How to Use SlideShare to Attract 650k Views of Your Content

Want to learn how to use SlideShare to get more eyeballs on your content and drive traffic to your business?

Have you considered SlideShare as a marketing tool? 

In this post, I share how to use SlideShare to attract more views of your content… 650k+ views in fact!  

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Image by Shutterstock

On this blog I often talk about visual platforms like Pinterest, or Facebook or Instragram.   But I've been holding out on you.

I have a little content marketing secret.  It's called SlideShare (or now known as LinkedIn SlideShare, and we will get to why in a moment).

With just 12 slide deck presentations and 3 infographics uploaded to SlideShare, I've had over 650k views of my content.

At the time of originally publishing this article in January 2016, the total was 454,740 views to be precise, (not counting social shares).  You can check them out here.

In just 10 months, the total had grown to 650k+ views.  

Not too shabby, considered I've only published two more pieces of content on SlideShare in that time.  Thats a LOT of organic views.

In fact, one of my presentations alone has well over 200k views and grows by about 5,000-10,000 views per month:

Not bad, right?

But I would be lying if I said I had planned it.  In fact, at first, I kind of stumbled across SlideShare's awesomeness. Fast forward to today,  I know a thing or two about what works and doesn't work on the platform.

So are you sitting up like a meerkat ready to hear about why I love SlideShare so much?… and how to use Slideshare to get more views of YOUR content?

Awesome, let's jump in and learn how to use SlideShare …. These are some of the things that have worked for me and can work for you too:

How to use SlideShare to Get More Content Views

1  Recognise how powerful SlideShare really is

I'm putting this right here because it's time we all stopped ignoring SlideShare. Let me break a few fun facts down for you:

1. LinkedIn has always loved SlideShare but now LinkedIn OWNS SlideShare.  LinkedIn therefore showcases SlideShare presentations and has a vested interest in SlideShare.  I'll let that sink in for a moment.
2. SlideShare presentations generate leads and subscribers months or even years down the track – they have longevity and are re-posted over months or even years.
3. 15% of marketers use Slideshare according to Social Media Examiner's Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Now don't get too excited.  That's actually a GOOD thing.  As Jay Baer says – “85% of marketers are missing out on a fantastic opportunity“.  And… it means that currently, you have great potential to be featured.  But I will get to that later.
4. The SlideShare team hand curate content to share on their home page as featured SlideShares and on Twitter.  They know great content and they share it.  When was the last time you saw Facebook sharing your posts or Twitter tweeting out your nuggets of gold? I have had many of my slide presentations featured as SlideShare of the Day or as a “Featured” SlideShare which definitely helps with views!  They do this less often than they used to, so I don't rely on it and the views are still awesome without it.  But it can still be a bonus if you get featured.
5. SlideShare presentations, infographics and even PDFs are all showcased visually on SlideShare.  Most people think it's all about Powerpoint but there is so much you can upload to SlideShare.  Videos are also visible on some accounts, thought it appears to be only for Keynote Authors (featured users) for now. Hopefully that will change.
6. Slide Decks stand out on Twitter and LinkedIn with eye-catching images.  It's a no brainer.
7. Posting a visual asset on SlideShare can attract a much higher reach than just about any other social platform including blogs. The minimum number of views I have seen on one of my slide decks is 13,285.  Compare that to my highest blog post share count of just over 6k and I might have your attention. It's pretty crazy when you consider that social shares happen on TOP of SlideShare views.   I have had up to 169k views and many counts of 17k, 23k, 28k, 68k views on SlideShare… have you assumed the meerkat position yet?

I repeat the words of Jay Baer:

One thing is for sure – there are few platforms that help you be seen as an expert authority like SlideShare can.  It really comes down to this:

2  Know Your Message

This might seem like advice you have heard before but it's important with SlideShare that you don't cram too much into your presentation.

Focus on one key topic, one takeaway….one theme.

I have focused on one key topic in most of our my decks, such as this one about getting started on Periscope:

The best place to start is to look at the unique knowledge you have and the content that your audience needs and wants – what problem can you solve, what can you teach, what are they searching for information on, what are the FAQs they ask?  Turn it into a SlideShare!

