My Content Is More Viral Than Your Content

Use lists

Along with pictures, lists have a tendency to get views and to get shared. How many blog posts have you read that are titled "6 Ways to Increase Optimism About Fundraising at Your Nonprofit" or "4 Mistakes Every Nonprofit Is Making"? You know what I'm talking about … you read those!

Allow reaction

Let people comment freely. Reaction sparks interest. I'm on a mailing list for alumni from my school who were in my major. Someone will share something in an e-mail, and other people will respond. But sometimes an e-mail will come across that's an orphan — no one replies. Then a few days later, after I've forgotten about it, someone does. And then someone else does. And then all of a sudden I'm sick of deleting the e-mails because everyone has something to say. If it weren't for discussion, that e-mail and those ideas would have died alone. Discussion increases the likelihood that someone will pass it along.

Allow interaction

This is a trick direct-mail advertisers have known for years. If you send an ad that requires customers to "scratch 'n' win" to see what they get or pull off a sticker and put
it somewhere else, response rates increase significantly. There are lots of ways to get users to interact with your site. Have them sign a petition. Let them play a game you've created. Have them take a quick survey. Let them volunteer. The ideas are endless.

Make it shareable

I see it. I like it. I want to pass it along. You need to have buttons right there for me to share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and e-mail. Make that easy for me. And when you're working with Twitter, be sure to leave 10-12 characters at the end of your template tweet so people can retweet it. Sharing should be easy. FS