Three Questions to Consider When Writing Social Media Posts

Jenn Taylor

Throughout my internship at Obsidian, I have been given various assignments. From the basic intern-type tasks, like collecting the newspapers in the morning, to the more in-depth tasks, like formulating a media contact list, there is one particular task that I feel has grown on me quite a bit. Researching content for social media posts is an assignment that I consistently do every week. While working on these projects, I have learned that there are three very important questions everyone should ask when writing these posts. 

The three questions are: 

What audience am I trying to reach? 

I believe this question is the most important of all because if we do not know to whom we are speaking, how could we possibly know what content would be of interest? For example, we would not want to write about fashion or about celebrity updates for an accounting firm. The update on the latest E! network show, “Eric and Jessie: Game On,” is probably not going to be beneficial to the firm’s current and future clients. Considering the audience not only shapes the message, but also the tone of any post we craft. 

What is relevant, and what is currently trending? 

Something that I did not think about when I first started writing social media posts was that, yes, we need to ultimately use the company’s information and updates to write the posts, but we need to also remember that important events and holidays are occurring outside of the company. This approach helps pull in your followers who may not be completely invested in the company’s everyday posts but could easily relate to a general “Happy President’s Day” post. If anything, the most basic and timely posts can help keep those followers engaged through a possible retweet on Twitter or a share on Facebook. 

What is the overall mission/message the company wants to communicate? 

We have all visited our fair share of company websites to learn more about a company. Usually, one of the first things we read about or notice on the website is the company’s mission statement. The mission statement lays out the purpose of the company or organization and its reason for existing. It is vital to understand the mission statement of the company you are writing for to ensure consistent implementation of the company’s values and beliefs into the content. This will also help connect to an audience that may be alike in those values and beliefs. 

With social media becoming a popular communication channel for businesses and organizations of all types, I believe this newfound knowledge will be useful to me in my future career in public relations.

PR in the Not-For-Profit World

Lauren Hannaford

One of the things we take a lot of pride in is the number of not-for-profit clients that we work with. I currently handle five not-for-profit accounts, and each is unique and exciting in its own way. If you can’t intern at an agency, one of the best ways to get your “PR feet” wet is to do an internship at a not-for-profit in college.

Like businesses with goals to raise revenue numbers, not-for-profits work around the clock to fundraise and win grant dollars and sponsorships. The difference is that after all of the events, communication, fundraising and luring of corporate sponsors, the funds must be put to work through programs and services for those in need. And, that is why the aforementioned efforts are critical.

Because fundraising is so critical to our not-for-profit clients, engaging a PR agency is also critical for many reasons:
1.    Making your not-for-profit stand out in a city with thousands of organizations fighting for the same funds
2.    Lack of time to commit to PR or inability to keep a full-time employee on staff because of funds
3.    Event support and promotion
4.    Sponsor recognition through media relations
5.    Media attention that attracts granting foundations/organizations
6.    Volunteer recruitment
7.    Program and services outreach and awareness

Through the numerous not-for-profit clients that I’ve had the pleasure of working with, one thing remains the same. They are all passionate about their mission. They have to be! That’s why getting a big story about a new program or effort for a not-for-profit is so exciting. When we get feedback about results from our efforts, it’s very rewarding because we know that it will ultimately help individuals and community-wide efforts in some way. Here’s a checklist of tactics that I try to think about often for my not-for-profit clients. One just might spark a new idea for you!

1.    Look beyond the program or service to the individual who will be receiving the service.
2.    Think about how that individual or community group gets their news and communicates.
3.    Time pitches and stories (as best you can) close to the time frame of grant applications.
4.    Share success stories like crazy.
5.    Communicate through all types of media and advertising when possible.
6.    Always be thinking about how to reach new donors.
7.    Find ways to make fundraising events stand out.