How to Use Social Media for Copywriting Projects

I’ve been contracted to work as a copywriter for a three-month health and fitness challenge for a local parenting magazine. Part of the work involves writing e-mails that will be sent out to the challenge participants on a weekly basis. The majority of that process includes curating appropriate content to go into those e-mails.

I put off starting on the project because I was intimidated. I’m a writer and not necessarily a content strategist. Right? Even though I consider myself a pretty health-conscious gal, I began to doubt myself. Was I the right person for this job? Finally last week I decided to see what I could find related to healthy lifestyles on Pinterest.

I hit pay dirt.

“50 Workout Songs to Keep You Going.” Inspirational quotes from personal trainers. Healthy recipes galore. “How to Burn the Most Calories in 20 Minutes.” Within an hour I had pinned so many different ideas to my board that my head started to spin. Then I started to get that feeling you get when inspiration strikes. You know the one I’m talking about? The one that feels you’ve just had three cups of espresso?

I e-mailed the head of the project and shared the board with her. She loved it and shared it with the social media strategist for the initiative who is in charge of creating a Pinterest board for the group. I then shared it with the magazine’s editor, who used it to help put together the editorial plan that will run in the magazine for the next few months. Now that I’ve compiled so many different ideas, I no longer feel intimidated about putting together the remainder of the e-mails for the project.

And of course I stumbled across what always happens when I get on Pinterest—-ideas to pin on other boards. For fun I started browsing through creative writing ideas (Hello “11 Elements to Brainstorm Character Development!) and pinned so many I’ve now got a stockpile of future ideas to share on my social media accounts, specifically Facebook and Twitter.

Have you used social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.) as inspiration for writing projects? I’d love to hear your stories!

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who also blogs at Renee’s Pages. Visit her Pinterest board for ideas on creative writing, healthy living, home décor, fashion, and to catch up on her fictional works in progress.