How to Create Shareable Content

What makes content shareable enough to go viral? This is a question that so many people ask themselves and usually, when you ask someone who was the subject or the owner of viral content, they are surprised the content went viral in the first place. So what makes certain pieces of content more likely to become shareable content than others? That is what we’re going to explain in this simple guide on creating shareable content.

Shareable Content With an Emotional Tie

An article, picture, or video that strikes an emotional chord with the viewer is often a reason that people share it. Creating shareable content that’s emotional can help the viewer develop a bond with the idea or topic which makes them care and have an invested interest to share your content with others so they can experience it for themselves.

Think of the videos where dogs are reunited with their owners when them come home from overseas. These videos tug at your heartstrings and give you a rush of warm feelings that you want others to feel too. That’s why people share emotional content.

Shareable Content That Makes the Sharer Look Good

Another reason people share content is because sharing the content makes them, as the sharer, look good. This example of shareable content is usually remarkable in some way, it’s a shocking demonstration of a blender blending an iPad or a wine glass that doesn’t spill on a mattress with people jumping on it. This type of content makes the user say “wow, that’s unbelievable” which makes them want to show it to others.

People also share content that makes them feel like they are special such as when someone takes their Harry Potter Patronus quiz and gets a freaking awesome Patronus that they want everyone to know about. Or when you earn a badge or status within a brand’s system such as Gold status at Starbucks or trophies on Reddit. 

Shareable Content with a Great Story

When content is able to capture someone’s attention in a narrative that resonates with them, it makes the content more shareable. For example, a podcast that tells the unknown story of the NASA seamstress that had been preparing her whole life to work at NASA. Or a look into the life of the farmer who grows the food that you eat. A story that is unique, attention-grabbing, and has a correlation of some kind back to the brand or business writing the story.

It doesn’t need to be the beginnings of a novel or a feature film, just a meaningful look at a narrative that others will feel inspired by or relate to.

Shareable Content That Is Useful

Any kind of content that can provide useful information to people is likely content that will be shared. Recipes are one example, if someone made dinner for friends from a recipe and their friends liked it, they usually ask for the recipe. Another is how popular lifehack-themed posts have become; people think “how ingenious, I never thought to use old toilet paper rolls to organize my messy cords and cables!” These kinds of posts are shareable because people feel like they found it useful so others likely will find it useful as well.

When you use these techniques to write or create your own content, you’re already a step in the right direction to create content people want to share with others. You can even use multiple tactics to make your content even more enticing. These methods are not a guarantee that your content will go viral but they are a guide to help you create shareable, engaging, and all-around better content that people will enjoy.