Repost: How to Motivate People to Share Your Content
A repost is when people distribute someone else’s content to their audience on social media. Sharing can be done on their profile, in stories, or even in private messages.
Reposted on Elon Musk's Twitter page (X)
Why reposts are important for your business
With reposts, users can quickly and easily promote content among their friends and followers—usually, all it takes is the press of a button. Brands often use this feature to popularize their products and services.
Here’s how reposting content benefits companies:
Increased reach. The more users share your post, the higher its ranking in the eyes of social media algorithms. A higher ranking means more new people will see your content.
Imagine you published a post about marketing automation. It resonated with your audience, generating many likes and shares. The algorithms note this activity and begin showing your content to people who aren’t following you yet but might be interested in the topic. New potential customers visit your page.
Posts that people eagerly share often contain valuable information—guides, infographics, or instructions.
Reposts reflect the true value of content. When information is genuinely engaging, people feel compelled to share it with others. This could be a public repost, a private message, or sharing within closed groups. Curated lists are often shared—such as collections of products, movies, articles, and more. Popular examples include "books everyone should read" collections, where people repost to showcase their literary taste to their followers.
Spend less on promotion. Reposts drive organic growth. They help you grow your community naturally without investing large sums in paid advertising. Every user who shares your content becomes a free promoter of your brand.
More people will learn about you. Reposts are the best way to turn your content viral. Each repost represents a new reader who can become your follower and eventually a customer. When people actively share your information, it means that it is truly valuable and interesting. This, in turn, attracts even more new people to your community.
How to create content people will want to repost
You can’t guarantee that every post will go viral. However, there are strategies that can significantly improve your chances of running a successful campaign.
Step 1. To create viral content, start with careful planning. First, define a clear goal: do you want to gain more followers or simply increase views on your video? Next, analyze your audience: where do they spend their time online, what kind of content do they enjoy, what do they share, and what do they comment on? This information will help you choose the right platform and content format (e.g., images or text).
Study successful examples of viral content from your competitors. Try to understand what made their posts popular, and create something even more impressive. Copying is, of course, not advisable, but you can use their material as inspiration and a foundation for your own ideas.
Step 2. Add originality. Viral content should be unique, different from others. It surprises and goes beyond expectations. For example, Wendy's Twitter account stands out with its sarcastic posts.
Wendy’s reaction to a post
The key here is to use appropriate humor. For example, take a post from the American bank Chase: it humorously suggested that people don’t have money because they spend it on coffee shops, restaurants, and taxis. This tweet sparked outrage among many readers.
Step 3. Capture your audience’s attention. Develop a strong concept—this is the key element that makes people stop and pay attention to your content. Create a unique selling proposition (USP) to stand out.
To learn more about unique selling propositions, check out the article "Unique Selling Proposition (USP): What it is, Types, Tips on How to Formulate It, and Real Examples."
A good concept should:
Convey a clear message.
Appeal to your target audience.
Encourage users to interact further with your content: prompting them to repost or leave comments.
Think of your concept as bait. It captures the audience’s attention and motivates them to take a desired action, such as visiting your website or subscribing.
The type of "bait" depends on the content format. For example, videos require an impactful start and a memorable thumbnail, longreads need an engaging headline, and images benefit from interesting captions.
Avoid overloading your concept with unnecessary details. Stay true to your brand’s tone, and if you’re using visual content, ensure it aligns with your company’s style.
Study your audience’s interests.
Keep an eye on current events to create content that resonates with your target audience and sparks their interest.
Step 4. Add visuals. For a viral campaign, visuals are essential. What would you be more likely to share on social media: a text-heavy article or a vibrant image? Chances are, you’d choose the image. Visual content is easier to digest and more appealing.
It’s not just about sharing useful information — you also need to entertain your audience. Therefore, hiring a designer to ensure your materials look truly professional is a worthwhile investment. Additionally, it’s important to include your logo on images to enhance brand recognition.
Step 5. Plan how to promote your content. While some posts go viral by chance, it’s unwise to rely on luck. To increase your chances of success, develop a strategy to promote your content.
Start by revisiting your goal. Is it reaching a million views, promoting a new product, or strengthening your brand image? This objective should guide your efforts.
Next, determine where your audience is. Do they enjoy short videos on TikTok, or do they prefer serious content on LinkedIn? The answer to this question will help you choose the right platforms for promotion.
Finally, consider your budget. Are you willing to invest in paid advertising, or will you rely on free promotion methods?
Of course, spending money on promotion isn’t always necessary — it’s not guaranteed to pay off. However, if you face strong competition, paid promotion can be beneficial.
Step 6. Analyze the results. Pay attention to your audience’s reactions. Monitor statistics and comments to identify what resonates most with your followers. You can also gather feedback by conducting a poll in your stories or encouraging people to leave comments.
Ask them what they like, what annoys them, what concerns them, and how you can improve your posts.
How to create viral content: methods
Below, we’ll look at the types of content you can use to go viral.
Cards. This content format is highly shareable. Users enjoy sharing cards on their social media, saving them for future use, or sending them to friends. With their attractive design and concise presentation of information, cards are easy to remember and spread quickly.
Repost contests. The concept is simple: users like and repost a post for a chance to win a prize. To boost engagement, you can add additional conditions, such as pinning the post, tagging friends, or sharing it in stories. However, keep in mind that this spike in activity is often short-lived. After the contest ends, users may delete their reposts. To maintain audience interest, it’s essential to consistently publish fresh and high-quality content.
Memes. You can use well-known meme templates to create fun and memorable content. The key is to ensure the meme evokes emotions and encourages readers to share it.
Short videos. Popularized by TikTok, short videos quickly gained traction. Reels and VK clips are excellent examples of this format. They can be used for a variety of purposes, from tutorials to humorous content.
How to use video marketing effectively? Read the article “Video Marketing for Brand Promotion: Examples of Best Practices.”
Daily helpful recommendations. These include selections of books, movies, recipes, and life hacks that people enjoy saving and sharing with others.
How to analyze reposts
Track which posts users most frequently share with their friends. This will help you understand what genuinely interests them and adjust your content plan accordingly. A systematic approach like this can help you identify trends, generate new ideas, and make data-driven decisions. However, this method has its drawbacks, including being labor-intensive and requiring constant updates.
You can also monitor the links you include in posts. A tool like LinkTrackr can help you determine how many people clicked and visited your website.
Conclusion
So, what is a repost? It’s not just a “share” button; it’s a powerful marketing tool capable of significantly boosting reach and increasing brand awareness.
By tracking the popularity of your posts, you’ll gain a better understanding of your audience’s interests and preferences. This allows you to create more relevant and engaging content.
By analyzing how your reposts spread, you can optimize advertising campaigns, target the most engaged audience, and ultimately increase sales or grow your follower base.