So you're writing an article, right? You think you've come up with the perfect idea. You just know that your next article will make it to the sacred Odyssey Facebook page this time. But when your fantastic article is published, all you can do is stare in shock and maybe emit a horrified sound or two. "ONLY 17 VIEWS IN THE LAST 10 HOURS???" you ask in astonishment. Where did you go wrong? Did no one like the article that you spent two whole evenings working on?
No, it's not necessarily that people don't like what you wrote. Even if you wrote about a controversial subject, that might still not be the case--in fact, taking a stance on disputed issues is often a great way of getting more views! The real problem is that people just aren't seeing your article. So what are some ways that you can get as many views as humanly possible? Here's a couple ideas!
1. Post your article on Facebook
Be sure to post the link along with a cute or creative caption to get your friends' attention! Also, make sure that you change your privacy settings, at least for the individual post, to "Public." This makes sure that if your friends "like" your post, it will show up in their friends' newsfeed as well. You should also tag necessary pages (like Odyssey) and add as many hashtags at the end as you like!
2. Don't just post it once
That's right. Don't panic; I'm not encouraging you to double post in one day. All I'm saying is, if you resurrect some of your older articles that have done pretty well and post them again on Facebook, you might have new friends who didn't get to see those article until now! Don't be afraid of sharing an article you wrote a year ago.
3. Tweet something inspiring
Here's one place that you should go all out with hashtags. Hashtag to your heart's content! Link your article and Tweet away. And if your article is about a celebrity of any sort, please please please "@" them!
4. Post on Instagram
Don't just post the picture. You can also screenshot your article and post it as a story! Then you can see how many people viewed the story. Just be sure to link your article in your biography, and tell everyone that's where to find it. You want to make your article as easily accessible as possible!
5. Pin it
That's right! Pinterest is a prime way of getting page views. So create a board, and start pinning those articles! People really do read them! Pinterest is great because users will click on basically anything. I have over 1,000 followers on Pinterest, so I know for sure that people see my articles through there.
6. Share your article on LinkedIn
Just like Facebook, LinkedIn allows you to tag and hashtag while posting articles. I don't have many connections, but even having just 40 or 50 makes a difference! Plus, professionals might view your work as well.
7. In addition to just sharing...
Also save your articles under the "Publications" tab (under "Accomplishments") on LinkedIn! I've found that this is a great way to showcase my Odyssey writing skills to people who haven't connected with me yet. There's no better way to get to know someone than to read an article about his favorite places to eat breakfast, amirite?
8. Share your articles in your campus GroupMe
This is an easy way to get and give page views. Your fellow content creators want to see what you've been writing too! So sharing your most recent article with them ensures that you'll get more views. But don't forget to read what others have been writing! I'm sure you're not the only one looking to increase page views.
9. Snap it
Snapchat is also a good way of advertising, although it's still not possible to paste a clickable link to your article. This is good to get the word out as long as people know how to find the article online. Some of my friends who have Snapchat don't have Instagram, so it's a little useless telling them to check out my Instagram bio. Just tell them to search for your name on the Odyssey site, and it should be the most recent thing on your page!
10. Use as many hashtags as possible before you submit your article
I always tag as many things as I can think of when prompted by the Odyssey editor. I always make sure to tag things about my university like "Purdue University" or "Life at Purdue." Take key words from your article too and make them hashtags!
11. Write about recent or trending topics
Everyone felt strongly one way or the other toward Taylor Swift when she decided to bring politics into her social media. People who wrote articles about that when it was big news received more page views than people who were still focused on writing "Top 20 Taylor Swift Songs You Have To Listen To."
12. Lengthen your word count
Having 250 or 300 words won't cut it. A solid article should have at least 400 words, but I tend to try to stick as close to 800 as I possibly can. By doing this, you're making sure that Google won't assume your article is just spam.
13. Listen to you EICs and Presidents
Page views have been somewhat of a hot topic recently. Make sure you're reading emails and messages from the people in charge of your campus. A lot of times, they will give good recommendations on what to write and how to get more views.
14. Choose interesting or unique topics
I'm not interested in reading about which Disney princess I would be based on my major for the 800th time. I'm interested in seeing what people are saying about current events. Be different.
15. Pick your headers and subheaders wisely
Generally, odd numbers for listicles and interesting language usage are always sure to gain you some page views. If you're writing on a topic that is similar to the article you read last week, for goodness sake, change the title to something more interesting! Be creative. Be unique.
16. Make sure that people are sharing your article wherever you post it
Even if you have to text your mom and say, "Hey! Could you share my article on Facebook?" It encourages her to read or reread what you wrote, and now her friends and their friends can see the article!
If all else fails, keep sharing! I've found that my most popular articles have been ones that I didn't think were anything special. I'm not sure why people can't stop finding my article "7 Life Lessons Exhibited In Disney Pixar's 'Coco,'" but they can't! I get at least 15 new notifications every day for that article, and I'm pretty sure I published it 3 months ago.
If you write a profound article that doesn't seem to attract much attention, keep posting it. Find other social media platforms to post it on. Send it to your friends. If people from home ask what you've been up to, show them some of your articles! And as always, keep writing.
