Quality blog posts don’t just get you attention from the people who land at your site through search; the posts give you even more reach when they are shared in readers’ social networks. A few ways to tap into that power:
Write About Topics That Earn Shares
Pay attention to what is trending in your industry. What are people searching for? What items do you see shared more often on sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook? By writing about the topics that your prospects find useful, you can increase the chances of your post being reshared.
Write Headlines That Attract Clicks and Readers
Your headline has to pop to get readers to click through and read your content. Think in terms of reader intent — what do they want to see? What information is useful and interesting to them? Ensure that your headlines promise that.
And, studies show that clickbait doesn’t work. While people will typically click through, they are unlikely to do more than skim the article and will probably not share it.
Make Your Readers Feel Something
When a post makes someone laugh, makes them feel compassion for someone, makes them feel better prepared or even makes them angry, it is more likely to get shared. Connect with emotion and humor and your readers will repay you by sharing your posts with colleagues and friends.
The important part is that the post be genuine. People know when they are being manipulated, and they will scroll on by if they doubt the authenticity of your post. But, by writing narratives about customers and your products or talking about the positive effects on people’s lives, you can win readers and shares.
Use Site Additions That Make Sharing Easy
Whether your content is written in-house or by copywriters for hire, you can make sharing easier once it is published. Make sure that all of your blog posts have sharing buttons. There are many scripts that give a dozen or more options, for those who want to cast the net wide. Or, you can use a smaller widget that has just four or five social media sites that are important to your brand.
You won’t hit it out of the park with every post. Some blog posts, articles and other content will take off and leave you puzzled as to why. Other ones that you feel should have gotten more traction will sink down into your archive without a peep. But, by consistently creating highly sharable content, you have a better chance of creating ones that get some traction and get the sort of exposure that brings new readers to your blog.
Lara S is a freelance writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida. She is adept at writing content in niches that include marketing, health, food service and more. Contact her for white papers, ebooks, blog posts and articles.