SlideShare is one of the BEST platforms for establishing yourself as an expert authority using content. Consider it, and when you do, here are a few more tips for getting your visual content noticed on SlideShare:

3  Have a Great Hook

It is great to have a key message, but a hook will draw us in. When I hear the hook in this title, I want to know… what would Steve do?

And I want to know why my Powerpoint sucks!

FYI, Jesse's deck is hands down one of my favourites and you can learn a lot from it!

So what's the hook? In many of these cases, it's a great title and/or great images that draw us in, catch our attention and make us want to view the Slide Deck.

Your aim is to:

(a) have us click and start viewing the slide deck

(b) have us unable to turn away from each page … clicking through to the end.

It's about hooking us in to start viewing and then hooking us at each page to keep viewing.

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4  Have a Clear Call to Action

Let's look at how to use SlideShare with a call to action.

It's important to have a clear goal.  Why? Because SlideShare users are action takers.  They like, share, comment and most of all.. click through.

Be clear about what you want them to do and where you want them to go. And think about the landing content when they arrive – what will it be and how will it “wow” them.

I have a personal preference to drive traffic back to my blog or website at all times.  It's where fans become visitors and subscribers.

SlideShare loves to send Subscribers – I don't know what is in the water over there at SlideShare but SlideShare users seem to be primed and ready to subscribe at all times. If you ask them to do something – like subscribe – they often do it!

But you need a clear call to action to make SlideShare work for you!  As soon as your SlideShare is uploaded, embed it on a relevant blog post.

If your blog post is an extension of the slide deck, then even better.  You can then create a call to action for people to click through from the slide deck for more content on your blog post.

Here is an example in our slide deck about marketing for webinars:

We created a simple Call to Action slide and placed it inside the slide deck twice, asking: “Want more SECRETS for a PACKED House at your webinar or live event?”

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We used a simple call to action to (a) have people click through…

Now that they are already committed to finding out by clicking, the next slide makes it more irresistible if you want tips for promoting your event.the next slide gives the call to action “Read More here and Grab Your Cheatsheet”.  It entices people to click through (Who doesn't want a backstage pass, right?).

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.. and (b) then click again to find out more and download the cheatsheet!

This is the blog post they arrived at – it gives way more detail, visual examples, and a cheat sheet. It was packed full of content for people running live or online events.

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This also works in reverse.

I then embedded the SlideShare presentation into the blog post. Now you can discover the SlideShare presentation right on the blog post.  Not everybody comes to my blog from SlideShare.

You can actually play the slide presentation from right within the blog and notice how I added the cheat sheet too?

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These people are warm” – they come to your blog post, already interested in the content and have already viewed the SlideShare – it's the best time to give them a free download or lead magnet for more content.

They are primed to become a subscriber and it's all based on valuable content!

It all results in more views… of your slide deck on SlideShare AND of your blog post and your core content.  #Winning!

Use these steps:

1. Create an awesome slide deck based on the tips in this post!
2. Add an Call to Action on the Slide Deck to click through to the Blog Post for more content or a free download.
3. Provide more value on the blog post or landing content when they click through – either via the blog post or via a further free download.
4. Provide more value after they download any free content or subscribe for updates.

It doesn't have to be fancy. Here is a simple Call to Action from Constant Contact to subscribe to their newsletter list:

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Or in this example, we had banner ads in the blog post to drive registrations to a webinar:

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One thing is for sure, you have so many options to provide a call to action, don't miss it!

Note: You can also get leads from SlideShare using their integrated form with a paid account.  It integrates with sites like Marketo and HubSpot.  Personally I like to drive traffic to my blog and let people subscribe there!

HOT TIPS:

1. Keep your calls to action up high and away from the Navigation buttons
2. You can't add a call to action in the first 3 slides (but that's actually a good thing!).

5  Leverage Tools

SlideShare actually has a really handy Creators Hub that you can access – it includes tips and tricks for getting started with your first slide deck. They also have an integration with Haiku Deck so you can create slide decks from within SlideShare itself.

I also use Canva to create Slide Presentations – they have great templates and it's a great way to create your first slide presentation.

It's not within your reach to create quality slide decks, but let me remind you of something…You might be thinking that I use a designer – some of my slide decks were produced by my slide team and some were not – they were produced by me from right inside Canva such as this one and this one.

And if you are still not feeling creative, you can fall back on the creative skills of Canva and Haiku Deck templates… it's easier than ever to create a slide deck that catches attention and gets shared on SlideShare.

