Did you know that our average attention span is 8 seconds? Goldfish actually have a higher attention span at 9 seconds. 

It’s not really that surprising since we’re BOMBARDED 24/7 with messages on social media, the internet and traditional media. 

Digital marketing experts estimated that most of us are exposed to  4 to 10 thousand ads every single day. 

If you’re a business on social media and aren’t getting engagement or reach on your social media posts and you want to try something new, consider shortening your copy. 

Shorter is better.

  • The ideal length for a Facebook post is 40 to 80 characters. Try it. This is 80!
  • For Twitter, try for less than 100 characters. This allows for adding comments on a RT. This is 99!
  • Some say the ideal length for an Instagram post is 138-150. I’d suggest 125 since that’s when copy is cut off. This is 125…

Even if you don’t buy into the numbers, at least give ‘less is more’ a try. 

“Be brief. Be concise. Be seated.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Simple isn’t always easy.

I get it. It can be easier to write out all the details and hit ‘send’ but consider this…. 

  • When you post on any social media platform, you’re just one of a thousand messages. 
  • Shorter posts get higher engagement.
  • Higher engagement can lead to higher reach.
  • Your post has to be read in order for followers to engage with you.  
  • Shorter posts require you to get focused and to the point. 
  • Facebook posts that contain 40 or less characters get 86% more engagement.
  • Another study on Facebook, found that 80 or less characters receive 88% more engagement.
  • If a user has to expand the text to read, it’s highly likely they’ll pass over it. 

REI is the best at short posts. They rarely get sales-y on social media.

What they do really well is they know their audience and speak to them about topics they know are important to them.

Most of their posts are a link to a blog but their headlines are short and engagement is high.

A big win.

Now imagine this! 

You’ve written really kick ass copy that draws someone in for that 8 seconds and now they want to learn more.

You have their attention.

That’s a really big win. 

Now’s your chance to get them to learn more about your offer, buy your product, read your blog or click thru to your website (or your bio on instagram). 

There are times when copy has to be longer but experiment with shorter posts and then compare the results.

Chubbies is one of my favorite brands to follow. Their posts are funny and their copy is short and always get a lot of engagement.

Give it a try.

It can’t hurt to try something new. Let me know if it works for you or let me know if you have a question. I’d love to hear from you. 

All the best,
Laurie