“What is your best tip for creating engaging content for social media? How do you consistently capture your audience’s attention?” Here is what 14 thought leaders have to say.
- Solve Problems or Tell Stories
- Tap Into Relatability and Value
- Showcase Real Client Transformations
- Focus on Visual Storytelling
- Share Genuine Experiences
- Showcase Diversity and Cultural Sensitivity
- Resonate with Emotions and Values
- Know Your Audience and Deliver Value
- Keep It Real and Relatable
- Address Challenges with Actionable Value
- Serve Your Audience First
- Convey a Story with Brand Message
- Study Your Audience’s Reactions
- Focus on Storytelling and Strong Visuals
Solve Problems or Tell Stories
Creating engaging social media content starts with understanding your audience and offering value. My best tip? Solve problems or tell stories that resonate emotionally or practically. Content that teaches, inspires, or entertains captures attention and builds trust.
For instance, at LogicLeap, we’ve found success posting transformation stories or simple, actionable tips. For a client in the fitness niche, we might share a short, visually appealing video showcasing a 5-minute workout, paired with a caption like: “No time to work out? Here’s a 5-minute fix!”
Key Strategies to Capture Attention Consistently:
1. Understand What Works: Use insights from tools like Meta Insights or Google Analytics to identify top-performing content. For example, we know carousel posts and localised visuals resonate well with Oxfordshire audiences.
2. Visual Appeal is Essential: Posts with strong visuals-vibrant colours, bold text, or before-and-after images-grab attention. We often use Canva and CapCut for standout graphics and video edits.
3. Start With a Hook: The first line is critical. Use bold questions or statements:
– “Did you know 75% of shoppers check Google before visiting a store?”
– “This local Oxford business grew by 150%-here’s how!”
4. Be Interactive: Encourage engagement with polls, questions, or direct calls to action. For example, a post asking “What’s your biggest tech challenge?” starts conversations and builds rapport.
5. Stay Consistent: Use a content calendar to post regularly and maintain brand tone and visuals. A consistent presence keeps your business top of mind.
6. Tap Into Trends: Align posts with relevant events, trending topics, or seasons. Highlighting Oxfordshire’s local events or sustainable practices has been a win for us.
Consistency and value are key. Show up regularly, tell a great story, and always solve a problem-this will keep your audience engaged over time.
Josh Matthews, Director, LogicLeap
Tap Into Relatability and Value
Creating engaging content for social media boils down to one core principle: make it about your audience, not you. To consistently capture attention, your content should resonate emotionally, provide real value, and inspire action.
Here’s How I Do It:
Understand Your Audience Inside-Out
- Dive deep into your audience’s pain points, goals, and aspirations.
- Speak their language-use the words they use, reflect their struggles, and celebrate their victories.
- For example, if I’m targeting young professionals, I’d create content like: “You’re 29, juggling a career, student loans, and dreams of buying your first home. Here’s how you can save without sacrificing your latte runs.”
Create Scroll-Stopping Visuals
- Pair bold, vibrant visuals with concise, compelling text.
- Use patterns that break the monotony-like memes, carousel posts, or animated graphics.
- A great example is using “before vs. after” transformations for weight loss, financial success, or personal growth.
Offer Immediate Value
- Every post should answer a question or solve a problem. Examples:
- “5 hacks to make your morning routine productive :sunny:”
- “Here’s why your savings account isn’t growing-and what to do instead :money_with_wings:.”
Engage Directly
- Use questions, polls, and interactive features to invite participation. Example:
- “If you could have one superpower to simplify your life, what would it be? Drop your answer below :point_down:.”
Leverage Storytelling
- Share relatable, human stories to create emotional connection. Example:
- “Meet Sarah. She struggled to find a life insurance policy that fit her budget until she found us. Here’s how we helped her protect her family without breaking the bank.”
Engaging content isn’t about “talking at” your audience; it’s about starting a conversation with them. Keep it relevant, visual, and authentic, and you’ll have them coming back for more.
Bonus Tip: Repurpose Wisely
Reformat high-performing content for different platforms. A popular Instagram Reel? Turn it into a TikTok, a Twitter thread, and a LinkedIn post.
Relate. Educate. Engage. That’s the winning formula!
sebastien antoine, Marketing & Operations, The Policy Shop
Showcase Real Client Transformations
Our most engaging strategy is showcasing real client transformations through before-and-after website comparisons. For example, a recent post featuring a local restaurant’s website redesign received 3x our normal engagement because it told a visual story of tangible business improvement.
