PARENTS! it’s time to change the channel
I am currently writing an article that examines the way kid’s television programming has changed throughout the years. We went from slower-paced shows that allowed children to think critically, to fast-paced cartoons with jump cuts that could overstimulate the most grounded human.
When it comes to long-form writing, it’s important to utilize short-form content to promote that work. This week, I put my short-form writing skills to the test by creating three social media posts that would serve as promotion for my article.
Please note: these are all mock-ups and not real posts that have been shared. Some are edited with old social graphics but still represent what the content would look like.
POST ONE: INSTAGRAM
https://youtube.com/shorts/DGNdkLPLW74
This post was fun to put together since I use Instagram the most when it comes to social media. While I could have posted a captivating image, I know that reels and moving images are pushed the most in the algorithm. I decided to add a small amount of movement to my post so it wouldn’t be too distracting, but it would stand out amongst images. I wanted the post to be scroll-stopping so I went with an image that would immediately catch the attention of parents. I kept the text very simple and digestible. I also added hashtags at the bottom for SEO so more people would find the post. On Instagram, it’s important to mention where the article is since you can’t add links to descriptions. So, I made sure to point the audience to the link in my bio where they could read the article.
Please note: I had to use YouTube to host this video, but the post would be directly on Instagram.
POST TWO: TWITTER
Twitter is more of a news-driven medium. Even if the news is what one did that day, people often use Twitter as their own journal entries. Personally, I could scroll for hours on Twitter because the information is so quick and easy to digest. I knew my post had to be one that got someone to stop scrolling and leave the app, so I needed to hook the reader immediately. I decided to lead with multiple buzz words and then leave the reader wanting more by keeping it short and not over-explaining. I used a captivating image as the link to the article so that it would stand out on a site often filled with text.
POST THREE: LINKEDIN
Posting on LinkedIn is like going to Mars. You still want your content to be engaging, but the audience is much different than all other social media. You are speaking to professionals and people who are on the site specifically to learn and engage with what you share in a professional manor. It’s important to start a healthy conversation with collogues, so I explained my article in more detail while encouraging others to share their thoughts. I also linked to my full article, with a captivating image that leaned more educational than click-baity. The title of the final article will be “Raised on Noise: How Modern TV is Affecting Young Brains” but for the link I kept it a bit more concise and clickable.
I am excited to finish my article and look forward to sharing it here with all of you!