But wouldn’t it be nice to have some general ground rules for creating super shareable content? We thought so, too. Lucky for us, Flockler has shared a great post on how to create shareable long-form content. Here's are a few tips from them.
1. Tap into trends
Research goes a long way. Tools like Buzzsumo allow you to research top performing content on the topic you want to write about. Maybe the most popular posts only cover one side of the story. That’s where your content can fill-in the missing gaps.
2. Link to third-party content and mention friends
It’s invaluable when a well-known influencer shares your content through social or links back to your content in a blog post. Link to articles of industry leaders and link to people in your network.
3. Get to the point
Say what value the reader will receive from your blog post right at the beginning. There’s so much content out there, readers are eager to know exactly what value they will get out of your post. Rambling is not your friend.
4. First person storytelling
Storytelling engages readers so much better than a dry listing of information. You want people to feel like they’re reading a good book they can’t put down, not like they’re reading a calculator’s instruction manual.
5. Run social media competitions
Increase your reach and engagement on social media by asking your followers to share your branded hashtag or your company page. Make your competition a fun challenge and people will gladly play the game.
6. Collaborate with your audience
If your campaign supports a cause, you can rally your followers to share content on social media to further support your movement!
7. Write longer stories
Longer blog posts get more shares than shorter ones.
For one, longer articles provide more value. And where there is more value, there are more shares.
Second, long articles just have more room to include third-party links and multiple calls to actions. People love to share content where they are mentioned.
Lastly, Google prefers longer content at 1,200 – 1,400 words and sends more traffic to it. If it shows up in organic search, people are more likely to share it simply because they are able to find it easily.
8. Add images
Images break up giant blocks of texts and adds fun and engagement to your content. (Fast forward to the next section in this article to read all about creating shareable images)
9. Add reaction buttons
Reaction buttons are a fast and easy way for readers to engage with your content.
10. Answer repeat questions
If your customers keep asking the same questions. When you provide a solution that commonly ails your customers, you also reach out to an audience similar to your current customers.
Note: This list skips entertaining content as shareable. Tons of funny videos and images become viral. But usually, they have little to nothing to do with your brand.
