When you publish a new article, video, or blog post, you can share it with your network in a matter of seconds. From Facebook and Instagram followers to LinkedIn connections, your audience can scroll across your content right after you post it.
Your audience will see your content, but engaging with it? That’s an entirely different story.
The key to driving more engagement is tailoring your social media posts to each platform and covering topics your audience wants to see covered.
Here are some tips I’ve learned throughout my career as a B2B journalist turned content marketer. Fair warning: Making these mistakes can tank your engagement before you’ve even made a post.
DON’T Exclude Visuals
A link is nothing if it doesn’t have an image attached to it. High-quality images and graphics aren’t just for decoration, they underscore the point your article is trying to make.
Plus, the cover image is typically the first thing people see when your article comes across their screen. Make sure the one you choose supports your message and is relevant to the topic you’re writing about. Photos with faces, high contrast, and bright colors typically resonate well with readers.
DON’T Make the Same Post Twice
The way your audience consumes content varies by social media platform. A post that performs well on LinkedIn will not have the same results on Facebook and Instagram.
Tailor each post to match how your audience is more likely to engage. In my experience, long-form posts work better on LinkedIn while short, punchy posts work on Instagram and Facebook.
Test a few things out to see what works best for your audience.
DON’T Make Posts That Are Inaccessible
If your content isn’t accessible to everyone, you could be leaving out a significant part of your audience.
Make sure all your videos have captions, you use readable fonts, and include alt text for all images.
This ensures any social media user can interact with your content.
DON’T Skip a Call to Action
You can write the most descriptive, eloquent post explaining what your article covers, who is quoted, and the benefits your readers will reap by reading it. But if it doesn’t have a call to action or a link at the end of the post, scrap it.
Most social media users scroll absent-mindedly until something grabs their attention or tells them what to do.
A link is a blinking sign telling readers to “click here.”
DON’T Rely on AI
AI is a helpful tool for cleaning up your writing and brainstorming ideas for future blog posts. However, much like writing an article from the ground up, it should never write your social media posts for you.
Just like it has telltale signs for writing articles and blog posts, spotting AI social media posts is pretty easy once you know what to look for. A social media post riddled with emojis, buzzwords, and vague language probably didn’t come from a human brain.
Relying entirely on AI hurts your credibility and gives the impression that you don’t have the time to engage with your readers. My rule of thumb is to use AI as a proofreader, not an editor-in-chief.
DON’T Disengage After You Post
Continue to engage with commenters and reposters long after you’ve made a social media post. Your post will keep gaining traction hours, sometimes days after you’ve published it.
Whether someone has a question about a stat you mentioned or commented on how awesome your post is, it’s important to respond to them. If you don’t, it can seem like you “set and forget” when you schedule posts to publish on your accounts.
Plus, you can gain valuable insights in the comment section of your own social media posts. There, you’ll learn what your audience actually cares about, the most prominent challenges they experience on a day-to-day basis, and what they hope to learn from your content. Take advantage of it.
DO Post Authentically
Knowing what your audience actually wants to read about, how to reach them, and engaging with people in the comments will help you stand out in an AI-driven marketing landscape.
Avoiding the DON’Ts of social media posting will help you build an audience across platforms and establish your credibility as a brand. Once you understand how your readers want to consume your content and the topics they want to see covered, your content won’t just get views. It will get reshares, impressions, and clicks.