S – Shareability: What Makes Your Content Travel (Without a Paid Boost)
If it’s not being shared, it’s not being remembered
If it’s not being shared, it’s not being remembered.
You don’t need a big budget, a brand team, or a social media manager to create momentum.
You just need to build something that people can’t help but pass along.
That’s the final piece in the SIGNALS Framework:
Shareability.
Because great content doesn’t just get clicks—it gets quoted, saved, linked, and shared by others who matter in your world.
(psst… you’ll wanna save this one for future reference via the three dot button (…) in the upper right corner of this post ☝️)
🤔 So what does shareability really mean?
It's when:
Another Substack writer drops a link to your piece in their issue
Someone tweets a line from your post and says “this hit”
A creator on LinkedIn or Threads reshapes your idea and tags you
A podcast host riffs on your framework
And a whole lot of other ways your work can be distributed by others.
That’s organic spread. No ad budget. No begging. Just ideas that travel.
🔍 How to Make Your Content Shareable (Even with Zero Followers)
1. Punchlines > Paragraphs
People don’t share your whole article—they share that one line they couldn’t stop thinking about.
That one sticky phrase that lands like a truth bomb:
“You don’t need better content. You need content people can’t wait to forward.”
“TOFU-MOFU-BOFU isn’t a funnel. It’s a fantasy marketers made up to feel in control.”
“Write for search, sure. But write for screenshots too.”
🔁 If someone can’t quote you, they won’t remember you.
2. Tools Over Takes
You can have a spicy opinion. Or… you can give people something they can use today.
That’s what gets bookmarked, forwarded, and added to someone’s workflow:
A Notion template
A swipe file
A Google Doc framework
A re-usable prompt list
People might thank you for a great take.
They’ll share you for giving them a shortcut.
Grab the free swipe file: The Shareable Content Builder; A plug-and-play doc to help you create content that gets quoted, saved, and passed along.
3. Visuals That Explain, Not Decorate
You don’t need fancy design chops. A simple sketch or screenshot will do.
The goal? Help people see the idea—not just read it.
A hand-drawn framework
A “before / after” table
A 3-step system in a box
If it could live on someone’s desktop, it could live in someone else’s newsletter.
(Psst… hey, “right click” and “Save As Image” if you want to save this mindmap.)
4. Format for Frictionless Forwarding
Your content shouldn’t just be helpful—it should be easy to pass along.
Short sections
Headline-style takeaways
Clear formatting and spacing
Make it easy for readers to copy, screenshot, or link your work.
The fewer the clicks, the farther it goes.
🧠 Why It Spreads (Even Without a Big Audience)
You’re tapping into two human instincts:
Social Currency
People love sharing things that make them look smart, generous, or ahead of the curve.Cognitive Ease
The easier it is to understand and repeat, the more it spreads. That’s science. (Thanks, Kahneman.)
🧪 Final Gut Check Before You Hit Publish
Ask yourself:
“If I shared this with a fellow creator or newsletter reader I respect… would they thank me, or scroll past it?”
If it’s not a “hell yes,” trim the fat. Add the line. Build the tool. Find the beat.
🎯 Closing Thought
Your best ideas shouldn’t just live in your blog.
They should be whispered in DMs, embedded in newsletters, and screenshotted into group chats.
You don’t need virality. You just need relatability + repeatability.
That’s what makes your signal travel.
