Getting your message to go viral is an increasingly difficult task. Everyday the amount of quality content on the interweb grows. There are literally millions of quality blog posts, award-winning photos and laugh-out-loud funny videos uploaded every hour.
To stand out amongst the crowd you need to develop content for, as Sally Hogshead states, “for your network’s network.”. You need to develop content that compels people to share with their friends and colleagues.
A great model for developing content for your ‘network’s network’ is to follow Chip and Dan Heath’s Success Model:
1. Simple. This doesn’t mean idiotic. It means trying to simplify your message so it’s easily shared. Try to distill your message into a quick, meaningful sound-byte.
2. Unexpected. People notice what’s different. When everyone is zigging, try a zag or two.
3. Concrete. Make it real. Paint a picture for your audience.
4. Credible. Nobody wants to share a dud story with their network. Their street cred is linked with yours. Don’t expect your network to share your message if they don’t find what you say credible.
5. Emotional. Emotions are fascinating. A good smattering of emotion can help your message punch through the clutter.
6. Stories. Stories are easier to remember. They’re easier to share. We all love a good story.
Do you have other suggestions? Leave a comment and add to the list.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Annie Montgomery had a morning routine where she'd walk to the Starbucks on 12th and Romney to buy a chocolate-dipped biscotti. She'd then go to Magstef Square, break the biscotti into little bits, and throw the bits to the pigeons.
I asked her why she used chocolate biscotti. Wouldn't plain bread be cheaper? She said she didn't want to look cheap. I told her the pigeons wouldn't care. She told me that *she* would care.