How to increase your article’s reach with social media

Social media can be a powerful tool to increase the reach of your NewsBreak articles. Whether you have already built up a strong following or are simply starting to scratch the surface, these tips can help you get the most out of your social media efforts.

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Share broadly but optimize for the specific platform

With numerous social media platforms out there, you may benefit from building out a community on more than one. We definitely encourage you to share across all of your favorite channels; however, take care to craft the best message for each. For instance, you should not share a link to your story directly in an Instagram caption because followers cannot click it. Instead, you should add it to the link in your bio (or better yet, create a dashboard with multiple links via a tool like Linktree) so that people can find your article on NewsBreak. Other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn do allow for links directly in your post.

Craft compelling copy that’s free of clickbait

Make it clear in the caption of your social media post what the article is about. You hopefully wrote the story because it’s local, newsworthy and interesting, so make sure those points get across to your followers. “Oil truck crash closes I-95 amid rush hour traffic” is a better caption than “You’ll never believe what happened on I-95 today!”

Add eye-catching photos to draw user’s attention

Photos are a great way to capture the attention of anyone that comes across your post. With so much content added to social platforms every minute, a photo can be the one thing to help you break through the noise. Original photos are great; however, if you don’t have one on hand, you can find royalty-free images on a website like Unsplash or Pexels. Read more on photo sourcing and how to give credit here.

Set aside time to engage and tag other handles for sharing

Success on social media requires both give and take, so ensure you’re devoting time to engage with others including your followers, fellow contributors, and local tastemakers. Many social algorithms can detect when you’re logging on only to share content without spreading the love, so this step is crucial.

It’s also important to tag the people and places featured in the article that you’re sharing. You’re encouraged to send them a follow-up email to let them know that the article is live and empower them to share the story on their own social media channels, as well. This will help expand your reach to a new audience of readers that may not already be following you.

What other tips do you have for sharing your articles across social media? Comment below and let us know. Follow NewsBreak on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more tips and highlights from our Contributor Network.