Wouldn’t it be great if you could get other bloggers, industry influencers, and relevant companies to share your articles for you?
It’s not as hard as you think.
The key is providing a compelling reason to share your content.
And I’d argue that the easiest way to do this is using flattery. Everybody loves compliments, right? If someone wrote an awesome article about you, wouldn’t you want to share it around? I know I would.
With that in mind, here are three ways you can craft your content to encourage others to share it for you. As you write your next article, try one of the following strategies:
Quote Experts In Your Field
This is a no-brainer. Email a ton of the best people in your industry and ask them the same question. For example, I might ask, “What are your favorite non-traditional social profiles for SEO and branding purposes?” My article could then be something like 11 Experts Share Their Favorite Non-Traditional Social Profiles.
Make sure to explain the kind of article you’re pulling together in your email and make it clear the kind of names you’d be featuring. Don’t be bashful if you already have someone big onboard -- it’s more likely to convince others to submit their answers too.
The genius of this strategy is that everyone you quote has some skin in the game. Every time one of those experts shares the article, you’re expanding your organic reach and earning industry credibility along the way. Just remember to follow up after you’ve published to alert them to the finished product.
Loz James at WordTracker has a great example where he quotes 33 SEO experts on their link building tactics.
NOTE: If you’re not getting any bites on your emails, you can literally just dig through the blog posts of experts in your field and find the quotes that tell your story.
Highlight Awesome People or Organizations
Everyone loves to be complemented. Find some people or companies worth shouting out and give them some space in your article. Explain what makes them stand out and link to their website (everyone loves backlinks).
The benefits here are fairly obvious. Companies are likely to return the favor with a retweet or a share.
When I shared 12 Twitter Tools to Take Control of Your Online Reputation, I emailed and/or tweeted people from every single company on that list. I got retweets from Canva, Buffer, RiteTag and a handful of others. Their enthusiasm completely catapulted my article without much of my own additional effort.
Piggyback Off Someone Famous
This is a fun way to shout out someone famous and piggyback off their existing success.
I might write something like 11 Ways Canva Has Completely Changed My Career. I can expect a bit more traffic thanks primarily to the name recognition, but more importantly, it might convince Canva to share my content. They’d love to have a glowing article like that shared around.
The best part about this tactic is that the person or company you shout out doesn’t have to be directly involved in your industry. In fact, you might intrigue even more people if they aren’t related. Wouldn’t you be interested in 7 Tips From Geico’s Gecko on Improving Your Online Reputation?
(Hmm... maybe I'll write that next.)
No, Geico’s Gecko hasn’t written anything about fixing online reputations -- don’t quote me on that -- but he has plenty of fun quotes out there from ads and whatnot. By pulling insights from those commercials and relating them back to online reputation, I can make a fun article that still gives readers important lessons about online reputation management. No guarantees on getting the lizard to share your content though…
Closing Note:
When seeking extra attention for your articles, it can be tempting to use crazy titles and even crazier content. But remember, it’s important to keep your blog in line with your brand. It would be pretty disappointing if your next article blew up but didn’t quote portray you the way you wanted. Get creative but don’t forget that you’re building your online reputation along the way.