What are the best strategies for creating shareable stories?

1 Know your audience

The first step to creating shareable stories is to understand who your audience is, what they care about, and what they are looking for. You can use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and audience surveys to gather data on your readers' demographics, interests, preferences, and behavior. You can also monitor what topics and formats are trending, what questions and challenges they have, and what emotions and values they respond to. By knowing your audience, you can tailor your stories to their needs and expectations, and increase the chances of them sharing your content with others.

2 Write catchy headlines

The headline is the first thing that your audience sees, and it can make or break your story's shareability. A catchy headline should grab your reader's attention, arouse their curiosity, and entice them to click and read more. You can use techniques like asking questions, making statements, using numbers, or invoking emotions to craft headlines that stand out. However, avoid using clickbait tactics that mislead, exaggerate, or manipulate your audience. Your headline should reflect the main idea and value of your story, and deliver on your promise.

3 Use visuals and multimedia

Visuals and multimedia can enhance your story's appeal and impact, as well as make it easier to consume and share. Images, videos, audio, graphics, charts, maps, and interactive elements can add context, clarity, and depth to your story, as well as appeal to different learning styles and preferences. You can use visuals and multimedia to illustrate your points, show evidence, tell stories, or create emotions. However, make sure that your visuals and multimedia are relevant, high-quality, and accessible, and that they complement and support your text, not distract or contradict it.

4 Optimize for mobile and social

Most of your audience will access and share your stories on their mobile devices and social media platforms, so you need to optimize your content for these channels. You can use responsive design, short paragraphs, subheadings, bullet points, and bold fonts to make your content easy to read and navigate on mobile screens. You can also use social media buttons, widgets, and plugins to make your content easy to share and comment on different platforms. You can also create social media posts, stories, or videos to promote your content and drive traffic to your website.

5 Engage with your audience

Creating shareable stories is not only about producing content, but also about building relationships with your audience. You can engage with your audience by inviting feedback, asking questions, soliciting opinions, or encouraging actions. You can also respond to comments, thank contributors, acknowledge sources, or join discussions. By engaging with your audience, you can show that you value their input, foster trust and loyalty, and create a sense of community around your stories.

6 Experiment and learn

Finally, creating shareable stories is an ongoing process of experimentation and learning. You can use tools like Google Search Console, social media analytics, and A/B testing to measure and evaluate your content's performance, reach, and engagement. You can also use tools like BuzzSumo, Feedly, or Flipboard to discover and analyze what types of stories are popular and viral in your niche or industry. By experimenting and learning, you can identify what works and what doesn't, and improve your content strategy and skills over time.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?