Why Do People Share Content?

Two reasons people might share things are that they are interesting and that they are useful. Emotions also play into why people share items. When you have something in common with the host it can boost the chance of us sharing the content.

Emotions such as laughter or anger. Marketing messages tend to focus on information. But many times information is not enough. They need something more. And that is where emotion comes in. Rather than harping on features or facts, we need to focus on feelings; the underlying emotions that motivate people to action.

In the book Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonan Berger they mention six principles of social currency:

1. Social Currency: How does it make people look to talk about a product or idea?
2. Triggers: Peanut butter makes us think of jelly. If our content can harness trigger emotions, or tie into an environment.
3. Emotion: Some emotions increate sharing and others decrease it. In some cases, negative emotions can be useful.
4. Public: Making our ideas more public.
5. Practical Value: If your podcast helps people, people love to be helpful and spread the word.
6. Stories: People don't just share information and facts, they tell stories.

People prefer sharing things that make them seem entertaining rather than boring, clever rather than dumb, and hip rather than dull.

My audience member said she groups these into four categories:

• Helpful
• Social
• Reciprosity
• Ego

What Was The Last Thing You Shared and Why?

Adrea from the Talk about Talk Podcast

Steve Stewart gives some strategies of how he using sharing to grow your social media following to promote and upcoming event.

Steph Fuccio shared the Smarty Pants Podcast

New Media Show had some breaking news about Pandora

Tom Tinker Taylor Soldier Sponge Productions shared Shufflecasts cause it made him laugh

Paul from the Fighting Through Podcast (WWII) shared a photograph of the Queen Mary to his audience that had been updated to be in color.

Sarah Mikutel shared Food Heroes

Erik K John shared the School of Podcasting and the Audacity to Podcast as people wanted things a bit more technical than he was comfortable talking about.

September Question of the Month

How do you decide what's worth spending money on for your podcast? We all obviously have different budgets and needs but what's essential vs what do we aspire to have or use?

Go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/question

Mentioned On This Episode

vacuumpodcast.com

Podcast Review Show (prices going up)

Mentioned in this episode:

2025 Audience Survey

I Want Your Opinion

I am doing an audience survey and I want your input to help me make this show exactly what you want. If you have a few minutes, I have a quick survey at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/survey25

2025 Audience Survey