Social media

Overview

Social media content is different from other web content (like webpages, blogs, or emails) in purpose, format, tone, and lifespan.

Purpose

Social media content is designed to engage quickly — spark likes, shares, comments, or clicks. Often used for promotion, storytelling, and real-time interaction.

Format and length

In general, use short, scannable text (1–3 sentences) and include images, video, GIFs, hashtags, emojis. Remember that social media content is designed for mobile-first viewing.

Each social media platform has its own unique features, limitations, and community norms. Content creators for Penn Medicine’s various social accounts should adapt their syntax and style to fit the specific platform’s requirements and maximize its engagement potential. For example, Twitter’s character limit necessitates concise writing, while platforms like LinkedIn prioritize a more professional tone. The reading level of LinkedIn content can be a little higher than the reading level of Facebook and Instagram content.

Additional social media formatting guidelines:

• It’s not necessary to spell out numbers below 10 on social media.
• Acronyms should be spelled out in the first reference with their acronym in parenthesis alongside it if it is referred to again (e.g., Good Shepard Penn Partners (GSPP)); on the second reference, acronyms are OK to use in social media copy alone (e.g., GSPP).
• Vanity URLS are acceptable to use for social media.
  
• Titles and credentials:
• For Doctors: On the first reference, use Dr. (First and Last Name) OR First Name, Last Name, MD/PhD (or other credentials); on second reference, use Dr. Last Name. For Twitter, it’s OK to tag them in space of spelling out their name and title.
• For Nurses: On the first reference, list degrees in first reference (Sally Jones, BSN, RN); on the second reference, just use the first name.
• For other titles: On the first reference, list their first and last name, followed by their title (Mary Smith, patient advocate at Pennsylvania Hospital); on second reference, their first name is fine.

Tone

You can use first-person perspective ("we", “our”, “ours”) and first names after the first mention in Penn Medicine social media copy to feel more human and approachable.  It’s important to create a personal and relatable connection with our audiences.

Lifespan

Unlike web content, which is generally evergreen, social media content is short-lived. Content appears in fast-moving feeds and may only get attention for hours or days unless boosted.

Use cases

The following table provides examples of use for social media and web content.

Last updated