The key is authenticity. Instead of polished marketing speak, we share actual results with genuine client feedback. One post showing a client’s 200% traffic increase after our SEO work resonated strongly because it included the business owner’s candid reaction.
Three elements I ensure in every post:
Visual proof of results
Real numbers/metrics
Human element (client stories)
This approach builds trust while demonstrating expertise. Our engagement rates jumped 45% after shifting to this authentic, results-focused content strategy.
Harmanjit Singh, Founder and CEO, Origin Web Studios
Focus on Visual Storytelling
The best tip for creating engaging social media content is to focus on visual storytelling that resonates emotionally. For Destify, this means showcasing the stunning beauty of destination wedding venues, capturing authentic moments from real couples, and highlighting the unique experiences that make these weddings unforgettable. High-quality visuals-whether breathtaking sunset ceremonies, joyful first dances, or “before and after” venue transformations-are key to inspiring our audience.
We pair this with content formats that thrive on platforms like Instagram and TikTok, such as Reels, and short-form videos that are quick, visually stunning, and packed with value. By blending aspiration with relatability, we consistently create posts that stop the scroll and spark engagement.
To consistently capture our audience’s attention, we build content that informs, inspires, and interacts. Sharing planning tips, highlighting diverse couple stories, and offering interactive opportunities like polls and Q&A sessions ensure we’re delivering value to our audience.
Authenticity is central to our approach-we encourage user-generated content (UGC) by featuring real wedding moments from couples who tag us. The combination of aspirational visuals, authentic connections, and timely trends keeps our content engaging and our audience invested.
Garrett Nutgrass, Marketing Content Strategist, Destify
Share Genuine Experiences
I find that authenticity and storytelling are the keys to creating engaging social media content. By sharing genuine experiences and connecting them to valuable insights, I naturally draw people in. For instance, when I posted about overcoming writer’s block by taking a nature walk and finding inspiration in a child’s laughter at the park, my followers resonated deeply with the raw honesty and practical solution. Combining personal narratives with actionable takeaways while maintaining a consistent posting schedule has helped me build a loyal audience who eagerly anticipates my next update.
Abdullah Prem, Digital Marketer, Bloggersneed
Showcase Diversity and Cultural Sensitivity
Create content that feels real. The team at my digital marketing agency is super diverse. We have employees from practically every corner of the world. When my content creators curate content for our social media channels, a key consideration we make is to make sure the content showcases the diversity whilst being culturally sensitive.
For instance, we film videos for different cultural celebrations, taste testing food from different ethnic groups, and even learning popular phrases from each other’s native languages.
The outcome of such content is that first, it helps us create content that engages our audience from aspects beyond what we do professionally. It shows our clients and those interested in our work the faces and personalities of those behind the work we do for them, essentially humanising our company. Second, it’s a great way for us to learn more about each other. By my team exploring each other’s cultural backgrounds, it brings us closer together and facilitates the work we do internally.
Key advice I can give others is to always demonstrate humility and to ask questions with genuine curiosity. Never go in with assumptions about something. Also, never mock something you don’t truly understand. This way, the content you publish on social media will be educational just as it’s fun and entertaining to view.
Ajay Chavda, CTO, Mojo Dojo
Resonate with Emotions and Values
My best tip for creating engaging content for social media is to focus on storytelling that resonates with your audience’s emotions and values. People connect with stories more than they connect with promotional content. Instead of just sharing product details or facts, weave those into narratives that highlight real-life scenarios, customer experiences, or behind-the-scenes moments.
To consistently capture attention, make sure your content is visual, authentic, and interactive. Use high-quality visuals, videos, or infographics that support the message, and always encourage interaction, whether it’s through asking questions, running polls, or inviting followers to share their opinions. Consistency is key, but so is staying relevant to your audience’s interests. For instance, running user-generated content campaigns or leveraging trending topics in your industry can amplify your reach and keep your audience engaged over time.
Shreya Jha, Social Media Expert, Appy Pie
Know Your Audience and Deliver Value
Creating engaging social media content is all about understanding your audience and delivering value in an authentic way. At BigOhTech, we focus on storytelling that resonates with our audience’s emotions and interests. For instance, instead of promoting features, we share real-world stories of how our solutions have positively impacted users’ lives.
We also use dynamic visuals and interactive elements like polls or Q&A sessions to spark conversations. Staying consistent in tone while adapting to trends keeps the content fresh and relatable. A recent campaign using customer testimonials paired with behind-the-scenes clips significantly boosted engagement by fostering trust and connection.
