What You Need to Know about Using Social Media Emojis

Since gaining universal popularity in 2010, the emoji has come a long way. 

First developed by digital designer Shigetaka Kurita in 1999, the emoji was originally used to improve the communications on an early incarnation of Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo’s mobile network.

Did you know? Emojis are not the same as emoticons. Emoticons are text-based icons used to suggest emotions. They include 😊 and :-(, for example. Emojis, on the other hand, are small image icons or animated icons used to punctuate a piece of messaging or add a little sparkle to conversations.

From email headlines and landing page copy to SMS marketing, and beyond, the emoji has become a potent force across marketing mediums—perhaps none more so than social media.

Using the right emoji at the right time can have a powerful effect on your social media marketing communications across platforms—elevating your content from average to visually engaging in an animated heartbeat.

But, just how effective are emojis when it comes to social media communication? And how do you strike the right balance in tone?

Find out right here in this guide.

• Striking the balance: How to use emojis in your social media content
• Top tips on using emojis for social media effectively
• Social media emojis and accessibility
• What are the best emojis for social media?

Striking the balance: How to use emojis in your social media content⚖

Did you know? According to Campaign Live, 51% of consumers are more likely to engage with a brand’s social media post if it contains emojis.

This is an impressive number, sure. But when using emojis for social media, you must always be tasteful and appropriate. Think about the overall tone of the message and how the user or recipient ais likely to perceive your emojis. For example, if you include a laughing emoji at the end of a post, you might think you’re adding a dash of humor to wrap up the piece. However, do you run the risk of people not taking your message seriously?

The benefits of using emojis for social media

Using emojis within your social media content tastefully—and with accessibility in mind—comes with its fair share of brand-boosting benefits.

In addition to (as mentioned) sparking more engagement, well-placed emojis can elevate your content by:

• Giving your brand extra personality
• Conveying what words sometimes can’t
• Making your content more personable, approachable, and conversational

These elements combined will help your social media content cut through the noise and, ultimately, encourage the right people to interact with or share your content at the right time. In turn, this will expand your social media reach and lead to greater brand awareness.

Reasons to be careful when using emojis for social media

While emojis can help you drive better results from your social media content, you should use them sparingly and with a certain level of caution.

The reason for this is that by overcrowding your content with emojis, you can actually dilute your messaging and cause confusion. Remember, you should only use emojis that are relevant to what you’re trying to communicate—and you don’t have to use them on every piece of content you publish. 

A note on Gen Zers…

As digital natives, Gen Zers use emojis incredibly intuitively. And your average member of the Gen Z cohort will perceive emojis in a slightly different way to Millennials.

For instance, a Millennial will use a heart ❤ or thumbs up 👍 emoji to express approval or appreciation. A Gen Zer, on the other hand, may use a fire 🔥 emoji (sentiment: ‘that’s hot’ or ‘you’re on fire’).

That said, you should tap into the mindset of your target consumers when using emojis for your social media content. In other words, consider your audience’s generation or culture.

Which platforms work best for emojis?

Some marketing platforms lend themselves to the use of emojis. As a platform commonly used by the Gen Z cohort, emojis can be particularly effective when used (sparingly) in descriptions and even video captions in TikTok videos.

Using emojis within your Facebook, Instagram, and X copy will also serve to elevate your messaging. Thoughtfully placed emojis in email subject lines and copy can also help to earn more engagement.

Pro tip: When using emojis for email marketing, avoid doing so with your initial customer communications (a welcome email, for example). This can appear random or jarring—but once a customer is more familiar with your brand—the tasteful use of emojis can improve your email communications.

Top tips on using emojis for social media effectively

Here’s some advice to help you with your emoji efforts:

• Don’t use emojis to replace your copy: Lead with a message that’s clear, engaging, and easy to understand, using emojis to complement your content rather than being the main focal point.
• Choose emojis that are directly related to the messaging in your social media copy: Make sure they represent what you’re trying to say literally. Doing so will avoid confusion or misinterpretation.
• Use color-specific emojis only where absolutely necessary: This is because screen readers have to verbalize the colors as well as the emoji. Also, this may cause confusion for colorblind readers. Instead, try to choose emojis with a default tone  or that don’t rely on their color to complement your messaging.
• Try to place emojis at the end of sentences: If you put them at the beginning, readers may find this jarring because they haven’t had the chance to engage with your copy.
• Use emojis that are popular: Stick with emojis that are widely recognized, and that translate well across devices.
• Don’t stuff your social media content with emojis: It will look messy, spammy, and dilute the power of your content. 
• Try not to use emojis as bullet points in lists: This can become confusing for screen reader users because the software will read out a description for each emoji. 

What’s the best ‘emoji:copy’ ratio? ⏱

There’s no set ‘emoji:copy’ ratio for social media success. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should try not to use more than four in any block of social media copy across platforms.

Here’s a practical example for your consideration:

Bad Example

Good Example

Can you see why the bad example doesn’t work, whereas the good example does? 

• Bad: The first piece of social media sales copy leads with emoji, making the content jarring from the offset. It’s also unnecessarily stuffed with emojis, diluting the core messaging, disrupting the flow, and causing potential confusion.
• Good: The second piece of social media sales copy uses three emojis sparingly at points in the copy that punctuate or complement the main message without upsetting the flow or burying the call-to-action (CTA). The emojis in this example are also directly relevant to the text or copy that precedes them.

