- Most social posts are completely ignored.
To maximize engagement with your social posts,
you have to grab attention and then use it effectively.
That means using all four key elements of a good post.
Open with a hook, provide context,
deliver an asset, and then call for comment.
Let's walk through the anatomy of
what makes a good social post perform.
We're going to use this example from a real client
that I helped with their social media.
So the first thing is the hook.
This is the most important thing to get right,
because if you don't get this right,
they don't even read the rest of the post.
They just keep scrolling past.
A key part of the hook is the image,
and that's usually what grabs people's first attention.
In this case, we've got a house with a ladder
and some scaffolding on the outside.
So it's not going to appeal to everyone,
but for the target audience of people
who are renovating their house, this might catch the eye.
And the text that we've used for the hook is,
ever wondered how we get the rooftops
to the top of the house?
Because we're asking a question,
we're trying to drive some engagement,
and at least people will look at this and think,
oh, is this worth answering?
Is it worth reading a little bit more?
Next is the context.
This is really important because
if you just grabbed their attention
and then don't use it effectively,
and you don't explain to them if this post is for them,
then they actually get annoyed
and that's worse than not even grabbing their attention
in the first place.
So what we're using for context here is we're describing
what's in the picture.
This is Steve, a builders apprentice,
using the conveyor belt to get the tiles
to where we need them.
Now, a couple of things about the context
that are important.
One is that we say this is a £100,000 renovation
or $150,000, and that is going
to really establish a lot of credibility.
If we are doing a big expensive renovation like that,
then potentially we know what we're talking about.
And this is a six bedroom HMO.
HMO is an industry term,
so if you are a property investor in the UK,
then this is something you're now potentially interested in.
If you're not, no problem.
Because we've given you the context really quickly,
you can decide to move on and you won't be annoyed.
Now the asset.
This is the takeaway.
This is the purpose of reading the post.
When you read this, you can actually repeat this
in conversation and have it be valuable,
or you could actually make decisions based on this sentence
in your business.
So what we've used for the asset is
having a well-tiled roof is like an insurance policy
for a HMO investor.
Getting this wrong can cause catastrophic damage
to your investment.
Now, maybe you already knew this, but actually phrasing it
in this way means that next time someone asks you,
like, why did you spend so much money on the roof?
The reason is you say, you got to think about this
like an insurance policy.
Finally, the comment.
So comments are the most valuable thing to get
on social media.
Much better than likes or favorites
because commenting in a thread means that people engage
with the original post, which spreads it further
into their newsfeeds, so their friends
will see their comments.
Much more likely to see that than even shares
and especially not favorites or likes.
So bringing this all together.
You have the hook, the context, the asset, and the comment.
Now these can be shorter or longer.
It really depends on the industry, the context,
and how creative you can be.
But usually you'll have all four of these present.
Typically, at least two or three.
If you have to boil it down, I would say just get one hook
in there and then provide some context,
and then you could always add the asset in the link out.
You know, people could comment naturally
without you prompting for it.
Now you know the anatomy of a successful social post,
you should try this exercise for yourself.
You should be confident after a few tries
in writing winning social posts for your business.