We live in a social world where much of our news comes from sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, Pinterest, and more. To grow your readership and make sure your blog posts get the attention they deserve, you need to encourage your current readers to share what you’ve written on their favorite social media sites. What those sites are will largely depend on the niche your in. Find out where your audience likes to hang out and then focus on getting them to share on those social media outlets to attract more likeminded readers.
Start With Quality Content
Of course, it all starts with quality content that your readers want to read and share. No one is going to spread a crappy post on social media. Start by writing the best blog posts you can and do some research into what your audience wants and needs.
In other words, serve your market well and they will in turn share what you’re writing with their friends and acquaintances. Think QUALITY over QUANTITY.
Make It Pretty
Next, it’s time to pretty up your post. Break up your content into small bite-sized chunks so it’s easy to read. Add some subheadings and formatting to make it easy to scan through the content. And don’t forget to add a pretty image that captures the essence of your post.
Step away from your desk and then come back and look at it with fresh eyes. Ask yourself the following:
- Is the blog post visually appealing?
- Does it grab your attention?
- Do YOU want to read it?
- Is the quality worthy of you posting it (do not go for perfection…)
If not, go back to the drawing board and see what you can do to improve it.
Make It Easy To Share
When your goal is to get people to share your blog post on social media, you want to make it as easy as possible to share. We talked about what social media sites your audience favors earlier. Make sure you have one-click buttons to share the blog post available for all those sites. If you are running your blog using WordPress you should be able to find a plugin to help you do this.
Ask For The Social Media Share
Buttons are great, but sometimes it takes a little extra push to get your readers to take action. Don’t be afraid to ask for social media share. Close your articles and blog posts with a little sentence or two that asks them to share on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, etc. if they enjoyed the post. And don’t forget to let them know how much you appreciate it when they share the love.
With that all stated, if you like this post and it helped you, please share this on social media 🙂
Mary Ellen Zung says
Thanks for great tips as always!
Paul says
You are welcome, Mary Ellen!
kelly says
thanks once again for the great tips!
Paul says
You are welcome, Kelly!
Karen Sammer says
I always forget to ask for the share. I’m going to try to remember that for the future. Thanks Paul.
Paul says
You can always create a checklist for your blog posts, Karen! This way you won’t forget anything!
Camilla says
great tips! thanks!
Paul says
Thanks!
Camilla says
great tips! thanks for sharing this information.
Paul says
Sure thing, Camilla!
Martha says
Great post and yes I shared it! I also liked your blog too!
Paul says
Thanks for doing that, Martha! I appreciate you.
Roy A Ackerman, PhD, EA says
Of course, joining a group (Ultimate Blog Challenge, Monday Thursday Blog, etc.) that promises to share each other’s posts works wonders as well.
Paul says
Yes! Of course 🙂 Thanks, Roy!
Jace Downey says
GREAT read! I always forget to ask for the share directly. I’m not super social media savvy and sometimes it slips my mind entirely. This post was a fantastic reminder!
Paul says
And it is a simple ask! Try it next time and let me know how it turns out!