Using AI To Write a Better Social Media Post

Today I wanted to post an anecdote on social media about one of the many abandoned business ideas I've had.

While I consider myself a decent writer, social media is a whole specialty on its own. To make up for my lack of expertise, I used AI to help me "punch up" my post a bit.

Here's how that went:

Step 1: Get A Hook

Coming in, I already know a big part of social media (and broadly all advertising) is hooking the reader in. Give them a reason to keep reading.

Without trying to write one first, I asked Claude:

AR:
I want to write a social media post about a business idea I had and then abandoned. Give me a one-sentence hook that I can use as the first line.

Claude:
"I spent six months developing the perfect solution for busy professionals, only to discover someone had already built it – here's what I learned about innovation and timing."

Catchy, but includes specifics that aren't relevant to my story.

AR:
Too specific with details that aren't relevant, like six months and discovering a competitor. Make it generic, something I can use in every future post like this regardless of how or why I abandoned the idea.

Claude:
"Every abandoned business idea has a story – this one taught me something unexpected."

Again, a specific that isn't in my story, but I dig the opening!

✅ Hook.

Step 2: Rough Draft Review

I had a rough draft of my post before I opened Claude, so I wanted to see what it thought next.

AR:
I like the first part, going to use that.

Here's my first short anecdote. Any thoughts?

Letters & Balloons, a decoration rental/service company specializing in (shockingly) letters and balloons! 🎈

Large lit-up letters, great for weddings, festivals, parties, etc.

Balloons - specifically balloon decor like arches and pillars - created and used for similar events.

This was an idea my wife and I considered trying together. It was more for her than me (I like the letter rental part). She never found the excitement for it, and we moved on.

Claude:
I think "Every abandoned business idea has a story" is a great hook! It's concise and versatile.

Regarding your Letters & Balloons concept, I have a few thoughts:

1. It's a solid idea with clear market appeal - event decoration is evergreen, and customized elements like lit letters create memorable experiences.
2. The dual service offering (letters and balloons) makes sense as complementary products for the same target market.
3. Having one partner less enthusiastic than the other was probably a wise reason to pause - event services require significant time investment and passion from both parties.
4. This seems like the type of business that could be tested with minimal investment - perhaps renting equipment for a friend's event first or creating a simple landing page to gauge interest.

If you're sharing multiple abandoned ideas as a series, this makes for a relatable first story that many entrepreneurs can connect with - the challenge of aligning passion and timing between co-founders is extremely common!

Ah, whoops! "Any thoughts?" turns out is a terrible prompt 😅 I should've known better – today is not the first time I've used AI.

Let's make the prompt more specific with the type of feedback I'm looking for:

AR:
Not about the idea's business validity - any thoughts on the story as part of my first post in a series? Should I add more detail? What would make this a better social media post?

Claude:
Looking at this story for a social media post in a series about abandoned business ideas, I think it has good elements but could be enhanced:

1. Add a personal hook - Why did this specific idea appeal to you initially? Was there a moment or event that sparked it?
2. Include more emotional context - How did you feel when considering this business? What was exciting about the letter rental part specifically for you?
3. Consider the takeaway - What did you learn from this abandoned idea that others might find valuable?
4. Structure it with a clear beginning, middle, and end - Perhaps frame it as a mini-story with the idea conception, exploration phase, and decision to move on.

A more engaging version might look something like:
–––
Every abandoned business idea has a story.

I was captivated by the magic of event spaces transformed by giant illuminated letters - those Instagram-worthy moments at weddings and celebrations. My wife and I dreamed up "Letters & Balloons" - providing lit-up letter rentals and balloon installations for special events.

I was drawn to the technical side - designing modular letters that could travel well and create dramatic impact. My wife had experience with event planning, making us (on paper) the perfect team.

But entrepreneurship requires genuine excitement from all founders. While I envisioned building the letter inventory, my wife never felt the same spark for the balloon side. Without shared enthusiasm, we recognized it wasn't the right fit and moved on.

Sometimes the best business decision is knowing when to walk away - even from a solid concept.

[Next week: The subscription box that almost was...]
–––

This gives readers a fuller picture, creates emotional connection, and ends with a teaser for the next post in your series.

Claude's suggested draft is awful. Not because it's poorly written or bad for social media, but because it isn't me. That's not my voice.

Feeling that, I decide I'm not going to stray too far from my original draft. So what can I apply from Claude's advice while retaining my voice?

These bits stood out to me:

• A clear beginning, middle, and end. Too much of my draft was explaining the idea. This wasn't exactly highlighted by Claude, but seeing its recommendations and rewrite showed me those details didn't matter.
• Consider the takeaway. I talked about how there was no excitement, but why? There was definitely a big reason, one that also adds more emotional context.

Step 3: Rewrite & Final Result

After rewriting my post, I fed it into Claude with a more specific prompt that I hoped would keep my voice and not trigger large rewrites or phantom specifics.

AR:
Okay, here's my next iteration. Keeping in mind I want this to be anecdotal and not necessarily something that's supposed to go viral. Knowing that, do you see any small improvements I can make that will give it a little more punch?
–––
Every abandoned business idea has a story. Here's one of mine:

Letters & Balloons, a decoration rental/service company specializing in (shockingly) letters and balloons! 🎈

This was an idea my wife and I considered trying together.

Minimal up-front investment. Within our existing skill sets. The dream of semi-passive income.

My wife would run point. I'd focus on procurement and technology.

In the end, she wasn't excited about a business that is heavily dependent on weekends. She's already over that after working in restaurants her entire life.

Onto the next idea!

Claude:
I think your revised post has a nice, conversational tone and reads well for social media! Here are a few small tweaks to give it more punch:
–––
Every abandoned business idea has a story. Here's one of mine:

Letters & Balloons, a decoration rental/service company specializing in (shockingly) letters and balloons! 🎈

This was an idea my wife and I considered trying together.

Minimal up-front investment. Within our existing skill sets. The promise of semi-passive income that wouldn't disrupt our day jobs.

My wife would run point on client relationships. I'd handle procurement and build the tech backend.

The deal-breaker? After years in the restaurant industry, my wife had zero interest in another business that would hijack every weekend and holiday. Can't blame her.

Lesson learned: Even the most practical business idea needs genuine excitement from everyone involved.

Onto the next idea!
–––
The changes add:
- A bit more specificity about your roles
- A clearer "aha moment" about why it didn't work
- A small takeaway that gives readers something to reflect on
- More punchy sentence structure in a few places

This maintains your anecdotal style while giving it slightly more narrative momentum!

Yes! 🙌🏼

The exact kind of iteration I hoped for: small recommendations that punch up my existing style and tone.

I love the section prefixes like "The deal-breaker?" and "Lesson learned:". They act as mini hooks while scanning the post. They bring clarity to my draft, and give the reader takeaways I had originally hoped for.

I thought it would be fun to share the inside process of generating a social media post with help from AI. Claude and AI in general is a regular tool in my arsenal now. I encourage you to think about how it can augment your skillset.

You can see the final result posted to LinkedIn or Bluesky.

Do you have a similar story? Share them to your own socials, or reply to one of mine! 🙂

– Aken 💙