Best practices for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram social copy.
Length
Short and snappy.
- Content should complement/add to the headline of your story, not summarize it in a different way
- Can be an interesting quote, statistic or detail from your story
- Keep it relevant to your story’s main angle
Twitter: 1-2 sentences, 257 characters (Twitter will convert the story URL to 23 characters)
Facebook: 1-2 sentences, 90-250 characters
Instagram: 4-6 sentences – end on a quote
Examples
– Twitter:
– Facebook:
– Instagram:
Style
In general, the least wordy and most condensed as possible. You are complimenting and selling the story, not summarizing or sensationalizing it.
- Follow AP Style
- Sentences can start with tags, but not end with them
- If a Tweet starts with a tag, it needs a . before the @
Examples
– Twitter:
– Facebook:
– Instagram:
Tone
Straightforward, but enticing. In some cases, it’s permissible to speak directly to the audience (in cases of resource-info articles, listicles).
Twitter: Fact/detail based
Facebook: Fact/detail based
Instagram: Can be more narrative/a short excerpt from the story
Tags
Always tag organizations/people/businesses featured in a story in the social post when possible.
Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: Use full handles of organizations/people/businesses with @ sign in post
Linking to story
Twitter: Allow 23 characters for the URL to the article to be added
Facebook: No URL to the article necessary
Instagram: No links whatsoever
Updated: July 15, 2021