The conversation the other day in the newsroom turned to being creative on Twitter. And as I listened intently to what people were saying, I knew right away that I had my next So Social column.
I might be one of the few who looks at every tweet, every share and every plus-one as an opportunity. I know it’s my job, but I know I’d feel that way even if I stopped doing this for a living.
Someone chimed in and called social media a chore, something that just needed to get done. I interjected and said going through the motions just to cross something off your checklist is a total waste of time, especially when it comes to social media, and that you’d almost be better off not doing it. I say “almost” because in 2015, you are never better off not doing social media.
I’ve been doing this in one form or another since 2008, so I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. With that in mind, here’s how I approach creating fresh and compelling content for social media.
There’s always something better than sharing a headline
Here at the paper, people copy and paste the headline into a tweet and call it a day. That’s lazy, and I’m 99.5 percent certain that you can do better. It’s not that it’s inaccurate, but remember that you usually only get one chance to entice your friends and followers to click. So don’t phone it in.
Is there any connection to current events or pop culture?
Does any part of your content lend itself to a play on something in the news or pop culture? Can you find one? For example: Even though it happened in 2009, if the topic has anything to do with being impatient I might spin it back to Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards. Imma let you finish, but so-and-so had the best tweet of all time. Of all time!
More Top Picks Magnesium Benefits For The Heart
How’s your art situation?
Is there an opportunity to use some sort of art to go with your post? And if you already thought of it, is it the best art you can find? Your posts are so much more likely to be shared if the art is good, so make it the best you can. But be careful where you get the art: You can’t just go onto Google and take whatever looks nice. Same for Wikipedia. But if you see something that’s in the public domain or you subscribe to a stock image service, then you’re in business.
Never discount song lyrics
I can’t tell you how many times I was able to relate a song lyric to something I’m sharing and make it compelling so that others want to share. In a story last week about the popularity of Chicago Italian beef sandwiches in Texas, I could have played it straight. Instead, I played it this way:
Italian beef is a tasty treat (clap clap clap clap) deep in the heart of Texas.
Now you’re not only hungry, you have that song in your head.
You’re welcome.
Social media will only seem like a chore if you hate it, and if you hate it imagine how your followers will react to your posts.
What questions do you have about social media? Tweet them to @scottkleinberg with hashtag #SoSocial. He might select yours for use in a future column.