Are you here to create engaging content for social media?
Here’s a hard-to-swallow pill:
The digital space is crowded.
You’re up against millions of content each day: social media updates, breaking news, viral videos — the list goes on.
So, how do you cut through the content noise and create engaging content for social media?
By reading this post, you will learn to make
- better content
- videos
- infographics
- roundups
- social media posts such as memes
Read on as we drill down into five formulas for creating engaging content assets that your readers will love.
Get ready to create engaging content for social media.
5 Formulas to Creating Engaging Content for Social Media
1. Skyscraper Content
Many marketers rely on building Skyscraper content to build backlinks.
If this technique sounds new to you, you’ve been missing out.
Put simply, the aim of Skyscraper content is to create and promote a better version of existing content. You’ll then use your revamped content to steal links from the original source.
In other words, creating Skyscraper content can benefit you in five ways:
- Make it easier to come up with new topics
- Build your authority by producing content readers love
- Steal backlinks from competitors
- Improve your search engine rankings
- Generate referral and organic search traffic
Sounds interesting?
Here’s a three-step guide:
Look for powerful content
In simple terms, powerful content delivers actual value to readers. It’s a high-quality, relevant, and insightful piece that people will actually read from start to finish.
This is the kind of content SEO experts would call a “linkable asset.”
The trick to finding this asset is simple: look for a piece that has already generated tons of backlinks.
A tool like Ahrefs can make your search much easier.
First, look for a popular website in your industry — one that you’d consider a “top competitor.”
Then, just pop it into Ahrefs and scan its top pages.
Be sure to look at the “RD” metric when picking the content to replicate. This stands for “Referring Domains,” which is the number of unique domains that link to the content.
Just remember to check if the page is an actual blog post — not something generic like “About” or “Contact.” Of course, you should also consider if the topic is something your audience actually wants to read.
Write something better
Step number two is to take that existing content to a whole new level.
Create a longer and more thorough version by including more actionable insights to make the content meatier.
For example, let’s say you found a linkable asset called “30 Diet Tips for Belly Fat Loss.”
If possible, your Skyscraper content should include 50 diet tips or more to make it visibly and objectively better.
It wouldn’t be a breeze, but time spent creating an improved version of an existing post definitely pays off.
Another thing you can try is to spruce up old content by updating data and throwing in more visuals. Also, you can focus on the on-page side of SEO and target more related keywords.
Related Reading: The 9 Best Free Backlink Builder Secrets [in 2021]
Promote to link sources
The final step in the Skyscraper Technique is email outreach.
Take note, though, that you don’t just reach out to anybody when promoting your content.
To make your Skyscraper strategy work, target site owners who already linked to the original content.
You can use Ahrefs or a similar platform to quickly reveal the original content’s link sources:
When qualifying prospects, here are three things you should consider:
- Their website is within your niche.
- They find your topic interesting.
- They are linking to websites similar to yours.
In your email, mention that you came across their page, which linked to the content you enhanced. Mention that article and state that you’ve created a more complete and up-to-date version.
Drop the link to your skyscraper content, and ask them to check it out and see whether your piece is worth linking to.
For your reference, here’s an email template you can borrow inspiration from:
Note that if you want to outperform the original content, you need to reach out to more people. So, step up your email outreach game and be sure to send only handcrafted messages.
2. Video tutorials
Nowadays, people go to YouTube when they want to fix problems, try a new product, or search for alternatives.
That’s because video tutorials make it easier to convey technical information.
Of course, a well-made video is also more entertaining than reading a plain, text-based post.
To prove my point, here’s a video tutorial explaining how to make video tutorials:
Not in the mood to watch a seven-minute video?
Below are the key takeaways from the video above:
- Get to know your audience — Understanding your audience will help you come up with video ideas they’ll love. Create a persona, and take into consideration their pain points, motivations, and goals.
- Build a storyboard — Create a storyboard to visualize your video idea. Quick sketches and simple screenshots work fine as long as they reflect what you plan to show your viewers.
- Write a script — Since you’re working on a video tutorial, write your script as if you’re walking your friend through the process. Use simple, clear, and concise language, and avoid hifalutin words and jargon.
- Show and don’t tell — There’s no need to narrate every single thing you do during the tutorial. Let the video speak for itself and just explain the “whys” behind every action.
- Ask for someone’s feedback — Look for someone who can provide you with honest criticism. This will help find improvement opportunities you wouldn’t spot yourself.
Once you’re happy with your script, it’s time to record your video.
First and foremost, get a decent microphone. Even the cheap products should be better than the one built into your laptop.
To record your video, consider investing in tools like Camtasia by TechSmith.
Camtasia includes everything you need to build video tutorials from scratch, like screen recording, webcam capture, video editing, and more. It also comes with a bunch of templates and royalty-free music you can use in your video.
Now, most people will find a professional video editor helpful during the polishing process. But if you want to do it yourself, e-learning platforms like Skillshare are your best bet.
Skillshare offers free classes for professionals, creatives, and entrepreneurs who want to develop a new skill or enhance existing ones.
You can browse through their list of free video editing classes to get an idea of what to expect. Spoiler alert: they have big-name influencers like Marques Brownlee on board.
3. Infographics
Statistics, charts, and in-depth data are best presented as visualizations.
What typically looks like boring information, such as a timeline and rows of numbers, can be more eye-catching.
