Maybe there was a time when people scoffed at the job title of social media writer, but now this is a valid career path, a well paying job, and consists of skilled professionals. Do you think you may have what it takes to be a successful social media writer? If so, you have more options than you may ever have imagined. Read on for all the tea, and if you’re looking to hire a social media writer, this read is for you, too.
What does a social media writer do?
Social media writers promote companies or individuals on social media networks. They also spend time engaging with followers and building the brand. Not only do they write social media content, but they also edit and publish the posts. This may mean more than you think.
For instance, each platform and audience has an optimum time to post, and the social media content creator needs to be aware of this. This is where tracking user engagement is important. And it’s not just daily timing, either. It’s how often you post, too. There’s a fine line between too much posting and not enough. Your audience will like to feel engaged, but not overwhelmed. This holds true for blog posts, Facebook posts, Instagram and Twitter posts, and any other media. Timely posting promotes consistent, active engagement.
Oh, but back to writing…
A social media writer has to be a top-notch writer who can direct their content to a specific audience. In fact, this pro must be able to change voices pretty quickly for different platforms. We all know the Facebook audience is pretty different than TikTok. It’s also not just great writing skills that you need, it’s a great way with words, too, as in a storyteller. Keeping a consistent, engaging, and effective voice is truly important.
The posts are top priority, so keeping social media pages current is important. But so is responding to comments. A great professional here needs to be able to work with the positive as well as the negative comments, and that is quite a gift. Again, this is part of maintaining a company’s or individual’s brand. A good writer can deflect negativity while taking responsibility, and seeing all sides at the same time.
Creating content
It’s vital for a brand that is active on social media to, well, stay active. If your presence isn’t there consistently, your followers will forget about you, and may ultimately unfollow you. So even if times are slow or news is sparse, a good social media writer needs to be able to create engaging content. That could mean revisiting something from the past in a new and engaging way, asking questions to the community, or venturing out and bringing in a new topic. So it’s not just about writing skills like grammar and diction, it’s content and delivery, too.
Can all writers create social media content?
Say you’re a writer. A great one. You’ve just finished a fabulous novel or interesting cookbook and want to get it out in the world. Can you take on your own social media? Should you? That, my friends, is a big question. There’s nothing wrong or shameful in hiring a social media writer even if you are a professional writer. Social media is its own different ball game. And again, here is one of the biggest parts of it all. Writing for the audience.
The OnlineMarketingInstitute.org shares this tip:
Before ever creating or sharing content, think about your audience: ask yourself if it’s something they would like to see and share with their friends. Once you have some ideas, you can even poll your audience to generate comments and perhaps initiate debate. This not only creates engagement, but gives you special insight into what they want.
So if chatting and creating this content isn’t the type of writing you excel at, maybe think about hiring someone to help you out.
Types of social media writing
When you think of social media, does your brain immediately go to Facebook. Maybe Twitter? You can maybe even see the words, just not exactly what they say. Let me ask you this – do you see video? Because video is a huge part of social media, and guess what. Writers write the video content. And sometimes, just sometimes, you may be just a little too close to your product to write the succinct, concise script a video for social media may need.
Think about this that our own Bunny Pro Emiliano shares:
It’s good not to go overboard; while there is no ideal social media video duration, keeping it under a minute, minute thirty tops is a good rule of thumb. Unless you’re explaining to your audience how you came up with teleportation or some other world-changing thingamajig, they just want the barebone facts. If you can’t tell your story in a brief, succinct way, then you’re probably too close to your product. Sometimes it’s easy to love something so much that you can forget to keep it simple.
If you have a product to be shared on social media, video is pretty important. Followers want to see it. They want to hear about it. A social media writer can craft your video’s script to completely embrace and showcase your product in a way to make your followers fall in love. They’ll keep it tight and clean, ready for engagement and sharing.
And what about this scenario… you have a great website that gets lots of hits. However, you need to keep it current and linked to your social media. Yep, a social media writer can help you out here, too. This could encompass announcements, press releases, updates, so much information has its place here. The key is fitting it in perfectly, like a puzzle piece that completes the picture.
How do you work as a social media writer?
Great question! And that’s one of the great things about a job like this. You have so many options. Let’s take a look:
Working as a freelancer
You may be able to be a freelance social media writer. This could entail creating content and handling the social media for the veterinarian that you take your dog to and the dentist down the street. Maybe you also fit in the social media for your mom’s online candle shop. You can adapt your voice and content to different audiences, different platforms, and different content. It’s up to you what you charge, and you can probably work around your schedule as long as you keep everything up to date.
Working with an agency or service
Content writing services are excellent places to climb on board to work as a social media writer. When you have a specialty like this you can stand out. You also may be able to take as little or as much work as you want, and you won’t be the one negotiating and ironing out details with clients. Just like Bunny Studio, content companies outsource professional writers to create content. These writing services vet professional writers and by fostering relationships with writers and clients, they can create the best match for the job.
There are a lot of benefits to working with an agency, plus it’s fun because you never know what accounts you may get to work on. One day it may be a blog post for a carpet company, the next a landing page for a new yoga studio. For those who love a flexible, fun, and ever-changing platform, this can be the way to go.
Working in-house for a company or individual
Many companies and even individuals will hire a part-time or a full-time social media writer. This is kind of like an in-house consultant or attorney, you do your gig solely for this one company. It’s a great way to have consistent work and a consistent job with benefits and stability. You’ll often see this job called social media manager or strategist, and it’s becoming more and more common. In fact, you can get your degree in social media for more background and credibility if this is the route you’d like to take. This is a great symbiotic style as the social media strategist is living and breathing the company so has all the insight to write great social media.
Hiring a social media writer
For those of you looking to hire a social media writer, you’ve got some great information here to consider. We hope we’ve helped! Much of it depends on your needs and what you’re looking for the writer to take on. If you want a round-the-clock social media manager you may want to hire an in-house pro. If you want some blogs written and some content edited or created now and then, a freelancer or a service should suit you well. Luckily there are plenty of options and something to fit everyone.
Summing up Social Media Writing
In our current culture, it’s pretty important to have active and engaging social media. If writing this content isn’t up your alley, hire someone! It’s easy and then your social media writer can take on your platforms, your content creation, and your engagement. Think of a social media writer as the voice of your company. Look for a voice that will represent the soul of your company, or simply you. Many people don’t have the time to dedicate to social media, even with all of its importance. And that is completely okay – that’s what social media writers are for! We’d love to chat with you about social media writing – you’ll love us here at Bunny Studio, so don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ll love what we do.
