There’s a myth out there about social sharing from apps.
The common sentiment seems to be: “just slap on a share button” and like magic, your content will start making its way around the wilds of the internet. This is especially true if the target is a younger audience. Unfortunately, there is no “go viral” button.
If you want users to share content around your product, you’re going to need to consider:
- What motivates people to share? And;
- How to align your feature or content so it speaks directly to #1?
Let’s get into it.
Why People Share
We have developed enough apps to have seen the share-cycle in action, and we’ve distilled the primary motivations for sharing into four categories:
1. The Cocktail Party Effect
Motivation: to be seen as “in the know.” People who share for this reason are often positioning themselves as knowledgeable or cutting edge. They want to be the very first one in their network to share the cool new thing.
Reward: praise & validation from their peers.
Notable Cocktail Shares: the latest and greatest article on a cultural topic, newly released features on an existing product or a brand new cutting-edge one (think Google Glass when it first arrived on the scene. RIP.)
2. The Bandwagon Effect
Motivation: to participate in a viral moment. Users who share for this reason are often motivated by FOMO: they don’t want to be the only ones in their circle (either physical or virtual) who haven’t yet joined the movement.
Reward: feeling a part of a larger, like-minded, community
Notable Bandwagon Shares: the ALS ice-bucket challenge was a great example of the bandwagon effect. Being tagged to participate (and share) was a badge of honor. Political movements also capitalize on the bandwagon mentality, getting supporters to forward and share content as a means of participation in a campaign. Often there is some branded element that ties this together - a hashtag, a sticker, etc.
3. The OMG Effect
Motivation: the content has elicited such a strong, organic emotion – joy, sadness, fear, surprise – the user feels compelled to share it. Their motivation is simply that: to spread the feeling, good or bad, to others.
Reward: validation and expansion of their experience
Notable OMG Shares: the early adopters of the “Faceapp” AI aging filter were compelled to spread the word far and wide. This wasn’t just because of the novelty of the tech, but because for young people, seeing themselves in the latter half of their golden years was too delightful, terrifying, and compelling not to share.
4. The Need-to-Know Effect
Motivation: possibly the most difficult to inspire, this kind of sharing is motivated by a genuine desire to inform their network. Either to clue them in to an important cause, tap into collective wisdom, or uplift and elevate their community’s knowledge.
Reward: having an impact on friends, family, and like-minded others.
Notable Need-to-Know Shares: those looking to raise awareness on important issues, seek or offer travel recommendations, or share new results/innovations on a topic close to their heart are all examples of this kind of spontaneous (and hard to capture) sharing.
How to light the sharing fire
Instead of making assumptions about shareability, consider the primary motivations for your target audience and focus there. Do they want to be moved? Shocked? Beckoned onto a fast-moving bandwagon? Design your features and content accordingly.
Think about sparking the impulse to share, rather than just declaring something shareable and hoping for the best. After all, sharing isn’t about the button - it’s about giving users something worth pressing for.