How to grab people's attention when you post on social media

First you need to understand this... No one cares about what you're doing unless it helps them or they're your Mum. There, I said it. Harsh but true.

If you want to improve how you post on social media then before you post anything you have to ask yourself these questions:

1. Who does this help?
2. How does it help them?
3. Have I explained why it will help them clearly?
4. Is the first line catchy enough to capture someone's interest?
5. Would I read this if it wasn't about me?

We're all guilty of it, myself included. And sometimes we don't even realise we're doing it. One thing that helped me to start noticing this was a feature on Today FM, a national radio station in Ireland, with Dermot and Dave. They were talking about things that annoyed them, fancy that! And one of the things that came up was how people post on LinkedIn and start with "I'm so excited..." or "This is so exiciting." I realised that I posted like that all the time! And honestly, if you know me, you'll realise that it's because whatever is going on when I share it, I genuinely am "really excited!"

BUT

Now I realise that it doesn't matter if I'm "really excited" because social media is social and shouldn't be about me unless I'm sharing how I can help other people. And it's more important to demonstrate to others that they can be excited about XY or Z. And you can apply this to all social media platforms!

So it's not about any of the following:

• I'm so excited to be or to have...
• I am honored to be part of...
• We're hiring.
• I'm in the newspaper...
• I work with clients to...

So what?

That does not mean that you cannot or should not share information about your triumphs, or your events, your sales or how you help people. It just means that if you want someone else to be as excited as you are, you need to reframe you messaging so that they can imagine how it can help them.

It's this simple... before you post read your caption and ask yourself, if this was for someone else:

What's in it for them?

Don't bury that message even if you are a master story teller and copywriter! Put it up front.

Instead of saying "We're hiring" trying opening with "Can you imagine jumping out of bed and really looking forward to work?" Because if someone isn't enjoying their role and is looking for a change it's easier to imagine that they could be happier in a different environment than "We're hiring!" They won't understand that you're amazing even if you put the universal sign of friendliness into the caption (an exclamation mark!)

Changing how you write your captions doesn't take a lot of time. The caption doesn't even have to be that long.

In fact sometimes even with my favourite accounts sometimes I just want a shorter story! But it has to be a story or build on the image that accompanies it.

This just takes a mindset change. And some common sense.

Before you post something read it and think, would I say this to my best friend? Would she smack me playfully over the head or roll her eyes because it's a jargon fest of nonsense that doesn't make any sense!?

If the answer is yes, then return to the 5 questions above, and also know you won't always get it right. That's ok.

Framing your message in a way that is relatable does not mean, "don't sell!"

It means that before you sell you need to share the benefit of what you're selling or demonstrate the loss that will be avoided by what you're selling.

Help your followers to understand the transformation that they will achieve with you or your business in their life. If they get how it will save them time or money or improve their health, wealth or relationships then chances are they will buy.

If you need help with this then get in touch with me.

I show businesses how to communicate their message in an effective and meaningful way so that they can generate the best quality leads for their businesses.

Drop me a line to [email protected]