We live in a world where every business out there maintains social media profiles to boost visibility. While you publish content from them, you expect others to share them. Then you can get maximum visibility out of what you publish. But how can you get more people to share what you upload on social media? Let’s take a look at few tips on how to do it.

1. Emotional Appeal

Content that elicits an emotional reaction is far more likely to be shared than strictly informational content. We are moved to share content that makes us laugh, surprises us, inspires us, makes us angry, or tugs at our heartstrings. Use storytelling elements that create an emotional connection and don’t be afraid to use humor when appropriate. Positive emotions tend to spread more than negative ones.

2. Useful, Actionable Content

People share content they believe will be useful or interesting to their friends and followers. Offer specific, practical advice or step-by-step how-to guides that solve people’s problems or help them achieve their goals. List posts and life hack articles tend to get shared frequently when they provide real value.

3. Fascinating Stories

Human beings love stories. Weaving in captivating stories and anecdotes throughout your content gives people something compelling to share with their networks. Use storytelling best practices to draw readers in and get them invested enough in the people and events to inspire them to pass your content along.

4. Surprising Facts and Statistics

One of the top reasons people share content is to make themselves look smart or “in the know” to others. That means surprising facts, statistics, and data that are counterintuitive or go against the grain have built-in viral potential. When you provide information that makes people go “Wow, I never knew that!” you give them something impressive to share.

5. Controversy

Controversy breeds discussion and debate, two things people love to have on social media. While you don’t want to be deliberately inflammatory, addressing controversial topics or debatable viewpoints in a thoughtful way can lead to increased social sharing when done right. Just take care to avoid gratuitous clickbait-style outrage.

6. Beautiful Visuals

In the age of Pinterest and Instagram, content with eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing visuals gets shared at high rates across nearly all social channels. Use high-quality photos, illustrations, infographics, and videos that look stunning and capture people’s attention at a glance. Looks do matter when encouraging social shares.

7. Shareability Built In

Explicitly ask your readers to share your content if they enjoyed it. Some will share great content regardless, but studies show including share buttons and requests like “If you liked this post, please share it with friends!” substantially increases social sharing. Don’t be afraid to tell readers when content is truly special.

8. Personal Connection

Content that allows readers to get to know the writer on a more personal level breeds loyalty and trust. Let your personality shine through and open up to forge authentic relationships with readers. The more readers feel connected to you, the more eager they’ll be to share your content.

9. Current Trending Topics

People love sharing content that ties into trends and topics that are popular and frequently discussed on social media at the moment. Stay on top of hashtags and conversations gaining steam right now. If you can offer a fresh, insightful perspective on a current event or mainstream trend, you may be rewarded with viral spread.

10. Clear Calls to Action

Without direction, people often don’t know the best way to share content or spread the word even if they want to. Provide clear calls to action within your content like “If you agree, let people know by sharing this article on Twitter.” or embed pre-written Tweets, posts, or emails. Spell out exactly how you hope people will help amplify your message.