I've been advising companies about social media for nearly 10 years, and there's one question I consistently get asked more than any other.
"Why don't we get more likes on our stuff?!"
Sometimes, the question is phrased more eloquently:
"How can we increase our audience interaction?"
Often, it comes from a small business owner:
"How do we better engage our community?"
A more savvy consumer might offer an explanation:
"Is the Instagram algorithm preventing people from seeing our posts?"
But — all phrasing-aside — the real question at the crux of all of these questions is: If I (/we're) investing thousands (/millions) of dollars in social media (/social media departments) and have hired talented copywriters, photographers, designers and strategists... Why aren't we getting more likes, comments and shares on our posts?!
I have good news and bad news.
The good news is: A lot of people are seeing your posts (sorry, savvy news friend). The bad news is: Those same people are seeing your posts and not feeling compelled to like them. I know this because... I am one of those people.
Why, you might ask?
Why are you a monster who doesn't like people's posts, Natalie?!
There are many reasons someone might not like your post (difference in politics, perceived lack of humility, the list goes on) but I have found that the most common reason a person doesn't like your posts usually boils down to this: You are not speaking to them as an individual. You are speaking to them as a part of your audience.
"Front row tickets! Not a bad way to start the week!!"
"Pasta and homemade sauce... Yum!"
"Life's a beach... Seas the day!"
These types of captions are simply not how we speak to people — let alone to people we know, trust and care about.
When a caption speaks at a person (ie. grouped in with the masses, generic) — and not to a person (individualized, considered) — it either elicits a neutral reaction — or worse, a negative one. These types of captions simply don't trigger a feeling of connectedness, and can often make people feel impressed upon, marketed to — or simply there to give you likes (resulting in low levels of social media engagement and even unfollows).
And this logic doesn't just apply to social media. Consider emails (and why so many chain emails go unread or trigger an unsubscribe), Ted Talks (the most memorable ones tell you a story, the way a friend might) podcasts (ever feel like you're at the dinner table?) and even... the Kardashians.
"Back to Salads now," Kim Kardashian captioned despondently on a photo of herself on December 26 that earned over 2M likes. It's the kind of text you'd expect from a friend the day after a Christmas indulgence.
The Kardashians are masters of speaking to their audiences as friends — both on television and social media... which brings me to my next point.
Anyone can speak to their followers as individuals — whether you're a brand (see: Netflix), a Kardashian, a small business owner or an employee at a large company.
It's as easy as... talking to your friends.
Here's my favorite trick for getting started:
Instead of opening up Instagram the next time you're crafting your caption, open up a text message to your closest friend. Paste the photo you're going to use in the body of the text if you need to — and start typing the caption you would send — if it were only going to be seen by that friend. (Feel free to remove profanity and the fact that you're starting to develop feelings for Zac Efron... hypothetically, of course.)
When typing to your friend, you probably wouldn't humblebrag, use 18 puns, or go overboard with fanciful language; your best friend would see right through that and call you out. Instead, you'd probably try to make your friend laugh, feel as if they're part of the experience even if they weren't there, give you their two cents — or — simply smile.
It should be no different with your social media audience.
Type to your followers the way you type to your friends, and I promise you: They'll like it.
