How to make the most share-worthy social media content

In terms of social media engagement, shares are basically the holy grail. By hitting the “share” button on your content, your audience gives you a major stamp of approval – and you gain exposure to their friends and followers too.

If your content isn’t getting any shares, your social media strategy might be in need of a tune-up. Here’s how to make – and distribute – content that’s super share-worthy:

Avoid clickbait at all costs

If your content’s headline promises one thing but doesn’t actually deliver on that promise, you’ve got a major problem. No one’s going to share your Facebook video or blog post after they’ve been duped! Instead, make a bold promise and then follow through.

Ultimately, your content has to provide value in order to get shared. Ensure it has personality; corporate-sounding content that only serves your agenda isn’t going to be a hit. Teach, entertain, or validate – those are three value-adds your audience will find truly compelling.

What’s on-trend?

If you want shares, you’ve got to be on-topic. Identify trends that will grab your target audience’s interest – and make sure they’re relevant to your industry too. Tools like Google Analytics, Answer the Public and even just the “trending” section on Twitter can help you figure out what topics currently inspire curiosity.

Just ensure you’ve got the bandwidth to get on-trend ASAP – social media users quickly move on from one topic to another.

Make your content visually appealing

Social media users love visual content – videos, photos, infographics, you name it. According to Hubspot, “Tweets with images receive 150 per cent more retweets than tweets without” and “Facebook posts with images see 2.3x more engagement than those without images.”

The bottom line: Don’t post another piece of content without including visuals!

Post at the perfect time

Social media success is all about timing. If you want your content to be seen (and shared), you’ve got to post at the right time. Social media publishing tools like Sprout Social have features like Viral Post that allow you to preschedule your social content to go out at the perfect time (based on algorithms). If you want to increase your odds of earning more social shares, you need as many people as possible to see your content!

Need help mastering your social media strategy? That’s what we’re here for!