🍴The art of the away message

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377 words ⬇️

In the early 2000s, millennials (myself included) spent hours perfecting our away messages.

We found the perfect song lyrics, one-liners, and formats to get people from our buddy list to respond with the classic "U ok?"

Looking back, our pre-teen angst was the start of our ability to master the art of intrigue. 

Fast-forward to today: Marketers are using these psychological triggers to write scroll-stopping headlines, attention-grabbing Threads, and LinkedIn posts that get people to pause and engage.

The foundation of AIM away messages and our social content is emotion. 

How can you channel your inner teen and write emotion-fueled social posts like you did your away messages?

Here are four tips:

1. Subtle intrigue. 

Don't give away all your details at once. 

We'd say just enough to get people's attention. Create those same knowledge gaps to make people want more. 

For example, instead of "Here are 5 ways to improve your social media," try "The one social media mistake that's costing you engagement (and no, it's not your posting schedule)."

2. Shared emotions. 

Whether it was a Dashboard Confessional lyric or a professional insight, tap into topics encouraging shared feelings. 

The TikTok ban was a topic that worked because it tapped into the shared emotion of uncertainty, creating a connection between creators and their readers.

Think about those universal experiences in your industry: the Monday morning overwhelm, the excitement of landing a big client, or the frustration of algorithm changes.

How can you use these shared experiences in your writing?

3. Encourage conversation.

The best away messages got people to leave you messages. Make your posts impossible not to respond to by:

• Ending with a question ("What do you think?").

• Creating yes/no scenarios ("Are you team batch schedule or team post-in-real-time?").

• Using polls with interesting options beyond just "yes/no.”

4. Formatted impact. 

When we'd write our away messages, we'd add different symbols to emphasize the emotion we were communicating. Today, it's about formatting:

• Short paragraphs (Aim for 1-2 sentences).

• Strategic emoji placement to keep visual interest.

• Line breaks to give people's brains breathing room.

Your turn

Pretend it’s 2001, and you’re marketing your business. What would your away message say?

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