How Does Social Media Feedback Influence Content Writing?
In the digital age, social media feedback is a goldmine for writing professionals looking to refine their craft. We've gathered insights from a Writer to a Senior Editor on how online interactions have shaped their work. From engaging with audience feedback to incorporating their ideas, discover how five experts have allowed social media to influence the direction of their writing.
- Engage and Adapt to Audience Feedback
- Uphold Brand Voice with Fresh Approaches
- Fill Content Gaps with User Insights
- Align Content with Audience Values
- Incorporate Audience Ideas into Writing
Engage and Adapt to Audience Feedback
Social media feedback can significantly influence the direction of writing, especially on platforms like Instagram, where user engagement is immediate and interactive.
For instance, as a content creator, when crafting captions or content for Instagram Stories, I closely monitor the reactions and engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, shares, and saves, on my posts. I analyze the feedback received and gain valuable insights into the preferences and interests of my audience.
If a particular post receives a high level of engagement, with users actively liking, commenting, and sharing the content, it indicates resonance with my followers.
In such cases, I take note of the elements that contributed to the success of the post, such as the tone, style, topic, or visual aesthetics.
Based on this feedback, I adjust my writing strategy and create similar content that aligns with the interests and preferences of my audience. I may explore related topics, experiment with different storytelling techniques, or incorporate engaging visuals to maintain momentum and foster deeper connections with my followers.
Moreover, social media feedback serves as a valuable source of inspiration and validation for my writing efforts. It allows me to iterate and refine my content strategy in real time, ensuring that my writing remains relevant, engaging, and responsive to the evolving needs and expectations of my audience.
Uphold Brand Voice with Fresh Approaches
If you're working with a brand on social media with ultra-specific voice and tone requirements, their audience will expect that to be upheld in captions and other social copy.
The minute followers feel like the brand's tone is being forced, they will sense their authenticity could be improved. It can be easy to fall into the brand voice and tone guidelines routine, but it's up to you as a writing professional to find new ways to spice up the copy while still adhering to the brand's written values.
Sometimes, it's best to get another set of eyes on the content to develop new ways to infuse the same tone of voice into social media content in unconventional ways. We'll often have our team members approve each other's content before sending it off to a client, and we regularly hold brainstorming sessions with our team so the content stays fresh!
Fill Content Gaps with User Insights
In my experience as a content writer, I shared a blog post about mobile app development on various social media platforms. The audience engagement was robust, and the comment section became a valuable source of insights. Users provided feedback about their preferences, additional topics they were interested in, and specific questions they had about mobile app development.
This feedback not only showed the audience's engagement but also revealed the gap in the content that I could not have noticed earlier. According to the feedback, I adjusted subsequent blog posts to include the requested topics and addressed the audience’s requirements.
This interactive approach strengthened the connection with the audience and also ensured that the content remained relevant and tailored to the reader’s needs. This instance helped me refine and enhance the overall content strategy.
Align Content with Audience Values
Social media feedback has been instrumental in shaping our content strategy on numerous occasions. One instance that comes to mind is when we were writing an article about the health benefits of consuming lean meats. Initially, our focus was solely on the nutritional aspects, but after receiving a barrage of comments and messages from our audience expressing concerns about animal welfare, we realized that we needed to address this aspect too. So, we revised our approach to include information about ethical farming practices and the importance of sourcing meat from responsible suppliers. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of aligning our content with the values and concerns of our audience, and it ultimately led to a more well-rounded and impactful piece.
Incorporate Audience Ideas into Writing
Here are several examples for writers:
1. Authors sharing character sketches or early drafts on Twitter to get feedback on their personalities and dynamics.
2. Mystery writers using online forums to gather ideas for plot twists and red herrings based on reader suggestions.
3. Science fiction authors adapting their world-building based on discussions about scientific concepts or technological advancements on Reddit.
