For the last ten years, online newsletters have been one of the most powerful tools available to internet business owners. Today, social media is becoming increasingly more important.
Here are a few tips on how can you write your newsletters in a way that gets people to pass them on through their social media:
Important: Have Your Newsletter on Your Website
Although someone might be able to email someone else a copy of your newsletter, they can’t post the whole thing on Facebook or LinkedIn. In order to make your newsletter easy to share on social networks, you need to have a version of the newsletter on your website.
In fact, some owners prefer to just send short teasers out in their newsletters and have the main article on their website instead. In addition to making it easier to share, they also get more traffic to their website as people have to actually click to get the good stuff.
Useful, Controversial, Funny and/or Timely Content
Post content that people find truly useful and original. Post thoughts and theories that are controversial and against the grain. Be humorous if you can, so long as it doesn’t go against your brand. Finally, post about topics that are timely and related to current topics and events in your industry and in the world.
These are the types of posts that tend to get passed on. Remember that above all else, you’ve got to create content that other people want to pass on if you are going to get your content passed.
Look at your own habits. What kind of posts have you passed on recently? What was it about that post that inspired you to pass it on? Look at your friends. What kind of posts do they pass on? What was special about that post? What do you think inspired them to pass it on? Finally, look at people in your industry. What kind of posts do they pass on?
What you will often find is that among casual friends, funny or newsy content tends to get passed around. Among people more focused in a particular industry, you will find that useful or controversial content about industry topics tend to get passed on more.
Getting Passed On in Social Networks
One way to get passed on is to simply ask. The idea of posting an article on Facebook often doesn’t even occur to someone, though your article may very well be good enough for them to pass it on. Don’t ask too often, but asking to be tweeted or posted on Facebook every once in a while doesn’t hurt.
In summary, make sure you have a copy of your newsletter on your website so it can be passed on. Post useful, controversial, funny or timely content. Every once in a while, ask your readers to pass on a particularly good article to their friends.
