Do you wonder how to get your content seen amidst a sea of information? What if you could understand why your audience shares some information and not other? That would make your content stand out from the competition.
The Science of Sharing
30 billion pieces of content are shared on Facebook each month, including blog posts, links, news stories and photo albums. HubSpot’s Dan Zarrella has found that three things must happen to get your content shared.
First, people must be exposed to your content (be a fan on Facebook or follow you on Twitter). Second, they must be aware of your content (meaning they actually see it). Finally, they must be motivated by something in your content to share it.
Many articles have been written on how to increase your audience size and make people aware of your content, including these by Mari Smith and Denise Wakeman. This article will focus on the motivations for sharing.
The New York Times recently partnered with Latitude Research to unpack the psychology of sharing. Based on their study of 2500 participants (and some other recent research), here are 9 reasons why your customers aren’t sharing your content.
#1: Your customers don’t trust you
#2: Your customers don’t care about your brand
#3: Your posts are boring
#4: People care about causes more than brands
#5: People share to build relationships with others
#6: Customers are looking for validation
#7: People share to manage information
#8: You’ve misunderstood your audience
#9: People are more personal with email
Some final pointers
If you want a deeper understanding of the psychology of sharing, see this article by Dr. Rachna Jain.
One of the most overlooked rules in content creation is the rule of simplicity. Shorter posts (80 characters on Facebook) get shared 27% more frequently. Keep your writing style at a fifth grade or lower level of understanding.
Create a sense of urgency in your writing. Give people a reason to respond now. If they don’t act immediately, they probably never will.
Finally, remember that getting your content shared is just the first step. See this as part of longer-term strategy of building a loyal following.
Leave a Reply