Spreadable content is the type of content that people are eager to share. To some people, sharing spreadable content is a calling unable to be ignored. We enjoy sharing content that we like because we get to empower our audiences and get some of the praise for taking the time to share the content.
We will all continue sharing spreadable content, but what if your content was spreadable? What if people visited your blog, read one of your blog posts, and felt an obligation to share that blog post. Not just a maybe; an obligation. You want people to feel that sense of obligation to share your content each time they read any of your blog posts. If you can generate that sense of obligation amongst a large group of people, then you have spreadable content. People will share it across their social networks, and as more people come in contact with your content for the first time, they will share it with their followers, and the cycle will continue. A few thousand people who enjoy your posts may eventually lead to hundreds of thousands of people actively engaging with your content.
Cool success story, but you may be wondering how you can create spreadable content of your own. How do you get your visitors to feel that sense of obligation to share your blog posts? That’s what the rest of this blog post will cover.
Write Valuable Content
The only type of content that spreads is valuable content. You can promote your content all you want, but if the content is not written well, people won’t share it. Valuable content empowers, entertains, and/or inspires your readers.
If you write how-to blog posts, don’t be shy to write a lengthy, high-value blog post. Your free blog posts give your readers a general idea of the amount of value in your paid products. Not only does providing free value entice people to buy your products, but when you write valuable content, people stick around. If you want a reader to share your content, then that reader must be reading a particular blog post for a long period of time.
Optimize Your Blog For Social Shares
If people read your blog post and appreciate the value they got from it, then they may want to share that blog post. However, these people live busy lives in which going on a social network, copying the link, pasting the link (and probably shortening it first), and writing the social media post takes too much time. Although this activity takes under 10 minutes, it is an activity that people don’t want to do.
The route around the problem is to optimize your blog for social shares. At the bottom of all of my blog posts are social share buttons for multiple social networks. When readers click on those buttons, they will get a prewritten tweet, Facebook post, pin, and more that could get published in a matter of seconds. I also make it easy for people to tweet custom-made tweets in the middle of my blog posts. Writing valuable content helps in creating spreadable content, but spreadable content must have a method of being spread. Optimizing your blog for social shares is that method.
Write Engaging Content
The content that gets the reader’s attention is the content that engages the reader. To make your content more engaging, turn your content into a conversation. Ask questions at different point in blog posts and use personal, relevant anecdotes so you and the reader can relate to one another. The relationship that builds from engaging content may lead to a reader sharing your blog post, and if enough people read the engaging blog post, that blog post will spread rapidly.
Writing engaging content isn’t just a method of creating spreadable content. Writing engaging content also allows you to build long-term relationships with your audience. This type of relationship is the relationship that grows a solid fan base for your blog and leads to product sales. Having an audience filled with loyal, returning visitors will be very helpful for your blog’s exposure.
Email The Top Bloggers About Your Blog Post
When you write a spectacular blog post that stands out, send a quick email to the top bloggers in your niche about your blog posts. Some bloggers will refer to this method as the “Skyscraper Method,” and it is a great way to get extra exposure for that blog post. If you get dozens of top bloggers to promote your blog post to their audiences, your one blog post alone could see thousands of visitors and dozens of backlinks within a few days. Although this seems too good to be true, it has happened.
When you email a top blogger, it is important to email them a blog post that stands out. Blog posts either stand out by providing an extraordinary amount of value, discussing something rarely discussed (new trend), or going into great detail about something (typically, big numbers help here. Think along the lines of “200 tips/tools or some massive number). The best part is that if you choose the top bloggers in your niche, you’ll get people from their audiences to read your content. These people are a part of your targeted audience since they read similar content on other people’s blogs.
Your Story
Remember when it didn’t matter whether you had a good reputation or not? I don’t, and I don’t think there has ever been a time where the importance of a good reputation has been undermined. Your reputation is important for getting loyal readers who will actively share and engage with your content. However, your reputation is also a part of your story. As bestselling author Seth Godin says, “Everything that you do becomes a part of your story.” How you tweet, write, talk to others, and live life all become a part of your story and how people see your brand—what you stand for.
The people with magnificent stories are the ones who have loyal audiences eager to share their content. Seth Godin doesn’t even have to write 100 words for his next blog post, and thousands of people will share it.
Not only do magnificent stories lead to loyal audiences, but they also spread like wildfire. If you have a spreadable story on the loose (that positively impacts your reputation and other people), then your content will spread as well.
In Conclusion
Spreadable content comes down to two things: the content itself and behind-the-scenes actions that must occur. Although the behind-the-scenes actions are not plentiful, they are all important, and they can lead to massive exposure for your content. Regardless of how much effort you put into creating spreadable content, patience is a must.
Do you think taking all of this time to create spreadable content is worth it? Which of these tips did you like the most? Do you have any additional tips for creating spreadable content? Please share your thoughts and advice below.
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