example:
5 signs PR is the wrong career for you
There were many other takeaways from the social media bootcamp and if you have an opportunity, I’d highly recommend attending a future session. As PR professionals, we are tasked with constantly learning, improving and adapting to our changing communications culture. It is great to have professional resources like PRSA to help with continued education and provide a forum for exchanging ideas.
What are your tips for posting to social media channels?