- June 11, 2014
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Eight Social Writing Strategies for People Who Think They Can’t Write
Maybe it was your high school English teacher who gave you a C- on an essay you poured your heart and soul into. Or the flurry of social media “experts” who turn out flawless copy every day and shake your confidence. Better yet, you really don’t like to write, and now you can finally admit it.
Well, it’s time to abandon the misconception that you can’t write. Because you can. And the skill is essential to master as a social media marketer responsible for creating or overseeing Facebook ads, tweets, status updates, blog posts and more.
Catherine Clifford, a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, has tips to create social content that will impress your high school English teach, and, more importantly, your followers.
Lose the “I’m just not a writer” syndrome. Everyone has the potential to be a writer, especially when you know your product or service better than anyone else does.
Don’t wait for perfect words. You’re not writing the next great American novel. You’re developing content for social channels and blogs. “One writer friend of mine offered the analogy that writing is like cleaning a messy room: the only way a large mess gets cleaned up is to start tidying one small corner at a time,” Clifford said.
Talk to yourself — out loud. Clifford compares writing to chatting with a friend over a beer. In conversation, you might have to stop, correct yourself and continue speaking. If you permit yourself that same freedom while writing, you might talk yourself though your first blog draft easily.
Move words, sentences, paragraphs around the page like pieces of a puzzle. “The beauty of writing on a computer is that you can move words and groups of words effortlessly,” she said. “Just reminding yourself of that tends to make it easier to find your writing flow. If you get your mind set that the words will be seen by the audience exactly as they flow onto the page, it can be paralyzing.”
Pare down your point. Know what you want to say before you sit down to write. “When you sit down to write a business pitch, a grant proposal or a speech, be sure that you have done your research and know precisely what you mean to communicate,” Clifford advises. This is especially important with a tweet, when you have only 140 characters to convey your idea.
Rid yourself of the Internet. Yes, those cat memes are adorable. However, every meow distracts you from your goal of content writing. Clifford recommends eliminating distractions by going offline and opening a document that only allows you to write on your computer desktop.
Deadlines keep you accountable. Set deadlines for yourself, even if you don’t have a due date upcoming.
Now that you’re ready to write, try your newfound skills with “The 30-Day Twitter Challenge.”