We know that providing valuable information via our blog, emails and social media is the best way to attract customers and clients. And, by figuring out exactly what their pain points and desires are, we can create content that best meets their expectations.
That said, we also need to be cognizant of the ‘shareability’ of our content. It’s GREAT if our current readers like what we have to say, but what types of content are they most likely to share, retweet or link to?
Content Ideas That Followers Will Want to Share
If you have additional content ideas, please include them in a comment at the end of this post!
1. Detailed Tutorials
Step-by-step guides and detailed ‘how to’ articles are always great for attracting attention. While not always the flashiest or most exciting, tutorials are the ultimate in helpfulness, and are more likely to generate links and shares than more generic, less detailed posts.
2. Hack Posts
If you’re not familiar with the concept of a ‘hack’ post, it’s simply a list of shortcuts or workarounds centered around a particular topic. This type of post is always popular, particularly on social media and on social bookmarking sites like Reddit and Stumbleupon.
3. A Spinoff of a Current Popular Post
What’s the best predictor of future success? Past performance. Take a look through your website analytics and see which posts have been the most popular in the past. Now use that post as a springboard to write a new post. Some ideas could be writing a ‘part 2’ post, writing a post detailing reactions to your original post, or simply writing another post on the same topic.
4. A Roundup of all the Views on a Topic
If there’s a particularly hot topic in your niche, try writing a summary post outlining all the various view or opinions on the issue. You can take a neutral stand on the issue. However, leaning a particular way can add a bit of controversy to the post and really get people talking and sharing. Just be sure to always be respectful. Try not to alienate any of your readers!
5. Â A Prediction Post
These ones are just as fun to write as they are to read! Write a post outlining your predictions for your industry in the upcoming year and you may just be surprised at the level of engagement you’ll see. Prediction posts really have a way of getting people thinking, talking and sharing!
6. Interviews With Industry Experts
Maybe you feel you’re not quite ready to be considered an expert, but that doesn’t mean you can’t leverage the expertise of others! Ask an expert in your niche, or better yet – a whole slew of experts – to weigh in on an issue or answer a question.
7. A List Post
This is one of the most popular formats for blog posts, and for good reason. People love to get solid, actionable information. List posts are one of the best ways to do this. For instance, this post is a great example! 😉
8. Survey Results
Conducting surveys is useful for helping to inform your business decisions. It's also a great way to generate content for your blog. Ask your readers or social media followers to weigh in on a topic. Then, provide the results via a blog post. Create a few charts and/or graphs to display the results, and you’ve got a winning post!
9. A Checklist Post
A checklist post is simply a very practical, actionable blog post with checkboxes your readers can fill in. Some examples of checklist posts could be ’20 Items to Buy the Next Time You’re at the Grocery Store’ or ‘A Step-by-Step Guide to Promoting Your Blog Post’. Adding checkboxes isn’t difficult. Plus, it gives readers a bit of an extra push to complete the tasks you’ve laid out in your post.
10. A Quiz
Whether it’s fun and light-hearted, or longer and more involved, a quiz can be a helpful and entertaining piece of content that people love to share.
11. A Statistics Post
Looking to build links to your site? Create a post of industry statistics that others can use as a resource. It’s relatively easy to mine for statistics you can use online. If possible, attempt to find data that isn’t available anywhere else online; this is the BEST way to generate inbound links to your post!
12. A Resource Directory
Create a comprehensive directory or list of all the available resources in your niche, and you have a good chance of getting it liked and shared. Some ideas could be: A list of all the tools available to your readers, all the blog posts related to a particular topic, or contact information for all the service providers in your industry.
13. An Infographic
Infographics are the perfect blend of helpful, relevant information coupled with eye-catching graphics. And people love to share them. If you don’t have the resources or skills necessary to create your own, creating a blog post discussing and promoting someone else’s can be almost as effective. Just be sure to give proper credit to the original source.
14. A Top 10 Website List
This is one of my favorite tips for providing valuable content that almost without fail produces numerous inbound links. Create a Top 10 list outlining your favorite websites in a particular niche or industry. For instance, ‘Top 10 Fashion Blogs for Moms.’
Now, be sure to let the owners of those blogs know they’ve made it onto the list. More often than not, they will then share a link to the post with their own audience, generating both inbound links and referral traffic to your site!
15. A Comprehensive Evergreen Post
If you’re not familiar with the term evergreen post, it’s simply a blog post that doesn’t lose its relevancy as time goes on. Posts about trends, recent news and statistics are not considered evergreen since they are tied to a particular point in time and will eventually die out.
Aim to create at least a few pieces of highly detailed, comprehensive evergreen content on your site. Think of these comprehensive posts as guides that others can use as an ‘ultimate resource.’ Some examples may be ‘The Ultimate Guide to Baby Wearing’, or ‘100 Ways to Find the Love of Your Life’. Just be sure it’s highly relevant to your audience, and that it does a truly remarkable job of covering every angle on a topic!
I hope this little list has given you some ideas for creating your own shareworthy content! If you’re looking for more content ideas, see my posts How to Use Facebook Interest Lists to Find Content Ideas to Share and 5 Quick and Easy Ways to Find Content Ideas for Your Blog.
What content ideas are missing from this list? What types of content have been particularly shareworthy for you? Share with us below!
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Excellent content tips. Thank you for sharing with the rest of us out here!
These are great ideas. Thank you!