Blogging Tips: How to Write a Social Media Message for Blog Sharing

If you publish great content and nobody shows up to read it, is it still great? Sometimes the blogs you put the most thought and effort into end up with the least views. As a writer, this can be a tough pill to swallow, but instead of getting caught up feeling those feelings, focus on how you can tweak your process to increase views.

And when I say tweak, I mean it. Oftentimes, it's those tiny, granular changes that are going to unlock success. You've already put in the effort to write a great blog post, make sure it publishes with the odds stacked in its favor.

Write a Social Media Message

Just about every blogging software provides the option to write a social media message, and I want you to avoid thinking of it as optional. The social sharing message will help promote your blog on social media.

When you leave that text box blank, one of two things happens—depending on your blogging software:

1. The title of your blog becomes the social sharing message
2. The social post publishes without a social sharing message

And both of those options are less than ideal. Think of it this way: skipping the social sharing message is a missed opportunity to engage your audience. So, what will you write? Here are some blogging tips for writing a click-worthy social media message.

Keep It Honest

Whatever you write as your social sharing message when sharing a blog post should be relevant to the content it links back to. It can be tempting to write something extra juicy to drive more clicks, but if your content doesn't deliver, this tactic can negatively impact the trust your audience has in your brand. In the age of click bait, honesty and authenticity stand out.

Ask a Question

Asking a question is a great way to draw readers in. There's something shockingly universal about questions. We all know a question is just half of the equation, and in order to be complete, it requires an answer. If you choose to include a question in your social media message, try to make it a question that the reader will be able to answer after they've read the blog you're linking to.

Know Each Network

Each social network has its own parameters for what is and isn't acceptable for a social message. Think beyond character limits and focus on the etiquette of each network. For a crash course on the rules of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest along with insights into when it is and isn't okay to break those rules, check out Kevan Lee's post The 29 Most Common Social Media Rules: Which Ones Are Real? Which Ones Are Breakable?

Relate to the Image

Within the blog itself, images play an important role in extending reader interest and adding meaning to the content. When your social post publishes, the image you've selected takes center stage. And at the very least, the image will be accompanied by your user name, the social sharing message, and a link to the full post.

Sites like Facebook include additional details, but this is not universal. When you write your social sharing message, try to connect the wording to the image. This will work to further engage your audience and hopefully generate more clicks.

If you take one thing away from these blogging tips, I hope it's this: do not leave your social media message text box empty.