The best part is, you don’t even need to hire a professional graphic designer to build infographics.
Let me walk you through the steps solo bloggers utilize infographics in their content strategy:
Get ideas from infographic templates
With tools like Canva and Visme, anyone can whip up a professional-looking infographic in minutes.
Both have a drag-and-drop interface you can use to piece together a stellar visual — no degree required.
But for absolute beginners, their most important feature is perhaps the collection of customizable templates.
These will shave off a ton of time from your design process. Just pick one that catches your attention, make a few tweaks, and plug in the information you want to share.
Build a blog post around your infographic
Infographics are great for sharing on websites like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest.
But, for your own website, you need to supplement it with a full-length blog post.
You need to write something that fleshes out all the main points you’ve made in your infographic. This way, you can capitalize on the interest and clicks you’ve generated.
Of course, you can do it the other way around and build an infographic from existing content. Start with your top pages to maximize your infographic’s exposure and the likelihood of getting shared on social media.
4. Massive statistics roundup
Providing statistical data is a great way to build credibility for your business, brand, or blog.
They can also help you attract backlinks from other websites that need to provide their audience with data-driven information.
Most importantly, anyone can easily create a massive list of statistics.
Here are the steps:
Identify your topic and look for sources
As always, you must first decide the topic you want to compile statistics for. You can then use Google to start looking for relevant stats you can include.
Remember, there’s no point in listing down outdated stats unless there are no new findings that invalidate them. As such, make sure you’re looking at recent compilations only.
For example, if you want a list of eCommerce statistics, you can run a query like: “eCommerce statistics 2021.”
During this step, look for the top posts with the highest number of statistics. This should help you breeze through the research phase of this strategy.
Write a bigger list of stats
The next step is to make sure you have enough data to create the biggest list of stats available.
If another blog listed 100 stats, publish a piece with 120 stats or more. This should immediately tell readers that your content offers way more value than the competition.
Just don’t forget: statistics need to be factual and relevant to your topic.
Use data visualizations
Want a surefire way to spice up your statistics roundup?
Easy: use data visualizations.
Again, you can use drag-and-drop design tools to turn boring data into brilliant graphics.
With the prebuilt templates, it’ll only take a few minutes for you to put together a professional-looking visual.
Promote stats to websites that linked to original sources
Here’s a little bonus tip:
After building your statistics roundup, promote the piece to the websites that linked to the original data sources.
Technically, a roundup based on a bunch of other roundups is a type of Skyscraper content. If your piece is objectively better, website owners have a compelling reason to link to you instead.
5. Meme posts
Meme posts offer a fun way to engage your audience on social media.
If you’ve been living under a rock, memes are static pictures or animated GIFs representing a certain phenomenon or theme.
Done right, meme posts can help you attract traffic and generate social media engagement. They can also help make any piece of content much more shareable.
Here’s how you can engage your readers using memes:
Look for memes that exaggerate an emotion
An easy, repeatable way to use memes is to exaggerate the emotion you want your audience to empathize with.
For example, if you’re sharing about something sad or disappointing, the “Crying Jordan” meme would be an excellent choice.
Wouldn’t you agree this meme is engaging content for social media?
You can easily create memes with tools like Meme Generator by Imgflip. Just search for a meme template, edit the words, and save your meme.
Create social media post
Next, create a social media post using your meme and top it off with a witty caption.
The key here is to listen to your audience.
Pay attention to how they communicate on social media and ask yourself:
- What are the challenges they face on a daily basis?
- What are the questions they normally ask brands like you?
- Is there anything trendy in your niche that’s driving people crazy?
- What are the common mistakes in your industry?
- Do you have anything special to offer?
For your reference, here’s how brands like HostGator use memes to generate engagement on Facebook :
Looks fun, right?
Since memes are engaging content for social media sites, they have potential to go viral.
Whatever you do, avoid posting anything that may offend or alienate certain people. Trust me — no amount of traffic is worth an ounce of controversy.
Link to a relevant page
Finally, don’t forget to include a CTA with a link to a relevant page.
Remember, a meme’s job is to increase engagement and build interest in your brand.
What you do from there is entirely up to you.
A good strategy is to link to an informative guide related to your meme’s topic. For example, if your meme is about the problems of having a slow website, link to your speed optimization guide.
Related Reading: Best I Can Do Meme: How to Make the Best Memes in 2021
How to Create Engaging Content for Social Media Frequently Asked Questions
There are many types of content you can create for social media. For instance, you can put infographics, videos, and memes on social media.
How do you make content engaging?
Making engaging content for social media is easy with the power of memes. They are so engaging that they have the power to go viral.
Wrapping Up: How to Create Engaging Content for Social Media
Producing engaging content takes time, patience, and hard work.
Most importantly, it requires winning content ideas.
By reading this post, you discovered how to make engaging content for social media platforms and your website.
With the formulas above, you’re well on your way to publishing engaging content for social media left and right. Just focus on one strategy at a time to find out what works for you.
Good luck!
Readers, please share so social media marketers discover how to create engaging content for social media.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Do you have additional strategies to make engaging content for social media?
Author Bio:
Catherine loves learning and is passionate about personal and professional development. She is the founder of Upskillwise and spends much of her time researching new skills and reviewing online courses. When she is not sitting at her desk, you can find her on her yoga mat which is always the place she feels most inspired. You can follow her @upskillwise.
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