Did you know? Some emojis display differently on different platforms and devices. So, it’s always worth testing your content across devices before pressing the ‘publish’ button.

Additional tips

Here are some additional tips for placing emojis in your  content:

• Consider the tone of your content and the platform: If you’re going for something a little more playful on Instagram, for instance, using between two and four emojis within your content may suit. On the other hand, if you’re producing something slick and professional for LinkedIn, one or two tastefully placed emojis will enhance your copy rather than cheapen it.
• Use alternative text (alt-text): Add alt-text to your social media content to offer a clearcut and accurate description for screen readers.
• Lead with clarity: Unless there’s a specific reason to do so, don’t place an emoji in the middle of a sentence. Instead, place them at the end of a sentence or statement to enhance what you’re saying rather than throwing a distracting  visual roadblock into your copy.
• Split test your efforts: Analyze your social media engagement data and A/B test your emoji-based content across platforms to see which ratios and combinations work best—and which don’t.
• Consider your additional visual elements: When crafting your content, look at your social media mentions or hashtags and make sure that the emojis you’re using (or where you’re placing them) don’t create a distraction or make your text look too crowded. This will put your readers off.

Social media emojis and accessibility

First of all, bear in mind that it’s essential to make your social media content accessible (or as accessible as possible). For neurodivergent, colorblind, or visually impaired users, emojis can cause confusion or alter your messaging in a negative way.

The problem is that visually impaired users might find it difficult to perceive certain emojis, making a piece of content messy or jarring. Also, screen readers aren’t always accurate when it comes to describing emojis—which can seriously skew your messaging and its intent.

Colorblind users may also experience confusion if you’re using emojis that rely on a specific tone or hue to punctuate a very specific messaging.

Overusing or misusing emojis can also confuse neurodivergent users who may take extra time to process a piece of social media content or have a particularly literal mindset.

By considering these all-important accessibility factors, you can use emojis to spice up your social media content in a way that’s more accessible.

What are the best emojis for social media? [Copy + paste list]

Now that we’ve covered the social media-boosting value of emojis and how to place them in your content effectively, we’re going to look at the best ones to use.

This practical list includes some of the world’s most popular social media emoji meanings and the icons themselves so that you can use them in your content with ease.

Let’s take a look 👀…

😂 Laughing Face with Tears in Eyes Emoji: Is often used to express strong laughter or amusement.
❤ Red Heart Emoji: Represents love, affection, closeness, or appreciation.
👍 Thumbs Up Emoji: Shows approval, agreement, affirmation, or that all is okay.
😍 Face with Hearts Emoji: Expresses intense love, admiration, or excitement.
😭 Loudly Crying Emoji: Showcases sadness, grief, or strong emotions on a particular subject.
🤣 Rolling on the Floor Laughing Emoji: Is an exaggerated laugh, and often used to dial up the fun or intensity.
🥰 Smiling Face with Hearts Emoji: Is similar to the 😍 emoji, but sweeter and softer.
🥺 Pleading Face Emoji: Communicates sadness, disappointment empathy, or a desire for something.
😊  Smiling Face with Closed Eyes Emoji: Expresses happiness, joy, contentment, or a sense of relief.
🤩 Star-Struck Face Emoji: Shares feelings of excitement, admiration, or amazement.
😘 Face Throwing a Kiss Emoji: Represents a kiss or a gesture of affection.
🤗 Hugging Face Emoji: Communicates warmth, affection, or a desire for a hug.
😮 Face with Open Mouth Emoji: Expresses surprise, shock, or amazement.
😓 Face with Sweat Emoji: Conveys embarrassment, nervousness, or a sense of awkwardness.
😉 Winking Face Emoji: Suggests a playful or knowing attitude.
😛 Face with Tongue Sticking Out Emoji: Expresses playful fun, silliness, or excitement.
🤨 Face with Raised Eyebrow Emoji: Conveys skepticism, doubt, or a hint of sarcasm.
🤷 Shrug Emoji: Expresses indifference, uncertainty, or a lack of interest.
✅  Check Mark Emoji: Indicates completion, approval, agreement, or action.
💰 Money Bag Emoji: Represents wealth, money, or financial success. (Is effective for sales copy.)
📈 Graph Upward Emoji: Showcases growth, increase, or positive progress.
🔔 Bell with Sound Emoji: Is used to alert someone to a notification or new information.
🎉 Party Popper Emoji: Symbolizes celebration, excitement, or a festive occasion.
👀  Eyes Emoji: Is used to express observation, attention, or a watchful gaze.
 

Resource: For access to hundreds more popular icons and symbols for your social media content, check out Emojipedia.

Use these popular and widely appreciated emojis to enhance your social media communications in a way that’s tasteful and accessible—and prompts positive engagement. Simply take your pick, copy your emoji of choice, and paste into your content.

Tip: Download our essential social media calendar template and schedule consistently engaging emoji-based content across channels throughout the year with ease. It’s an essential part of any social media content creator’s toolkit.

Elevate your social media strategy

Used with care and consideration, emojis can elevate your communications, enhance your messaging, and spark more social media engagement.

If you want to build on your newfound emoji knowledge, boost your productivity across platforms, and get ahead of the pack, read our essential guide on the 27 social media tools that every content creator needs.