the 3 C's of compelling copy
Does any of this sounds like you when you try to create compelling copy on social:
You sound like a corporate drone with no personality
You forget the main point of your message halfway through and leave your audience hanging
Your audience doesn't know when to expect you on social
You end up talking only about yourself and what you want
You don't end up providing any real takeaways in your captions
Your audience doesn't know what to expect from your content on social
You don't know what your audience wants so you're throwing spaghetti at a wall and it's not landing
If you're struggling to convey your message online consistently (and in a way that resonates with your audience), you're not alone.
Turns out, you're among good company. Well-meaning freelancers, entrepreneurs, and business owners use social media all the time to talk with their audience but wind up not connecting at all.
The issue you're having isn't creating copy. It's creating compelling copy.
There's a difference.
Social media is a void. A black hole of words, letters, and photos, if you will.
That's because everyone has something to say.
Which is great and not so great.
It's great because it's democratized; everyone has a voice on social.
It's not so great because it's democratized... so, everyone has a voice on social.
You feel me?
I think a lot of social media is people screaming into the void, throwing words and pictures around hoping something will stick. The thing is... that's unnecessary.
Why?
Because there's a beautiful thing called *s*t*r*a*t*e*g*y* and I've spent the last 7 years in the thick of it.
There's an easier way to utilize social media in a way that feels good for you and your audience.
It's with a personalized strategy, dependent solely on you, your industry, your niche, your audience, your values, and your brand.
The other way?
The 3 C's of compelling copy.
Let's get into it, shall we?
Know your Community
It may seem obvious that you should know who your audience is before posting content or creating copy that's engaging for them.
But, it's something a lot of people don't realize.
You can't just come from a place of, "Here's what I want to share." You have to be thinking about and consider what your audience wants to hear.
If they're following you because they think of you as a content expert, then posting photos about food and skincare may not necessarily tie in directly with your audience.
HOWEVER.
There's a caveat. Always.
Sharing and posting about personal experiences and personal aspects of your life — like if you like cooking or you learned a cool life lesson while on vacation — is totally fine.
Buuuut, a majority of your content and the copy that you're writing needs to be tailored to your audience.
For example, you wouldn't post multiple times a week about cooking if you're a content writer.*
*Unless it's a consistent series or something your audience can expect from your content and copy week after week
ACTION ITEM: do some market research! Poll your audience on what kind of content they want from you!
Leave ‘em with a killer Call-to-action
The call-to-action does not need to be directing your audience or community into a sales funnel of some sort. It can be totally organic!
You can ask them to:
Leave a comment on your recent post
DM you
Answer a poll or question sticker on your Stories
Click the link in your bio
The idea here is simply to ASK them to engage. Don't assume they will. Because they won't.
Compelling copy compels people to do something (see what I did there?). Lead with a compelling story (via video or a caption) and then hook em with the CTA at the end.
ACTION ITEM: next time you post an Instagram Story, leave your audience with a CTA! If you just posted on your feed, ask them to leave a comment or double-tap that shit!
Consistency, consistency, consistency
REAL TALK, OK. Setting up a consistent posting/share schedule will do you wonders.
You'd think, as a content strategist myself, that I'd be better at this than I am.
Now, I'm getting there — I have a consistent weekly blog and a newsletter that comes out every Thursday called Thursday Thoughts — but, I am not as consistent at posting on my feed on Instagram.
I do get points for constantly showing up on Instagram Stories though.
The main point here isn't to get caught up in thinking you have to post every day or that your blog has to come out at a specific time each week.
As long as your audience is aware of when you'll be on and when they can expect your content, you're golden!
For example, if you set the boundary that you don't show up on social on the weekends, that's something they can expect week after week.
Don't think of consistency as the AMOUNT you come on social but rather make sure your audience is aware of WHEN they can expect you and your content.
Side note related to that *asterisk in tip #1: sometimes I'll hop on Stories and share a story about my weekend, my personal life, my struggles, etc.
It's not related to my audience's wants or expectations (they come to my page for copywriting, content, and social tips), but it's something that connects me to my audience.
It makes me a real person.
That's the goal of all of this in the end.
To connect. Be authentic. Find and cultivate a community around who you TRULY are, not who you PRETEND to be on social.
So, the ACTION ITEM here is to just be a real person. Share your struggles along with your triumphs, your BTS along with your highlights.
That's what makes for some wildly compelling copy.