Here's a tiny copywriting shift that decides whether your social posts get silence or a comment section: check who CAN answer your question. "What was the last safari you went on?" sounds engaging, but it's very pointed. Most of your audience hasn't been on a safari, so the question quietly excludes the very dreamers you're trying to reach. Now try: "What's your favorite safari animal?" Everyone has an answer. Everyone can play.
“What's your favorite safari animal? You don't have to have been on the safari.”
The inclusion test
- Before posting any question, ask: can someone who has never taken this trip answer it? If not, you're polling your past clients and excluding your future ones.
- Aspirational beats biographical: "Which would you pick, sunrise balloon or sunset cruise?" needs no passport stamps, just a dream.
- Generic-with-flavor wins: "Name your favorite brunch city" outperforms "Which Dubai brunch did you love?", the second is a great question for eleven people.
- Low-effort answers fuel the algorithm: one-word-answerable questions get ten times the comments, and comments are what platforms reward with reach.
This is engagement mechanics, but it's also brand philosophy: your content should make the aspiring traveler feel already welcome, not quizzed on credentials they don't have yet. The commenter who types "giraffe, obviously" today is warming herself up to book the safari next year. Set the bar where everyone can clear it, that's who your marketing is for.
Claire's own numbers
The framework, step by step
- 1
Before posting any question
ask: can someone who has never taken this trip answer it? If not, you're polling your past clients and excluding your future ones.
- 2
Aspirational beats biographical
"Which would you pick, sunrise balloon or sunset cruise?" needs no passport stamps, just a dream.
- 3
Generic-with-flavor wins
"Name your favorite brunch city" outperforms "Which Dubai brunch did you love?", the second is a great question for eleven people.
- 4
Low-effort answers fuel the algorithm
one-word-answerable questions get ten times the comments, and comments are what platforms reward with reach.
Claire's own framework from this essay, in the order she teaches it.
Source: Claire B. Soares, from her own travel business and live trainings.
Common Questions
How do you write social posts that get comments?
Ask questions anyone can answer. A question requiring experience your audience has not had quietly excludes the very dreamers you are trying to reach.
Why do low-effort questions perform better?
Because one-word answers get many times the comments, and comments are what platforms reward with reach.
What is the test for a good engagement question?
Whether someone who has never taken the trip can answer it. If not, you are polling past clients and excluding future ones.
Written By
Claire B. Soares
Claire B. Soares is the founder of Travel AI University, a 6x Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialist, and a Certified AI Consultant with a B.S. in Computer Science. A top 10% enterprise sales executive, she sold $3.4B+ in enterprise software to Google, Microsoft, IBM, Boeing, the federal government, and the DoD, then built $16M+ in luxury travel sales.
About Claire
