No matter what industry you work in, having a social presence is paramount. In the digital age, the internet is how people shop, connect and consume, so whether you’re beginning a small business, spearheading communications at a corporation, or just trying to make your own voice more distinct, understanding how to write sharable, interesting content is important.

When it comes to writing posts, it’s not just about blogs anymore. Everything from your Instagram captions to Facebook stories needs to be well-executed if it’s in line with a brand, and serving a business purpose. However, most people do have a section for blog posts on their personal websites, as do companies and other organizations. This allows you to create a space in which you can share pertinent information in your industry, but more importantly, gain more viewership and traction.

The reality is that it’s unlikely you’re going to get a lot of people to share your businesses’ advertising on their own. This is important to understand because shares are the primary way your audience, and therefore, your business, grows.

The first thing to understand about making something shareable is that you are writing for the reader, not for yourself. 

When someone shares a post to their social media feeds, they are doing it because they want it to communicate something about themselves to all those who follow them. Just like how your posts need to be aligned with your brand, people don’t usually post things that aren’t aligned with their own self-interests.

Therefore, instead of writing something like: “7 Flowers You Can Plant This Spring,” you can try something like: “This Is The Scientific Reason Why Planting A Garden Boosts Your Mental Health.” This incentivizes people to share because it is firstly inferring that they are of sound mind, and then also offering something to others.

Once your post is geared toward what a reader would be inclined to share, you then have to make sure that your words are clear, above all else. 

You can follow these guidelines in general:

• Wording should be clear more than it is clever.
• Reader should understand the point of the piece within the first paragraph.
• Itemize your ideas if you can (make the post into a list).
• Main ideas should be broken down into numbers or subheads.
• The article should be helpful, informative or relatable.
• Headlines shouldn’t use words greater than a 3rd grade reading level.
• Make sure the art is engaging and visually stimulating.
• Always be straightforward, and honest.

But if you’re following all of those guidelines and still not getting a great response, remember that the most effective way to write a shareable post is to write one that you would want to share yourself. The more authentic you are, the more your words will resonate with others.

Ultimately, writing shareable content is an important tenet of any business model in the digital age. However, don’t forget that there’s always an element of unpredictability — an article you might think is great may perform below average, and one you didn’t expect to take off might become your next viral hit. The important thing is to keep trying, have a healthy amount of content regularly moving through your feeds, and build your audience slowly, but authentically.