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ContentWritingChat May 3 2016 Recap: How to Create & Promote Shareworthy Content

by | May 6, 2016 | ContentWritingChat

ContentWritingChat May 3 2016 Recap: How to Create & Promote Shareworthy Content

If you missed this week’s #ContentWritingChat, no need to worry! We’ve rounded up some of the tweets from this week’s chat so you can get caught up. Check it out and learn all about creating and promoting shareworthy content!
There were so many great tips shared: you’ll want to start implementing them today to grow your online presence.

ContentWritingChat May 3 2016 Recap: How to Create & Promote Shareworthy Content


For this week’s chat, Grant Simmons joined as our guest host. Grant is the VP of Search Marketing at Homes.com, a speaker, author, and a frequent Twitter chatter and social media expert. He shared his insights with us on creating and promoting content that will get shared across the web.

Q1: What are the key features of a shareworthy piece of content?

What makes content shareworthy? How do you create something that you know your audience will love and share online? Check out these tips from the chat:

Grant kicked things off by sharing what “worthy” means. It’s important to ask yourself if your content entertains, educates, informs, enlightens, or inspires. These are great characteristics of a shareworthy piece of content!

Sarah from ThinkSEM knows the importance of considering your audience. Before you start creating content, always ask yourself if what you’re writing will resonate with them.

Don’t ramble on in your blog posts! Tara says your content should get to the point quickly. Remember to make sure it’s scannable, which ensures it’s easy for your readers to digest. Visuals are a must, too!

Andrew says shareworthy content should stir up some emotion within your audience.

Ryan’s advice: add value for your reader. How can you solve their pain points or help them with an issue?

Our CEO, Julia, knows storytelling elements make for shareworthy content. Get creative!

To put it simply, shareworthy content is relevant, informative, and helpful for your audience. A little humor can be great too if it suits your brand and readers! Spot on, Varun!

Content that is timely, informative, and entertaining is sure to shareworthy. Great answer, Jim!

As Grant said, we all have different ideas of what constitutes shareworthy content. One thing that always remains the same is value. You should always add value for your audience. Aim to solve their problems and provide them with the information they want and need.

Q2: Discuss strategies to discover and tune into your matching audience.

How can you figure out who your audience is and how do you reach them with your content? Here are some great answers:

Grant’s answers were spot on for Q2. His first piece of advice: LISTEN! If you want to get to know your audience, you need to listen to them. Find them on social media and see what they’re talking about.
Also, you want to be tuned in to what’s resonating with your audience. Which pieces of content are they clicking on? What are they sharing and engaging with? When you understand what your audience enjoys, you can provide more of the same.

Tara recommends being part of your audience’s community. This allows you to get to know them by listening and engaging in conversation.

Varun knows the importance of social listening! Tune into your audience via social media to see what they’re talking about and what they’re sharing. You can perform A/B testing to see what they respond to. If you’re still struggling, just ask them!

Make sure you’re taking the time to just talk to your audience. It’s the best way to get to know them.

Sarah said to figure out where your audience spends their time online. You want to invest your time in those platforms! Read articles, check hashtags, etc. to find your people.

Odds are, your company receives questions from your audience on a regular basis. Use these questions as a way to understand their needs!

Brittany likes to use Twitter Analytics and Google Analytics to get to know her audience. Both tools will help you see which pieces of content they’re reading.

Jeff also suggested digging around in your analytics. Your analytics can show you which posts are the most popular, which is very beneficial. Colleen knows it might not be the most fun task, but it’s a must!

Andrew and Amel recommend doing a little competitor research to discover new audiences. Figure out what your competitors are doing and how their audience is responding. Use this as an opportunity to do better!

Kelly recommends checking out the influencers in your field. See what your audience is checking out.

As Kristen said, don’t be afraid to just ask your audience what they want! They’re the best ones to tell you.

What’s a simple, yet great, way to get to know your audience? Create a survey and ask them to complete it!

Badal suggests reviewing comments, queries, etc. that your brand receives. It’s a helpful way to see what your audience is talking about.

Here at Express Writers, we love to use BuzzSumo to find the posts people are sharing and talking about. It’s so helpful!

Q3: What are important things to know before you create content?

Before you start creating content, here’s what you need to know:

Before you create any kind of content, ask yourself if it’s bringing value to your audience. Grant says you also need to know the who, what, where, and why of your content.

Before you can create anything, you need to understand your audience. What do they want to see from you?

Who is going to care about it? Will your audience care? How will you promote it to spread the word?

As Kyle said, ask yourself if what you’re creating is something people are actually looking for.

Great advice from Kevin: figure out what their problems and questions are. Use your content to provide your audience with exactly what they’re looking for.

Sarah said to figure out what your audience wants to read. How will your content benefit them, but you as well?

Anya said to ask yourself what your audience wants and how you can add to it.

As Michael said, answer the questions your audience is asking and the ones they SHOULD be asking.

Both Kristen and Dagmar agree: have a goal for your content. What action do you want people to take after? What do you want them to feel? Having a goal allows you to create content that gets a specific result.

Pratik reminds us that you always need to consider the platform you’re sharing to, user intent, and the goal when creating.

Content is consumed differently on each platform, so consider where you will be posting something. You need to adapt your content to the platform and your audience there.

