5 Tips for Promoting Your Publication’s Content on Social Media

Let’s say your organization has invested in content creation, and you have a stellar magazine website, content hub or blog. That’s great, but how do you reach your target audience and drive traffic to all the awesome content on your site? A good strategy for promoting your publication is multifaceted and likely includes social media. Here are five tips for sharing your publication’s content on social channels.

1. Share content regularly.

One of the first rules of social media is to be consistent with your posting. Try to keep a steady stream of content flowing, even if that includes resurfacing old — but still relevant — content. Posting content to social media on a regular basis will drive traffic to your site and is good for SEO. Mequoda Publishing Network found that when an article hasn’t been promoted in more than a year, it begins to slip in search results. If your organization’s social channels already have a jam-packed posting schedule or don’t quite match the tone or audience of your publication, consider creating an account just for your content brand.

2. Keep your platforms and audiences in mind.

Each social channel has a different purpose and audience, so be mindful that your content may not be right for sharing on every platform. While Twitter is the go-to network to share snippets about news and trending topics, LinkedIn is the place to showcase thought leadership since it caters to a professional audience. Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok are all about eye-catching visuals, and Facebook lies somewhere in the middle of all of these.

Once you’ve identified that your publication’s content is right for a given platform, make sure your desired audience is there — and engaged. (Sprout Social has a great article about demographics and usage for various channels.) Then, it’s time to tailor your message and post your content.

3. Don’t forget hashtags.

Hashtags are a great way to gain more views, likes and shares because they make your content discoverable by people who are interested in that particular topic. When writing hashtags, short, sweet and specific is generally better. Also be sure to make your hashtags accessible by capitalizing the first letter of each word. This makes it easier for screen readers to read the hashtag as intended.

4. Employ grassroots sharing methods.

Ask writers, contributors and those featured in your articles to promote your publication with their own social media networks. You can even provide suggested verbiage or toolkits to make it as easy as possible for them. This is a nice way to subtly promote your publication and brand, and gain new followers and audiences organically.

5. Plan ahead.

Don’t let social media sharing be an afterthought. Make it part of the content creation process, and prepare post ideas for all relevant channels ahead of time. It’s more efficient that way, and you’ll always have a steady stream of content ready to go.

That being said, don’t be too rigid with your plan. Take advantage of current trends whenever possible and join the conversation when your content relates.

Want more channel-specific tips? Check out our post on developing a solid Instagram strategy, and don’t miss our social media trend report.