5 Great Ways to Get People to Share Your Content How to grow your audience so people can actually see your work.
By Adam Toren
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Have you ever seen an article or blog post that was average at best but had tons of shares, likes and comments? You might have thought, "My stuff is way better than that! Why aren't people sharing it?" My brother Matthew and I have been writing for our own sites and other publications, like Entrepreneur, for many years now, and I remember feeling this way in the beginning.
When you're first starting out as an entrepreneur and you're creating content -- whether it's blog posts, white papers, social media post or e-books -- you can't expect tons of interaction right off the bat. But, what about after you've been at it a while? If you're still not seeing much sharing going on, what can you do to step it up?
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Content is king . . . right?
You've heard that it's all about the content: If you produce compelling, well-written pieces, everything else falls into place.
Well, that's not necessarily true. Yes, of course it's important to produce good content. You want people to want to read what you write. That's definitely the first step. But, it's not enough. Getting people to share what you've written takes more than writing ability. As with so many aspects of entrepreneurship, your ability to get your content shared has more to do with relationships than anything else. Follow these tips to see your content spread like wildfire!
1. Sharing is a two-way street.
If you want others to share and talk about what you've written, one of the best ways to get the ball rolling is by being a sharer yourself. Find writers you like and respect who are in the same or similar industry, and share their writing with your followers. If you share consistently, you're likely to get some reciprocal sharing in return. But, don't expect it to happen overnight. Consistency is the key here.
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2. Share the right way.
When you're sharing others' content, be creative and put some thought into it. If you're hoping to get someone with a lot of followers to share your stuff, you need to stand out. Don't just put the title of their post as your lead comment. Take a line from the post or tell how it was beneficial to you or will benefit your audience. You're much more likely to get noticed this way, and you might even develop a mentoring relationship with someone you admire.
3. Ask (nicely).
As with everything, you can't expect to get what you want without asking for it. It's important to ask the right people in the right way, though. A blanket, "Hey, share my post!" blasted out to your social networks probably won't see a lot of results. Instead, ask specific people. Tell them how it will benefit them and their followers. Does the article you wrote contain information that's valuable to their audience? That's the kind of benefit that will convince someone to share it.
4. Talk about others.
If someone mentioned your name in a positive light in their post, would you share it with your community? Probably so. You don't want to go too far with this -- name-dropping every other line or pandering to influencers. But, it's perfectly fine to use a relevant quote or idea from someone in your posts. As R.L. Adams, a top writer here on Entrepreneur, says, "Take action and stay persistent if you want to succeed and achieve your goals."
(See what I did there?)
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5. Create strategic alliances.
Chances are good that there are other entrepreneurs out there who share a target audience but don't compete with you. Build relationships with these people to get in front of their community while introducing them to yours. It's a great way to help each other find success, and it just might result in a lasting friendship.
Follow these tips, and you're sure to see your content being shared a lot more. What other ideas do you have for getting your content to spread? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