A reminder from Jamie: grammar counts! You should always double-check for spelling and grammar errors.

It helps to have knowledge on the topic you’re writing about. Let your expertise shine through!

Tara said to make sure you’re considering the guidelines if you’re creating content for another publication. You want to make sure you have tailored your content to their website.

Never create for the sake of creating content. Your content should always serve a purpose. Fantastic answer, Zala!

Great tweets from Jamie and Devin!

Q4: How can you encourage your audience to share your new posts?

So, you’ve created the content… Now what? You need to get your audience to help share and spread the word!

Great tips from Grant! First, make sure your content is easy to share. If it’s a hassle to share your content to social media, your audience won’t be bothered. But most importantly, make it worthy of being shared.

Kevin agrees! It all starts with content that is worth sharing. After you’ve created that blog post, ask yourself if it’s something YOU would share. If the answer is yes, you’re good to go!

Eliza recommends including an eye-catching image with your content to encourage shares. Giveaway are great, too!

Kyle and Andrew agree it helps to get your audience involved in your content. Kyle suggested asking your audience for the opinion and allowing them the opportunity to share their voice. Andrew said quoting your audience members within your content is a good way to increase shares.

Make it easy for your audience to share by including social sharing buttons and Click to Tweets within your content.

Tara and Amel know it never hurts to just ask someone to share your work.

Julia agrees! Start by providing high-quality content and ask people to share.

It’s so simple, but if you want to encourage shares, don’t forget to share it yourself! You need to promote your own content to spread the word.

Dagmar is spot on with her answer! Make sure you’re connecting with your audience on a regular basis. When you form a relationship with them, they’ll want to support you and they’ll be happy to share your work.

Remember: sharing all starts with great content. If you want someone to share your posts, make sure they’re great to begin with.

As Kevin said, make sure you’re sharing the work of others in your field. If you’re sharing their work, they’ll be more likely to share yours! Do YOU retweet?

Q5: What are some creative ways to promote your content on social media?

If you want your content to stand out on social media, you need to get creative! Here are some awesome tips for promoting your work:

Grant recommends finding and engaging with influencers. Building trust with them and your audience is key!

Tara said to evoke emotion with your social media posts. That’s a sure-fire way to grab the attention of your audience.

Kelly knows the power of a good visual! It’s so simple, but using an eye-catching image is a good way to help your posts stand out in a busy timeline.

Julia said to make sure you’re matching your content to the platform. Each social media platform is different and you want to make sure you’re sharing the right type of content for each one.

It seems video is a popular answer to this question! Not everyone is utilizing video to its fullest potential. Create an awesome video to promote your content and it’s sure to help you get noticed.

Brittany suggested running an Instagram contest. This is a fantastic way to increase brand awareness.

Erika recommended creating quote cards that feature key ideas, stats, to share snippets of your content.

A very important reminder from Jim: say thanks. If someone shares your work, send them a simple thank you to show your appreciation.

Q6: How does storytelling play a role in shareworthy content?

How can you incorporate storytelling into your content and does it encourage shares?

Grant knows the power of storytelling. One image alone can help you tell a story and connect with your audience.

Brittany said storytelling shares your journey and invites your audience along with you. Get them involved with your story and build that connection with them.

Storytelling can help build anticipation and keep the attention of your audience.

Awesome answer! Storytelling helps your audience feel all the feels! That’s how you grab their attention and draw them in.

To put it simply, stories are memorable! If you want people to remember you and your brand, tell a story that resonates with your audience.

A fantastic answer from Julia!

Great storytelling engages your imagination! Nice answer, Tim!

Sarah said you should tell the story of how your customers are better with your product. How can you incorporate your customer and the benefits of your product/service into your story?

Ema, Kristen, and Michael agree that your story needs to have a human element. That’s what will make it relatable and genuine.

Well said, Varun!

Q7: How can we create great visuals that are truly shareworthy?

When it comes to creating content, you can’t forget about the visuals that go along with your written posts. They’re just as important. Here are some tips for designing shareworthy visuals:

The three R’s for shareworthy visuals from Grant: relevant, relatable, and remarkable.

Scott said to make sure your visuals are emotionally appealing to your audience. This is a key way to grab their attention.

Sarah and Andrew are spot on with their answers! Even when creating visuals, you need to know what resonates with your audience.

Good visuals should complement your written content.

Anya said to skip the stock images. They aren’t unique!

When designing visuals to share, always make sure you remain true to your brand. Your visuals can say a lot about your brand as a whole.

As Shannon said, give your audience what they want through your visuals.

A great tool to help you create amazing visuals: Canva! We’re also huge fans here at Express Writers.

Q8: Name a brand that produces content you love reading and sharing.

Take a look at some of these brands people in Tuesday’s chat love:

Who hasn’t shared something from BuzzFeed?

We agree, Andrew! Buffer is incredible!
In case you needed a reminder, we love Canva here!

Alberto was kind enough to include Express Writers in his answer. Thanks, Alberto!

Tim enjoys Moz and their Whiteboard Friday.

Even more amazing brands from Jim and Julia. If you haven’t check them out, you definitely should!
We look forward to seeing you at the next #ContentWritingChat! Mark your calendars weekly for Tuesday at 10 AM CDT for great chats centered around content writing and marketing.

Tags: creating content