Three ways to make your content more shareable in 2025

In the 1970s, a psychologist named George Silverman made an interesting discovery. When focus groups of physicians discussed new drugs, skeptics were often swayed by positive comments from their peers. This happened even when a doctor’s negative views of the drug were the result of firsthand experience. Silverman's findings underscore the remarkable power of peer influence, and the advent of the Information Age has made it more potent than ever. Bloggers can leverage this power by creating shareable content.?

Why is shareability important?

Traditional advertisements have a lot of baggage associated with them. Years of exaggerated claims, misleading statements, and the promotion of outdated stereotypes have made many people cynical about the advertisements they see. One only has to look at the cigarette ads in the Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising collection to see some of the worst sins of the advertising industry on full display. Unsurprisingly, studies have shown that fewer than half of all people still found traditional advertisements to be credible. At the same time, 92% of people reported that they trusted recommendations from people they knew above all forms of advertising.

But what makes something shareable? Ultimately, people share things that they find meaningful, be it a funny meme, a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, or a video game review. On a more theoretical level, The Hartford’s Business Owner’s Playbook has identified three psychological drivers of shareability:

• Value. People share content that aligns with their needs and wants. Example: A tech blog might share a practical ChatGPT guide to help businesses streamline customer service. Since it solves a real problem, readers happily share it for its tangible benefits.
• Disruption. Content that challenges the status quo in some way often lends itself to being shared. This doesn’t mean you have to write like an argumentative teenager, however. It’s more about giving your audience a fresh perspective and making them think. Example: An influencer on Medium questions the 9-to-5 work model and advocates a four-day week. This fresh angle sparks debate, prompting readers to share and discuss.
• Emotional engagement. People are drawn to content that stirs their emotions as shown by the fact that a video of a baby lamb prodding someone with its foot has racked up 53 million views on YouTube. If your content makes someone feel something, there’s a good chance they’ll want to pass that feeling onto others. Example: A heartwarming Dodo article about an abandoned puppy finding a home tugs at readers’ emotions, compelling them to spread the feel-good story.

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