Creating shareable blog posts isn’t just about writing a well-researched article. It’s about crafting content that resonates with your audience, encourages engagement, and motivates people to share. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned content marketer, understanding the anatomy of a shareable post is key to amplifying your reach and growing your brand. Time to dive into actionable blog writing tips that will help you create content that your audience can’t resist sharing.
What Makes a Blog Post Shareable?
Several factors contribute to whether a blog post gets shared. People share content for various reasons—because it’s useful, entertaining, inspiring, or emotionally moving. Let’s break down how to create blog posts that hit these key motivators.
1. Write with a Clear Audience in Mind
Start with understanding who your readers are and what they care about. Craft content that speaks directly to their needs, pain points, and interests. Posts that are laser-focused on your target audience are far more likely to be shared by that audience.
Example: Consider HubSpot’s blog as a case study. HubSpot creates posts for marketers and sales professionals, often using data-backed insights, relevant examples, and an approachable tone. Their posts on inbound marketing are widely shared because they provide actionable advice directly aligned with their readers’ goals.
Pro Tip: Leverage tools like BuzzSumo to analyze what types of content are performing best in your industry. Tailor your posts to fill content gaps.
2. Use Emotional Triggers
People are more likely to share content that evokes a strong emotional response—whether it’s joy, surprise, anger, or awe.
Incorporate storytelling and visuals that evoke emotion. Use anecdotes, humor, or personal experiences to create a human connection.
Case Study: Upworthy built its brand around creating highly shareable content by using emotionally charged headlines and content that tugged at the heartstrings. Their posts were designed to make people care, which resulted in a viral sharing effect across social media.
Pro Tip: Include multimedia elements like videos, infographics, or compelling images. Canva is a great tool for creating visuals that can enhance emotional appeal.
3. Make It Easy to Read and Skimmable
Content that’s easy to read and visually digestible is more likely to get shared. Readers often skim blog posts before deciding to share, so format your content with readability in mind.
Use headings, bullet points, short paragraphs, and bold text to break up your content. This not only improves readability but also encourages shares, as people are more likely to share content they can quickly absorb and understand.
Example: Neil Patel’s blog is a great example of this strategy. He uses bullet points, bold subheadings, and short paragraphs, making his content skimmable and visually engaging, which drives shares.
Pro Tip: Use SEO-friendly formatting by incorporating H2 and H3 headings, alt-text for images, and internal linking to boost search visibility and reader engagement.
4. Offer Practical Value
People love sharing content that provides actionable insights or solutions to their problems. Posts that deliver real value are seen as useful and are more likely to be shared.
Write how-to guides, lists, and tutorials that solve specific problems for your readers. Be detailed but concise.
Case Study: The New York Times’ cooking section saw a huge boost in shares when they started focusing on practical recipes that home cooks could easily follow. Their “no-recipe” recipes became a viral sensation because they offered value to everyday readers.
Pro Tip: Repurpose your blog post into other formats—such as infographics, social media snippets, or videos—to increase its shareability across different platforms. Tools like Lumen5 allow you to turn blog posts into engaging videos.
5. Create Compelling Headlines
Your headline is the first impression a potential reader has, and it often determines whether they’ll click on your post or keep scrolling. A compelling headline can boost your post’s chances of being shared.
Use a headline analyzer tool, like CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer, to craft headlines that are both SEO-optimized and attention-grabbing.
Example: Take BuzzFeed’s viral listicles. Their headlines often use emotional triggers, curiosity, or numbers (e.g., “10 Simple Tricks to Make Your Life Better”). The structure of their headlines makes them irresistible to click and share.
Pro Tip: Experiment with A/B testing for headlines to see which versions perform better in terms of shares and engagement.
6. Add Social Sharing Buttons
Make it as easy as possible for readers to share your content. Including social sharing buttons on your blog post allows users to share directly to their favorite platforms with just one click.
Add share buttons at the beginning, end, and even alongside your content. Ensure the buttons are highly visible, mobile-friendly, and functional for all major social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest.
Example: Buffer’s blog does an excellent job of integrating social sharing buttons. They ensure the buttons are accessible and even show how many times a post has been shared, encouraging more people to join in.
Pro Tip: Use Click-to-Tweet options for key quotes or stats in your post. This makes it easier for readers to share snippets of your content.
FAQs on Creating Shareable Blog Posts
Q: What type of content gets shared the most?
A: Content that provides practical value, evokes emotion, and is easy to read tends to get shared more often. Posts with strong storytelling elements or helpful, actionable advice also perform well.
Q: How do I make my blog post easier to share?
A: Include social sharing buttons, write compelling headlines, and format your content to be skimmable and easy to read. You can also add Click-to-Tweet links for key insights.
Q: What tools can help me create shareable content?
A: Tools like BuzzSumo (for content analysis), Canva (for visual elements), CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer (for headline optimization), and Lumen5 (for turning blog posts into videos) can help increase shareability.
Creating shareable blog posts is both an art and a science. By understanding your audience, tapping into emotional triggers, offering real value, and making your content easy to read and share, you increase your chances of reaching a wider audience. Now it’s time to implement these strategies and watch your blog posts start to spread like wildfire!

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