- Kittens
- Babies
- Puppies
- Sunsets
- Erotica
- Nostalgia
- Food
- Comedy
What do all of these things (and many more) have in common? They all are things that grab our emotions on one level or another. Seriously, who thinks the world needs another playful and cute kitten video? I know I don’t, but I can guarantee that there will be videos and pictures shared today of kittens.
You want to grab someones attention? Hit them in the emotional epi-center of their lives.
This isn’t a new concept. It’s been around for years and years. I’m sure it’s taught in all the best schools of advertising, marketing and branding. Get someone emotionally attached to you, your products, your services and you will have greater loyalty.
When a video of police laying the boots to someone surfaces, it doesn’t matter whether the person is deserving of it. Often it doesn’t matter what the person did. Sympathy for the ‘victim’ will be great… it’s based on the emotions evoked by just the visual image.
The Boston Marathon Bombings and the events that followed had many of glued to the television and computer screens. For hours, there was no new information but we couldn’t pull away. Why? Emotions kept us sitting there, glued, transfixed.
The emotional grab can work for you or against you.
If you want your information shared, attach an emotion to it in some way. You will certainly increase your odds of shares just by doing that, but add in these two gems and you’ll be golden:
- Make it great content
- Ensure the value of the content is on the end-user / receiver
