In a perfect world, we’d press a button and automatically generate a show-stopping, viral social media post. Unfortunately, that technology doesn’t exist (yet), so PR professionals have to rely on tried and true guidelines and tips for creating awesome, engaging posts for clients.
A recent article on PR Daily titled, “How to create perfect social media posts,” featured a compelling infographic that offered a slew of tactics to make your posts engaging on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+. Glancing over the graphic, many of the tips caught my eye as unusual, so I thought I’d share a selection of them here to help set you on your way to crafting those perfect posts. For a complete overview, I highly recommend you visit the full article.
Offer a link. Many of us do this in Twitter posts, but think less to do so on Facebook. Be sure to offer a link to the brand’s website or relevant content in your post. Shorten them as you would on Twitter (using bit.ly, for instance) to increase brevity and maximize effectiveness.
Be mobile friendly. When posting to Facebook, keep in mind that many viewers access the site from a mobile device. With that in mind, go for simple formatting and imagery that will be easily viewable across device types—and, on that note, DO use images in your posts, another tip for increased engagement.
Call to action. Everyone likes a sense of purpose. To boost interaction, let viewers know in your Tweet exactly you’d like them to do next (check out the awesome giveaway you linked to, for instance).
Punctuation. A simple reminder, but don’t overlook it for the sake of being sloppy trendy. Capital letters, apostrophes and commas matter. Remember that you’re a PR professional first, creative-Tweet extraordinaire second.
Avoid human faces. No, really. Interestingly, images without human faces are repinned more frequently than those with them—23 percent more often, no less.
Red alert. Images that are mainly red or orange get twice the repins. Go figure. And, on the color note—images with multiple dominant colors get more than three times the repins. Take it easy on the saturation though—50 percent saturation will get you four times as many repins as opposed to going all out at 100 percent.
Google+
Use full-size photos. To up the appeal, don’t just use the small photo that comes with dropping the link. Opt for a bright, large photo in the post to catch viewers’ attention.
Go for “what’s hot.” Use this feature, located above the post, to pick a funny or fascinating topic that will make the post stand out. You can also use the feature to find other people on Google+ with whom to start up a convo.
Finally, in case you’re wondering about timing, the infographic included a bit about when to post, too. For outlets like Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, the afternoon hours are prime posting time—between about 1 and 4 p.m. Google+, in contrast, catches early birds at work between 9 and 11 a.m. Lastly, LinkedIn’s traffic is highest just before and after work hours—from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 5 to 6 p.m.—which makes sense, given its professional audience.
We’ve all faced the challenge of generating eye-catching social media content to increase clients’ engagement with consumers. Next time you’re feeling uninspired, consider trying out some of these lesser-known tips to produce a stellar post that will win repins, likes and retweets.