Hina Choudhary, Social Media Expert, BigOhTech
Keep It Real and Relatable
My best tip for creating engaging content is to keep it real and relatable. People are drawn to authenticity, so I focus on sharing stories or behind-the-scenes moments that feel personal and genuine. For example, instead of just posting product pictures, I might share how our team uses the product in everyday life or tell a story about how we came up with an idea. I also pay attention to timing-posting when my audience is most active helps grab their attention right away. The key is to stay consistent, be true to your brand, and make your content feel like a conversation, not just a sales pitch.
Adnan Jiwani, Assistant Manager Digital Marketing, PureVPN
Address Challenges with Actionable Value
Creating engaging social media content begins with knowing your audience. Craft posts that directly address their challenges or goals and offer immediate, actionable value. Use AI tools to identify trends and optimize your content strategy. AI helps pinpoint what resonates, ensuring your message aligns with audience needs and preferences. This approach not only builds trust but positions you as a reliable expert in your field.
To capture attention consistently, focus on strong visuals and concise, impactful messaging. Short videos, carousel posts, and infographics often perform well across platforms. Test different formats and monitor analytics to refine your approach. Storytelling can create emotional connections while incorporating data to enhance credibility. Recycle top-performing content strategically to reach new audiences without overwhelming your workload.
Consistency and engagement are non-negotiable. Post regularly and interact meaningfully with your audience to build loyalty. A thoughtful comment or prompt response can turn a casual follower into a dedicated advocate. Prioritize clarity, value, and relevance in every piece of content to maintain attention and drive growth over time.
Kellianne Fedio, Founder, Kellianne.Me
Serve Your Audience First
The best way to create engaging social media content is to focus on serving your audience first. Start with their needs, what do they want to learn, feel, or solve today? Once you know that, create content that speaks directly to them. Stories work wonders here so share moments of transformation, lessons learned, or even a simple behind-the-scenes look at your process. People connect when they feel they’re part of something real.
Consistency is key, but so is variety. Mix up formats: reels, carousel posts, or live Q&A sessions. Keep testing and adjusting to see what grabs attention. And don’t forget to invite them to engage, ask questions, encourage comments, or spark a discussion. When you make them feel seen, they’ll keep showing up.
Lilach Bullock, Founder, Lilach Bullock
Convey a Story with Brand Message
Let’s understand the philosophy behind posting on social media as a business/company. Your Brand Message conveys a story to your Followers/Customers that your company is making a difference in their lives. This philosophy is the core foundation of any content you post out there on social media. Once they recognize the value that you bring to their lives, they will connect with your brand for a longer time.
– Show what challenges they face, and how you can help them with that
– Put some emotional touch / empathy around your products and services, that bridges the connection with their Emotional Quotient that further helps them validate their decision to buy your services.
How to Consistently Capture Audience’s Attention:
– Write a script that expresses the meaning of your story – such as real-life examples, testimonials, behind the scenes content. This technique helps humanize your brand and delivers a genuine message.
– Stay away from overly published and generic content. Your audience is not expecting your brand to be perfect, they are expecting your brand to bring some Authenticity. Show your team, highlight team challenges, show your processes, how you work differently.
– Find a middle point where education and entertainment meet up. This is where the highest engagement is achieved.
– Set up a live video or create a content that gives opportunity to your followers and consumers to ask relevant questions to you.
Whatever you do, keep that philosophy in mind, that you are bringing some values to your customers’ lives.
Milan Bulchandani, Social Media Manager, Olshan Foundation Solutions
Study Your Audience’s Reactions
My best tip for creating engaging content for social media is to avoid looking for one single tip that will generate audience engagement. Instead, study your audience to see what they react to. Do they react more when you ask questions in post captions or story stickers, respond to calls for UGC, or have other ways of interacting with your content?
Another important tip is to switch it up. If you end each post with a question, your audience may not want to interact with each one or get bored with the format.
Dan Brown, CEO & Founder, Textun
Focus on Storytelling and Strong Visuals
To consistently create engaging social media content, focus on storytelling.
Use strong visuals, ask questions, and leverage user-generated content (UGC). Experiment with different formats, try AI and new tools, and post consistently. By understanding your audience and tracking KPIs, you can create content that resonates and drives results.
Joey Keating, Marketing Strategist, 74 Social Media & Marketing
