See you on the flip side, Facebook. Get out the way, Reddit. Slide over Twitter and YouTube. In terms of distributing content to an audience as vast as the sea, StumbleUpon is the new honcho. As of 2012, StumbleUpon is taking a lion’s share of social media traffic with more than 25 million users. This system of searching the web allows users to stumble upon websites based on their interests and thumbs-upped web pages. More specifically, small to medium businesses (SMBs) can pick up on what’s hot in terms of content via the most popular page on SU, which can be a godsend whether you’re looking to hire a freelance writer or redefine their approach to content creation.
Time to Get Your Stumble On
The first step to using StumbleUpon is to identify the three main buttons:
- Stumble
- Thumbs up
- Thumbs down
Choose Stumble to load a page that is selected based on your interests and previously “thumbs upped” pages. Thumbs up and thumbs down, therefore, work like a dictator at a bullfight. The more often you stumble and give pages the finger, the better the service is at finding pages that fit your profile. As a business, you want to create a profile that will benefit your website. When you sign up for StumbleUpon, select as many of the topics that are related to your business as possible. On your profile, fill it out using your business or web logo, or your personal photo, for your avatar. Include your website and related links on your profile. Create a description that tells about your business. Doing so allows you to create contacts via SU with others who are interested in your business or website.
Content Distribution on SU: 101
In order to get your content distributed on SU, do not, I repeat, do not simply post your own content to your profile. You’ll get blocked quicker than a 5’5 dude on the b-ball court. Also, you don’t want to send your page to everyone you know so they’ll Stumble on it. Instead you need to send out a re-direct, such as:
http://www.stumbleupon.com/click_redir.php?t=49e34c6117e3f&src=url&u=YOURURLGOESHERE
A re-direct leads traffic to your web content in a more natural way, as if the reader really did stumble upon it.
Other things to consider:
- Create solid content
- Give your content an excellent headline, which is intended to hook a reader into your site
- Use videos and photos, as this form of media is bound to attract more attention than text
- Keep your website clean so when someone stumbles on it they can see the headline and post immediately; SU users don’t like to filter through junk to find the goods
When using StumbleUpon, you should also look at the site for gems that can help you create content worthy of stumbling. Notice what sites are most popular and what content is getting the most attention. Use these headlines for guidance when creating your own, and take away ideas from this type of content. Soon enough you’ll find your own content has stumbled up to the top of the social mountain.
Miranda B is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
