#CSUSocial’s most engaging posts in 2016 were pretty simple. Well, at least the text was.

Over 12 months, our top performing monthly posts had 12 words or less. And these 12 posts, averaging just 6 words each, reached nearly 8 million fans.

You already know that short Facebook posts are easier to consume, but did you realize that shorter posts get 23% more interaction than posts with lots of text? In fact, posts with less than 80 characters can see up to 66% increased engagement. Don’t worry, you’re not the only one writing too much on Facebook. Only 5% of Facebook posts from retail brands are less than 40 characters. So, what does 80 characters look like? This paragraph contains 80. Exactly.

Click on each image below to take a look at CSU’s top monthly Facebook posts for 2016 … and don’t miss tips at the end for keeping things simple.

January 2016

8️⃣ words.

February 2016

4️⃣ words.

March 2016

2️⃣ words.

April 2016

7️⃣ words.

May 2016

3️⃣ words.

 June 2016

4️⃣ words.

July 2016

1️⃣1️⃣ words.

 

August 2016

5️⃣ words.

September 2016

7️⃣ words.

October 2016

6️⃣ words.

November 2016

8️⃣ words.

December 2016

8️⃣ words.

Three tips to keep it simple

Remember, you only have less than 8 seconds to capture your audience’s attention. Even if you write a spectacular masterpiece, fans will scroll past if it’s too long.

1. The comment section is your new best friend. Save space in your post text by posting additional info, links or photo credits as a first comment. You can even schedule it. 

2. Be more casual. Social media has its own lingo, don’t feel like you need to use AP style. Or the Oxford comma.

3. If you’re sharing something more complex, share a link and let the link headline and description speak for you.