How do you find readers--and get
them to pause, click, and share? Nine YEC entrepreneurs tell you how to
tip the scales in your favor.
We all know content is king, but you still have to get the right
content out there. Then you have to figure out how to get people to
read it. Nine successful entrepreneurs from the YEC share their tips for
getting more eyes on your content.
1. Content That Evokes Emotions
A
good blog post or article should satisfy two entirely different
requirements: it should provide valuable information and it should evoke
an emotion. (Humor, anger, or inspiration are all fine.) Don't go for
controversy, though, just for the sake of it, and certainly not if it
counters your brand's values. But do look for ways to offer people value
and go ahead and tug at their heart strings. Curate and create content
that justifies a share. --Fabian Kaempfer, Chocomize
2. A Clear, Honest Title
I
wrote an article once for Forbes that had the title "Why Leaders Must
Be Readers." I cringed at the cheesiness of it, but I believe the reason
the article got more than 20,000 views was because it was obvious what
the article was about. You can get a lot of views through an
attention-grabbing title, but true engagement can also come when people
aren't in the dark what they're about to read--and when they immediately
know why friends or colleagues shared it with them.
--Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.
3. An Evident Tipping Point
Of
course the content needs to be exceptional, but it also has to find its
way to the key person or people who are going to be able to help tip it
over into the world of massive sharing. In order to make your way to
that tipping point, you have to ask for help. Going viral isn't
something that happens to you; it's an active state of promotion in
search of that tipping point. --Corey Blake, Round Table Companies
4. Organized Ideas
One
thing I notice in a lot of successful articles is that it's very easy
to consume content with numbered ideas. On BuzzFeed, most articles take
this format: "10 Things You Didn't Know About Entrepreneurship." This is
because people want information broken down for them. Organizing your
ideas into a numbered or categorized format helps people consume the
content more easily. The faster they can understand it, the more likely
they are to share it.
--Andy Karuza, brandbuddee
5. Useful Information
There
isn't one magic bullet for making a blog post or online article go
viral. A combination of things contribute to the success of a post.
However, one important trait of a viral blog post or article is
usefulness. Giving your reader something tangible and practical that he
or she can put to use will immediately increase your chances of the post
being shared. If it's shared once, chances are it will be shared again.
A few more shares and that post could be on its way to going viral.
--Jay Wu, A Forever Recovery
6. Unexpected Information
We've
found that the key to a viral blog post is finding something truly
unexpected. Whether it's insight buried deep within a data set or a case
study with an unusual outcome, posts that defy people's expectations
are more likely to be shared and tweeted about.
--Robert J. Moore, RJMetrics
7. Honest Advice
Be
honest and vulnerable. There are so many "Top X" blog posts and
impersonal litanies written for the search engines. Don't do that. Write
about what you know, and be open, honest, and transparent. Don't write
an article per week because it's on your schedule. Make sure you're
writing about things that are important to you, and don't publish it
unless it is of the highest quality. Be honest with your audience; it
will help them connect with you and help you build a larger base.
--Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas
8. A Story to Connect With
If
you want the kind of viral post that people act upon (as opposed to
BuzzFeed lists that are passed around but quickly forgotten), you need a
story that readers can connect with. Test out your concept this way: If
you can't tell the underlying story your post describes, you probably
don't have something that can go viral. It doesn't have to be a
complicated story, but there does have to be something that's easy for
people to remember and talk about. --Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting
9. A Different Angle
One
key way for a blog post to go viral is to discuss a popular topic in
your industry and reveal an angle that no one has discussed. If it's a
hot-button topic and you can bring a new perspective to light, you have a
great chance of having your article go viral.
--Phil Laboon, Eyeflow Internet Marketing
1. Content That Evokes Emotions
A
good blog post or article should satisfy two entirely different
requirements: it should provide valuable information and it should evoke
an emotion. (Humor, anger, or inspiration are all fine.) Don't go for
controversy, though, just for the sake of it, and certainly not if it
counters your brand's values. But do look for ways to offer people value
and go ahead and tug at their heart strings. Curate and create content
that justifies a share. --Fabian Kaempfer, Chocomize2. A Clear, Honest Title
I
wrote an article once for Forbes that had the title "Why Leaders Must
Be Readers." I cringed at the cheesiness of it, but I believe the reason
the article got more than 20,000 views was because it was obvious what
the article was about. You can get a lot of views through an
attention-grabbing title, but true engagement can also come when people
aren't in the dark what they're about to read--and when they immediately
know why friends or colleagues shared it with them.--Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.
3. An Evident Tipping Point
Of
course the content needs to be exceptional, but it also has to find its
way to the key person or people who are going to be able to help tip it
over into the world of massive sharing. In order to make your way to
that tipping point, you have to ask for help. Going viral isn't
something that happens to you; it's an active state of promotion in
search of that tipping point. --Corey Blake, Round Table Companies4. Organized Ideas
One
thing I notice in a lot of successful articles is that it's very easy
to consume content with numbered ideas. On BuzzFeed, most articles take
this format: "10 Things You Didn't Know About Entrepreneurship." This is
because people want information broken down for them. Organizing your
ideas into a numbered or categorized format helps people consume the
content more easily. The faster they can understand it, the more likely
they are to share it.--Andy Karuza, brandbuddee
5. Useful Information
There
isn't one magic bullet for making a blog post or online article go
viral. A combination of things contribute to the success of a post.
However, one important trait of a viral blog post or article is
usefulness. Giving your reader something tangible and practical that he
or she can put to use will immediately increase your chances of the post
being shared. If it's shared once, chances are it will be shared again.
A few more shares and that post could be on its way to going viral.--Jay Wu, A Forever Recovery
6. Unexpected Information
We've
found that the key to a viral blog post is finding something truly
unexpected. Whether it's insight buried deep within a data set or a case
study with an unusual outcome, posts that defy people's expectations
are more likely to be shared and tweeted about.--Robert J. Moore, RJMetrics
7. Honest Advice
Be
honest and vulnerable. There are so many "Top X" blog posts and
impersonal litanies written for the search engines. Don't do that. Write
about what you know, and be open, honest, and transparent. Don't write
an article per week because it's on your schedule. Make sure you're
writing about things that are important to you, and don't publish it
unless it is of the highest quality. Be honest with your audience; it
will help them connect with you and help you build a larger base.--Mitch Gordon, Go Overseas
8. A Story to Connect With
If
you want the kind of viral post that people act upon (as opposed to
BuzzFeed lists that are passed around but quickly forgotten), you need a
story that readers can connect with. Test out your concept this way: If
you can't tell the underlying story your post describes, you probably
don't have something that can go viral. It doesn't have to be a
complicated story, but there does have to be something that's easy for
people to remember and talk about. --Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting9. A Different Angle
One
key way for a blog post to go viral is to discuss a popular topic in
your industry and reveal an angle that no one has discussed. If it's a
hot-button topic and you can bring a new perspective to light, you have a
great chance of having your article go viral.--Phil Laboon, Eyeflow Internet Marketing
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