You just have to leverage the tools!

6  Tap into SlideShare's Knowledge

SlideShare provide some of the best resources to help you do well on their platform. Go straight to the source.

Slideshare have great presentations such as this one:  What to Upload: Ideas that will Turn Heads and Get Views – inside, this deck shows you all sorts of different types of presentations (from how-to guides, to lists to recipes and lists) to create slide decks about.

There's also a Tips and Tricks section in the Creator's Hub that includes loads of information about how to be successful on SlideShare (for design and promotion).

7  Promote the Heck out of your Slide Deck

If you can (if possible) embed it into a piece of content on your blog that expands on the content of the slides.

And as soon as a slide deck gets published, take to social media to promote it.  I share on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and of course LinkedIn.  Plan to share it out regularly over the next few days and the next few weeks.

The best part about SlideShare is that often after you do your initial promotion, the slide decks keep getting shared by the SlideShare community. If someone likes it, their “like” will increase your chances of being featured as a slide deck that is “Trending in Your Network” to others.

And remember to share directly to Twitter from Slideshare at least a few times too. Then the SlideShare team can get notified of your slide presentation, as it will add @SlideShare to the tweet.

HOT TIP:  Keep an eye on the Upload Campaigns on SlideShare. There are monthly themes that SlideShare focuses on and if you can match your content up with one of these themes, then you have more chance of being featured. For example it might be “startups” and “recipes” one month, another month might be “the future of” and “blogging'.

8  Repurpose Your Content

If you think you have nothing to post on SlideShare, I can guarantee you do!

There are many places that you will have content waiting to be repurposed for SlideShare. Here are a few:

1. Look back over your proven blog content – can you summarize the blog, give some tips from the post?
2. Can you take an image series you have done and turn it into a SlideShare presentation?
3. Do you have video or podcast content that you can pull out and turn into a slide deck?

Think in terms of numbered lists, how-to content, industry reports and thought leadership, quotes, expert tips, life hacks – what content do you have that is sitting there ready to go?

Be Creative but be smart!  Take your hard work and use what you have already done… you don't have to produce a 57 slide deck to start with… even 5-10 sllides can tell a story. Start simple and go from there!

9 Understand the nuances of SlideShare

There's no presenter on SlideShare. We don't get all the extra cues from having someone presenting, their voice and their body language … which means we lose context.

With this in mind, avoid uploading a live presentation slides into a SlideShare without editing the slides a little.

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Remember… you are not in SlideShare presenting. Add context!

Remember we can't read minds so be “obvious” about the content on SlideShare.

And… tease us. Tease us to click through. Try to tailor each page in your slide deck interesting enough to make us want to click through.

The hallmark of a great presentations is one that makes us want to keep clicking. Mark Schaefer does it particularly well (with a good dose of humour) in this presentation:

And remember to cut back on dot points – pull your content back to just the essentials and keep each slide to just one or two key points.

When I created this slide deck, it was taken from a presentation I did for a Visual Social Media Summit. The entire presentation had to be repurposed for SlideShare with filler slides and calls to action. Slides that had no text before needed text.  It was repurposed specifically for YOU as you watch the slide deck without the added context of me speaking to the slides:

I love this next quote from Pat Flynn as it reminds us to be creative – use images instead of bullet points, minimise your bullet points, or (preferably) don't have any at all!).  Take us on a journey, but leave the bullet points at home!

Here's to more SlideShare presentations (and hopefully less bullet points!)

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Image by Shutterstock

My Challenge to You

I hope this post gives you a clearer understanding of how to use SlideShare and that you will give SlideShare a try!  

If you are not sure, then do something simple – a short Slide Deck from repurposed content is an easy way to start – or use some of the ideas mentioned by SlideShare above. 

Tell me in the comments below – have you tried SlideShare? Will you try it now?

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Donna Moritz

Visual Social Media Strategist at Socially Sorted

Donna is a Visual Content Strategist and founder of Socially Sorted, listed by Forbes as a "Top 5 Social Media Blog You Need to Know About". Donna helps brands leverage the power of visual storytelling and content strategy in their business. Her content has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Inc. & Entrepreneur and she is a speaker and trainer on visual content for the marketing and tourism industries internationally.

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