Online life now revolves mostly around sharing material on social networking sites. 

People are continually pushing the share button to forward anything to their networks, ranging from humorous videos to thoughtful pieces. But just what makes a piece of material shareable? What specifics and components motivate someone to go beyond and share something with their followers, friends, and family?

Sparking An Emotional Reaction

Humans are emotional creatures. We make decisions and take actions based on how content makes us feel. When crafting shareable content, aim to spark an emotional reaction. Make YouTube, TikTok or Instagram followers laugh, cry, get angry, become inspired or surprised. Powerful emotions are a key driver behind the share button.

Inspiration

Uplifting, motivational content often gets shared as people want to spread the inspiration. Quotes and stories about overcoming adversity tend to fall into this category. If you can craft content that makes people see the world differently and fires up their ambition, they will likely hit share.

Humor

Funny videos, hilarious memes, witty cartoons. Humor just seems to be made for sharing. Laughter brings people together, and when something cracks someone up, they pass it on to make their friends laugh, too. Amusing content lets people feel good and bond over a shared sense of humor.

Outrage

On the flip side, content that incites anger or controversy also sees high sharing rates. Outrage and injustice are powerful triggers. Content seen as exposing corrupt individuals and unethical practices often spreads rapidly through social channels. While positive emotions are more fun to create, tapping into righteous anger can also make content eminently shareable.

Offering Surprising Facts And Data

People naturally want information and fresh learning opportunities. Materials that expose interesting nuggets and surprising facts usually get a lot of sharing. These informational pearls feed hunger and the need to keep developing.

Counterintuitive findings

Research data that goes against what someone would naturally assume intrigues people. For example, a study shows that optimists live longer than pessimists or that morning people earn higher salaries than night owls. These counterintuitive results stick in the mind and get passed along.

Lesser known history

Illuminating little-known events from the past also performs well when it comes to sharing. People enjoy discovering obscure historical facts that expand their understanding. Like how Winston Churchill’s mother was American or how Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard in his youth.

Revealing statistics

Surprising statistics that put things in perspective catch attention and interest. For instance, did you know Fortune 500 CEOs read 60 books a year on average? Or that only 28% of respondents are currently CPR-trained? Facts expressed numerically in this format work well in shareable content.

Leveraging The Power Of Visuals

Strong social media interaction is driven by arresting photos and video. Visuals draw viewers like a magnet with so much stuff vying for attention. People cannot resist pushing share when photos amaze, inspire wonder, or tickle the funny bone.

Beautifulpictures

Beautiful, amazing pictures grab people’s attention and fit right for passing throughout social circles. Pictures with amazing scenery, strong events, or worldwide cultures draw people in. Images that pique interest and wonder encourage sharing.

Animated GIFs

These compressed moving images have become a popular social media phenomenon. The best-animated GIFs seamlessly loop motion and narrative that captivates an audience. GIFs telling a funny or surprising short story can gain huge traction through shares.

Engaging infographics

Information presented visually in graphs, charts, maps, and illustrations gets consumed and digested much easier. So creative infographics that educate attract plenty of shares. Clever depictions of data from pop culture to science help information spread.

Leveraging Lists And Listicles

Articles organized around numbered lists tend to perform well when it comes to social sharing. These listicle or list-based pieces offer easily scan-able information. The format feels bite-sized and more easily digestible for modern readers.

Top 10 lists

Countdown style lists that cover the top movies, books, tourist attractions etc in a given category entice readers. People enjoy seeing how their preferences stack up against an expert or crowd-sourced list. The format offers built-in headline appeal.

Comparison lists

Lists that directly compare products, services or other items side-by-side also work well. For example, a piece covering the 5 best video conferencing tools with key features and pricing laid out draws interest from consumers. The comparison format simplifies research.

Pro Tips lists

Readers always respond well to expert advice that can improve their lives. Lists outlining key tips and tactics from recognized professionals receive significant social shares. Whether 5 tips to improve your photography from a Pulitzer Prize-winning National Geographic photographer or 10 tricks to get better gas millage from a NASCAR mechanic.

Leveraging The Power Of Community

Content that somehow taps into a specific community or group identity also sees high social sharing rates. When something reaffirms a group’s values or celebrates a shared identity, it spreads rapidly within that community.

Thought leadership

Within various industries and niches, certain individuals stand out as visionary thought leaders. Content published or shared by these influential figures quickly generates momentum. Their insights and opinions carry weight within a professional community.

Local connections

Although the internet has worldwide access, material with a local perspective still speaks to people strongly. Locals ready to contribute to their community send along news, events, and information pertinent to a certain area. Stories about local secret gems or favorite regional cuisine can travel quickly.

Shared identity

Content that appeals to a certain cultural identity or experience also goes really far in social circles. Targeted communities sharing the material as a badge of honor naturally amplifies pieces honoring legacy, highlighting generational viewpoints or investigating subtleties of particular identities.

Mastering The Miscellaneous

Beyond the major buckets outlined above certain miscellaneous elements can also boost content’s shareability factor. Savvy publishers are constantly testing and iterating to reveal new insights into the social sharing psyche. Staying on top of emerging trends is key.

Utilizing pop culture

References and connections to popular TV shows, public figures, internet celebrities and entertainment properties often provide social jet fuel. As obsessed fans love to share anything related to their pop culture obsessions. Infusing content with zeitgeisty references when appropriate keeps it primed for sharing.

Piggybacking on current events

Content that offers context, implications or commentary around breaking news or trending events also leverages organic sharing momentum. Timely analysis of leading headlines, public debates and viral issues can earn content shares by virtue of proximity.

Optimizing SEO elements

Although not directly in charge of social sharing as such, variables related to search engine optimization, such as smart use of links and headline creation, can help to distribute material over both social and search channels. Learning SEO and metadata best techniques increase reach.

Conclusion

A blueprint of highly shareable content lies in hitting any combination of the emotional, informative and community-building elements above. Test and experiment with new formats and new formulas as social platforms and user preferences mature. But you can pay attention to analytics and spot trends to keep delivering the content people really want to share!