If you know me, you know I love pointing the spotlight at people and orgs that are doing good in the local community or society at large.
This is especially true on social media: I may share others’ content at least as much as I share my own.
(I do have a strong sense of humility, and it feels like bragging to even type that, haha. This post's header image captures the feeling perfectly.)
So, sharing others’ work is kind of a requirement for me — when thinking about my accounts’ audiences, I want to ensure they’re not just seeing me beat the Freelance Kansas drum constantly.
All this said, it turns out that sharing others’ content is actually really good practice from a marketing point of view. You might not see global brands doing it (wish they would!), but national, regional and local brands do it a lot, and for good reasons (see below!).
Overall, sharing others' content is a great way to engage with your community and show support for other creators, as long as it's done thoughtfully and respectfully.
Some positives of sharing others’ content
The positives of sharing content far outweigh the risks. Consider the following:
Sharing builds relationships and community. Sharing content from others can help foster relationships, spark partnerships and more. It’s a very clear way to show them and your audiences that you appreciate and support their work.
You’ll enhance your credibility and authority. By sharing valuable and relevant content from trusted sources, you position yourself as someone knowledgeable in your field. This can boost your credibility and help establish you as an authority on certain topics.
Sharing keeps your feed active. Sharing content keeps your feeds fresh, especially on days when you may not have original content to post. This helps maintain engagement and keeps your audience coming back.
It expands your reach. When you share content from others, there’s a good chance they might notice and engage with your post. They might even eventually share your content with their audiences. This can expand your reach and expose you to new followers.
You can quickly diversify your content. Sharing content from different sources adds variety to your feed, which can keep your audience interested. It also allows you to cover topics or viewpoints that you might not have addressed on your own.
You’ll save time. Creating original content consistently can be time-consuming. Sharing high-quality content from others can fill in gaps, saving you time while still providing value to your audience.
Before you share others’ content, take a few seconds to think things through
Sharing others' content on your social feeds has several advantages, but make sure you think through the following before you publish!
Give credit. Please don’t be one of those “creators” who just reshares a popular or even viral video but crops or removes mention of the source. Always give proper credit to the original creator by tagging them.
This shows respect for others’ work and helps avoid any potential issues related to copyright or plagiarism. It also will reduce the chance you get called out and “ratioed.” (More on that term in another post!)
Ask yourself: Am I adding value? When sharing, try to add your own commentary, insights or thoughts. This helps make the content more engaging for your audience and reflects your unique perspective. If it’s not patently clear why you’re sharing, spell it out!
Ensure relevance. Ensure the content aligns with your brand, values or the interests of your audience. Sharing relevant content helps you stay connected with your followers and positions you as someone who shares valuable information.
This is especially important for a brand like mine – Freelance Kansas. I try as much as possible to share Kansas-related content, specifically content connected in any way to content creation, media, literacy, etc.
Check permissions. Some creators may have restrictions on how their content can be used. It’s good practice to check if the content can be shared, especially if it’s copyrighted material. Not sure? Just move on and find something else.
Seek balance and don’t share too frequently. While sharing others' content is great, balance it with your original content. Too much sharing can make your feed feel less personal and more like a repost channel.
Now: What do you share?
A good rule is to start with the organizations or topics you’re most passionate about. Find some posts or assets you like, and share a few. Be sure to gauge your audiences’ response, and go from there.
In sum, sharing content can be a powerful strategy when you approach it with a mindset of adding value, building connections and fostering community engagement.
Freelance Kansas is owned and operated by Haines Eason and is a boutique marketing agency in Lawrence, Kansas, serving the Kansas City region and beyond.
While Haines specializes in copywriting for small businesses and startups, he is also an expert when it comes to SEO, content strategy, communications, public relations and more.