AJMI - Doha

It is not enough to write one text and simply republish it everywhere. Why? Because every platform has its own audience, algorithm, and way of presenting content. This is the idea behind a new course on Al Jazeera Media Institute’s e-learning platform, starting on September 30, titled: “Every Platform has Its own identity: How to write for Social Media Audiences?”

The course will be delivered by Tasneem Dahab, a journalist and digital content producer at AJ+ Arabic, who has more than a decade of experience in producing digital content for social media platforms. She will explore the relationship between writing, audience behavior, and content distribution mechanisms, starting from understanding how platform algorithms process descriptive text until crafting a text that can capture users’ attention amid the constant stream of content.

Dahab will also explain how Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and YouTube differ in the way they interpret and distribute content, and how the nature of each platform calls for a distinct writing style, even when the story or material being published is exactly the same.

Throughout the course, learners will explore how descriptive text can complement an image or video rather than merely repeat it; how to craft compelling openings that make users stop scrolling; and how to use suitable keywords that improve content access through search. The course also covers interactive writing, the role of emojis and hashtags within the text, when they add value and when they become a burden on the content, as well as how to build a clear profile for the targeted audience and use it to shape language, style, and message delivery.

By the end of the course, learners will be better equipped to adapt their text to the platform, audience, and nature of the content, rather than treating social media as a single publishing space.

It is worth noting that this course is part of self-paced learning programs offered through Al Jazeera Media Institute’s e-learning platform. Participants are required to have proficiency in Arabic language, as well as access to a computer and a smartphone.