6 Types of Share-Worthy Content

Your content is vital to the success of your personal brand or business.  It’s how you stand out.  It’s what brings people back to your podcast, blog, Instagram, Twitter, Periscope, etc.  But producing valuable, high-quality content can seem daunting, especially when you’re first starting out.  If you’re struggling with ideas for blog posts or content for your platform, then this post is for you.  Use it as a guide to help you with content creation that is relevant to your specific industry.  In this post, I’ll cover the most popular types of content.  So let’s jump right in, shall we?

Content that teaches your audience something

Content that strives to inform your audience is commonly structured as “how-to” posts.  How-to posts can be written to teach your audience how to implement a strategy or how to use a product or software.  For example, you might record a podcast episode titled “How to Grow Your Instagram Following From Scratch” or write a blog post titled “How to Create Stunning Blog Graphics with Canva.”  How-to posts tend to be highly valued because they directly help your audience solve a problem that they’re having (or aren’t aware they’re having).  And as a bonus,  when these posts are well written (meaning that they are easy to follow and easy to implement), how-to posts help to build your position as an authority in your area of interest.

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Content that prepares your audience

Content that prepares your audience for a particular experience or event is also fairly popular.  This content is great because you get to help your audience by sharing what you’ve learned in hindsight so that they can avoid any mistakes that you made, or just to equip them with a new perspective.  Content like this is naturally a bit more personal, but only as personal as you make it.  Your readers/followers do want to know more about you, so opening up about mistakes you have made and your experiences gives your audience a sense of who you are beyond your about page and photos.  A preparatory post may sound like, “10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Our Family’s Disney Vacation” or “What No One Tells You About Life as a Vegan.”  These posts tend to get lots of shares and likes because they stir up intrigue! :)

Content that equips your audience with the best of the best

If you stick with blogging or your chosen platform long enough, you’ll get bombarded with e-mails from loyal followers asking your recommendation on products/services/strategies related to your industry.  You can help your audience right from the beginning by providing them with content that informs them of your favorite tools, products, etc.  Some examples would be, “The Hands Down Best Paleo Cook Book”, “The Best Blogging Platform”, or “The Only Book You Need as a New Entrepreneur.”  Tell your audience in your review why that item or strategy is the best of the best by including how it directly affected you and any results you experienced while using it.

Content that inspires your audience

Who doesn’t need a little motivation once in a while (ok, everyday)?  Let your audience know regularly that the problem you are helping them solve can indeed be overcome.  If you have overcome obstacles related to your industry, share them.  For example, if you’re an aspiring running coach for new runners and you want to get clients, don’t use your blog to only post the proper running technique, where to buy running shoes, and sample running schedules!  If you are open with your audience and share that there was a time when running a mile seemed like an impossible feat, you’re letting your audience know that you can actually relate to them.  And they’ll see that they too can be a seasoned runner one day.  Remember that your story is what sets you apart from others in your industry, and that should be used to your advantage.  It doesn’t mean that you’re inferior or superior to anyone else; rather, it means that you can stand out in a crowded market.  

Or, getting your audience motivated could be as simple as sharing motivational quotes from the Bible, other books, movies, leaders, etc and describing what exactly it means to you.  And if you know of someone who would inspire your audience, then that goes along with the next type of content!

Content that puts others in the limelight

If there’s someone in your area of interest (or even outside your industry!) that you really resonate with, don’t be afraid to reach out to them and tell them so!  You never know the extent of a relationship that can start from a friendly e-mail or comment.  And reaching out to your peers can also present you with an additional form of content; one that takes the load off of you a little!  If you feel that your audience would benefit from knowing about your peer(s), you can offer them a guest post/takeover on your platform, or you can interview them!  This is a great way to give yourself a breather when you still need to create content for your audience but you may be a bit burnt out or at a roadblock.  This type of content also shows your audience that you aren’t selfish.  That you don’t mind showcasing others who are making a difference and you value empowerment/encouragement over competition.

If you are more reserved and not quite comfortable with contacting other influencers directly, don’t worry!  In addition to guest posts or interviews, you can also spotlight the people you admire by creating roundups.  A roundup is a post that is like a review, only it is much briefer because you feature more than one product/blog/service, etc.  For example, if you are in the fashion industry, you might have a post like, “The Only 5 Fashion Instagrammers You Need to Follow.”  And of course, in a roundup you would want to link back to each of the people you are featuring.

Content that is up close and personal

We’ve already discussed how you can make some of the other content types more personal, but you can also create content with the primary purpose of being personal/transparent (up to your own comfort level, of course).  Some of the ways that you can include personal content on your platform may be in the form of income reports (perhaps you share with your audience how much money you earn from your platform each month or as a result of your product/service launches), your goals (maybe you share what your business or personal goals are at the beginning of each month on your platform so that your audience can help to hold you accountable), or behind-the-scenes posts (in which you post your daily schedule, what it’s like to run your business, your process for creating your up and coming course, etc).  Once again, content of this form gives your audience an idea of who you are behind your bio/about page and can help them to feel more connected to you.

Hopefully, the evaluation of these content types have helped you to think of some content that you can create for your audience!

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