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10 tips for writing compelling content previews for social media






Social media users scan their feeds, so image search marketers force their target audience to stop scrolling. But bright photos shouldn't be the only attraction for them to stop, click, and read.


People who come across the image often jump to the text to see its contents. And if this content preview doesn't motivate them to click to read more, the promotional efforts will be in vain.


Here are 10 tips that can help ensure your social media previews turn scrollers into readers of your full-length content.




1. Emphasize the popularity of the content


This trick serves as social proof, an indicator that other readers find your content worthy of a click to read more. It also includes a component of FOMO – fear of missing out. Scrollers don't want to miss out on content that others find truly informative and valuable.


By promoting a piece of content as the best or loveliest, shareable or controversial resource on offer, you pique their curiosity and motivate them to see all the fuss. is about what.


Use superlatives to promote #content on @SocialMedia. You'll pique their curiosity and drive them to click, according to @LesleyVos via @CMIContent. Click to post a Tweet In this tweet, I promote an article, How to Deal with Cognitive Bias in Social Content, by recommending it as “one of my best articles of 2021.”



Honesty is very important here. Don't use this tip to trick the reader. After all, brand reputation is much more important than a few extra clicks on social media.


2. Mention of rewards inside content


Tell your readers that a great reward awaits them in the article. These could be free templates, a list of the year's best blog posts, or a fact-checking list on a topic.


Short story, make them understand that there is a added value in your content. In this Instagram post, CoSchedule promotes an article on how to perform content audits. But it doesn't stop there. It also mentions including a template and checklist.


www.instagram.com/p/CYmFvu1Ls2q/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” data-instgrm-version=”14″>




3. Add a funny but appropriate photo


Technical or detailed content can be difficult to preview on social media. It is difficult to convey terms and concepts in a concise format because of the few Cognitive biases experienced when the brain saw too much information to discover or too much content to remember.


Attract humor and use superior visual effects may be of help to you. Add meaning to your content with fun and engaging visuals. You will tackle its complexity and prevent those cognitive biases.


The example I shared in the first tip featured a fun giraffe image to draw attention to the seemingly complex subject of cognitive bias.


If you don't find a viable humor route, an alternative to promoting technical or detailed content is to use bright illustrations that will stand out in users' feeds like this Colorful rainbows and brightly-clothed models preview an article on social listening research.


www.instagram.com/p/CIA76HGjk8e/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading” data-instgrm-version=”14″>




4. Reveal the table of contents


Describe the main point of your article in one sentence followed by a table of contents. This writing trick works when the oversimplified main point sounds too general or vague. It allows users to see the details behind the theme to determine if the theme is valuable and suitable for their needs.


Share a table of contents to promote your entire content on #SocialMedia, @LesleyVos says via @CMIContent. Click for chirping soundIn this social media preview post, WordStream identifies the subject (types of emails to send 2022), followed by a bulleted table of contents listing each type covered in the full-length article.



5. Write like you would talk to a friend


Concerned about looking unprofessional and too friendly, some writers make their previews too formal and impersonal. That type of content can make it difficult to attract social media users who scroll to find interesting content.


I'm not talking about being too personal, but you can take steps to chat more in your previews:



  • Not for professional use jargon , complex words, large grammatical structures and long sentences. Further proofreading and slight editing will also help polish the preview.

  • Write as you talk. Imagine you're talking to someone you care about about content.



6. Use quotes from content


You see this trick often because it works well. Write a preview for a paragraph by including a quote or cite a statistic from the full-length paper. This social preview from the environmental company Jacobs Include a quote from the employee featured in the article.



7. Answer why should I care


This tip is related to the previous ones, but I have separated it for emphasis. In the preview, please explain briefly why a person should invest their time reading your content. Maybe the author is a well-known expert whose opinion matters to the niche. Perhaps the information is structured in a convenient format. Perhaps it brings some additional freeware or other benefits. The point is to let scrollers know what's in there for them.


In this for example Ahrefs promotes a reader-friendly structure (short and engaging) and mentions a new feature.



#8. Tag famous sources


If the author or source is well known in your niche or globally, mention them in the preview. Remember to tag them. The preview will grab the audience's attention and can be shared by the author or source so that their followers can also see it. (It also indicates authoritative content.)


This preview from Digital Olympus identified experts Winnie Sun and Jason Barnard for the weekly webinar.



9. Mention an amazing fact


You have a little time to engage with social media users. Create a wow effect in the first sentence of your preview using:



  • Strange words or expressions

  • Special insights

  • Shocking information

  • Exclusive information


In this example, Semrush highlights that 7,000 – plus word articles drive nearly four times more traffic than articles of 900 to 1,200 words. (Now, that's a wow!)



10. Live chat


You know your buyer persona inside and out. With personality traits, motives, fears, and frustrations in mind, create a content preview that will leave readers with, “Oh, that's about me!” and click to continue reading.


In this example the word Elna Cain , she writes in second person: “Stop saying sorry in your freelance business! Are you always apologizing for not writing the right niche, the right proportions, or the right type of text? Stop saying sorry and say these things instead…”



Get ready to rewrite


Creating an effective social preview of your content can't be done in one draft. Use two or three of these tips to write some previews for social media publishing. Analysis audience response to each to understand the most compelling preview structure and tone for this particular type of content promotion.


Want more content marketing tips, insights, and examples? Ordered to business days or weekly emails from CMI.

Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski / Content Marketing Institute








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Diệp Quân
Nguyen Manh Cuong is the author and founder of the vmwareplayerfree blog. With over 14 years of experience in Online Marketing, he now runs a number of successful websites, and occasionally shares his experience & knowledge on this blog.
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