The content standard has been dialled up. People expect more for free. The volume of information created has exploded due to everyone becoming publishers. We all have smart phones and the growth and access to hundreds of social networks.
2. 1. How to’s
Showing people how to do
something in a blog post is an
oldie but a goodie. It might not go
viral but adding that value to your
readers gets them to share with
colleagues, bosses and peers
3. 2. Large listicles
These can be fun or serious.
They can be positive, negative
and sometimes just plain silly. But
I discovered the power of using a
large negative list to drive sharing
with this headline in 2010, “30
Things You Should Not Share in
on Social Media”.
4. 3. Statistics and facts
This has worked for me for years
and has led to this post ranking
#1 on Google for “social media
facts“. If you look hard enough in
almost any industry you will find
amazing facts and figures that
people,will love to know about
5. 4. Infographics
Infographics were really hot and
now they are just hot as a
shareable piece of content. Here
is an example from the Bufferapp
blog. Using multiple infographics
in one post can also work really
well.
6. 5. Authentic images of people
Upworthy uses raw but real
photos a lot in its content. Here is
an example titled. “Rather than
let his student’s baby continue to
cry, this professor took matters
into his own hands.”
7. 6. Personal photographs
Social media has moved the dial
between what used to be treated
as private and what is now
considered safe for public
viewing. It is different for
everyone.
8. 7. Tweets with images
This type of content wasn’t
available just 18 months ago. But
with Twitter changing its platform
to be more visual at the end of
2013 the rules of engagement
changed. I have found that
mini-infographics (or snapshots of
a larger infographic) can be one
of the most effective.
9. 8. Curiosity gap headlines
The headlines that work and don’t
work has been challenged by
experimentation and data on a
social web. Longer headlines that
tease your curiosity gene can
work very well. This headline has
13 words.
10. 9. Long form content
Blog articles that are 1,500 words
will not be a viral piece of content.
But if done well they will become
a resource for your niche, be
printed off and put senior
managers desk or even the CEO.
11. 10. Articles with multiple images
Buzzfeed has perfected the art of
stacking images in articles. Here
is one of their most popular
articles of all time with over 15
million views. This tactic is very
effective because you are giving
your article the best chance to
resonate with your audience so it
“has” to be shared.