Social media marketing: discussing pros and cons

Summary

This 90-minute ESL lesson for B2 learners explores Social media marketing: discussing pros and cons through a real article. Across 10 interactive exercises, you'll develop vocabulary, grammar, practical communication, speaking skills — all built around authentic English content.

What you'll practise:

• 5 key vocabulary items with definitions and usage notes
• Grammar focus: The passive voice with examples and practice
• Real-world phrases for discussing a viral product or trend
• Gap-fill and cloze exercises to test vocabulary in context
• Error correction to sharpen grammar awareness
• A reading passage to practise newly learned language

Lesson activities (10 exercises)

Each exercise builds on the previous one. Work through them in order for the best learning experience.

1. Warm-up — Discussion questions to activate what you already know about the topic.
2. Vocabulary — Learn key words and expressions from the article, with definitions and usage notes.
3. Fill the gaps — Complete sentences with the correct vocabulary. Drag and drop or type your answers.
4. Grammar — Study The passive voice — explanation, examples, and key rules.
5. Error correction — Find and fix the mistake in each sentence — a great grammar workout.
6. Practical English — Learn phrases for discussing a viral product or trend — ready to use in real conversations.
7. Cloze passage — Fill in blanks within a connected text to practise vocabulary in context.
8. Reading — Read a short passage on the topic and answer comprehension questions.
9. Discussion — Reflect on the topic and share your opinions using the language you've learned.

Vocabulary

This lesson introduces 5 key terms drawn directly from the article:

• To go viral — to become extremely popular on the internet in a very short time.
• Brand awareness — the extent to which consumers are familiar with a particular brand and its products.
• To fall for something — to be tricked into believing something that is not true, like a misleading advertisement or a scam.
• Authentic engagement — genuine interaction (likes, comments, shares) between a brand or influencer and their audience.
• To be swayed by — to be persuaded or influenced to believe or do something.

Grammar

This lesson focuses on The passive voice.

The passive voice is used when we want to focus on the action or the result, rather than the person or thing that performed it. In discussions about social media marketing, it's often used to describe how products are promoted, how campaigns are managed, and how audiences are affected.

Examples from the lesson:

• Millions of users were reached by the viral marketing campaign. — Here, the focus is on the 'millions of users'. The campaign is the important result, not necessarily the company that ran it.
• The new collection is being heavily promoted across Instagram and TikTok. — We use the passive because who is promoting it (the brand, the marketers) is obvious or less important than the fact that the promotion is happening.
• It is believed that authenticity is valued most by consumers. — This is an impersonal passive structure, often used to report general opinions or beliefs without citing a specific source.

Key rules:

• Form the passive with the verb 'to be' + past participle (e.g., is created, was sent, has been seen).
• Use the passive when the person/thing doing the action is unknown, unimportant, or obvious.
• If you need to mention who performed the action, use 'by' (e.g., 'The strategy was developed by the marketing team').

Practical English

discussing a viral product or trend

Imagine you're chatting with a friend or colleague about a product or trend that's suddenly everywhere online. Here are some natural phrases to share your opinion, whether you're curious, skeptical, or have already tried it.

Phrases you'll learn:

• "I keep seeing [product/trend] everywhere online." — Use this to start the conversation.
• "I wonder if it's actually worth the hype." — Expressing skepticism or questioning if something is as good as people say.
• "I have to admit, I'm kind of tempted to give it a go." — Showing that you're interested in trying something.
• "I know, right? Everyone seems to be raving about it." — Strongly agreeing with someone's positive opinion.
• "Honestly, I think it's a bit overrated." — Sharing a negative or less enthusiastic opinion politely.