Let’s get straight to it, shall we? How do you write a social media post? How do you Tweet? And most importantly, how do you write a tweet, a LinkedIn post or a Facebook post that gets people’s attention?

Bad news is, posts (as in broadcasts) don’t easily grab someone’s attention. Good news is, comments and responses (@ tweets) will. So forget about posts and focus on building relationships with people through well-written, conversation/dialogue-focused responses to THEIR posts.

Here’s the magic formula—tried, tested and proven—through our work at Lightspan.

How Do You Tweet? » VALIDATE + STATE + ASK

1. Validate:

Dale Carnegie said in “How to Win Friends & Influence People“:

If some people are so hungry by a feeling of importance that they actually go insane to get it, imagine what miracle you and I can achieve by giving people appreciation this side of insanity.

Whether your statement of validation is simple ego boost or true appreciation, it is up to you. But do start your social media response by showing appreciation for the content the other has posted. As Carnegie says, appreciation can lead to miracles.

2. State:

A statement of understanding can strengthen your validation. There is nothing worse than a comment that shows the “reader” didn’t actually read what I posted. I’d rather someone disagree with me than make an off-topic comment. Off-topic comments show that the validation was just empty ego-boosting. So accompany your compliment by a valuable comment.

3. Ask:

Ask for their comment, their opinion on this topic or another associated topic. Carry the conversation forward. A dialogue is not a dialogue until you have more than one exchange. To build relationships, we need more than just a hello and a good-bye. Plus, questions are irresistible. It’s very hard to not answer them.

So, how do you Tweet? How do you comment on a tweet or a post? Give it a try: validate + state + ask, then come back and leave a comment. Or just leave a comment: validate + state + ask :).