Time and again, I read a post on a writer’s site (or some other interesting blog) and want to share the information with my own readers and/or friends. And, time and again, I discover the blogger hasn’t provided any sharing facilities. That makes it awkward to share, so I often don’t bother. And, yet, it is so simple to provide share buttons on your site. Have a look at the foot of this post to see what I mean. Those buttons are dead simple to use and allow readers to share your post across multiple platforms. That means your more visitors are directed to your site, your name gets known by more people, and you have the opportunity to gain new readers. What’s not to like?

And, talking of ‘Like’; it’s nice to have someone give your posts a ‘Like’, but on its own it does nothing to spread the word. If you’ve enjoyed a post, the chances are that other like-minded people will enjoy it. So, spread the word. Click on any or all of those buttons and send out a message to all your followers. It’s really simple to do. And, if you don’t like the auto-generated message, you can modify it before it goes out. The great thing is that the information is shared and a link to the post goes to all your followers on Twitter, FB, LinkedIn, Google+, or whatever other sites you use.

If we all reciprocate in this sort of sharing, we all gain. And it really is simple to do. Takes almost no time. So, what’s stopping you? You don’t want people to share your posts? I have to ask why you’re spending your valuable time posting in that case. Is it that you think it’s too difficult to install the buttons? It’s simple.

Installing share buttons is very simple on WordPress and there really is no excuse for not having them. Here are a couple of links to help you do it: https://wordpress.org/plugins/simple-share-buttons-adder/

https://wordpress.org/plugins/social-sharing-toolkit/

Installing them on Blogger is a little less straightforward, but not beyond anyone who can read and follow instructions. Here are a couple of links to get you started: http://www.bloggertipstricks.com/share-blog-posts.html

http://helplogger.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/share-blogger-posts-using-sharethis-buttons.html

For those who are more adventurous, there are many different styles available: stick ‘Share buttons’ in a Google image search and you’ll find hundreds. Click on the image that attracts you and it’ll usually lead you to the site that allows you to download the images onto your blog. But, beware of those who charge: most of the sites are free.

But be aware that any share of your post will carry just the post title, the link, and possibly a picture, so make sure your title says something relevant and eye-catching. And include a #hashtag in the title to highlight the subject.

Avoid ALL CAPS for titles as this can come across as ‘shouting’, especially on Twitter.

You can modify the message that automatically appears when you click the button. And use #hashtags for a more effective share.

So, if you’re new to this, have a go with this post. It won’t break anything or do you any harm; honest! Test it out and see how it works here. Then follow the links, install those buttons on your own site, and see how your exposure increases. And, one other thing: you’ll see that the Twitter share button brings up an opportunity to follow the poster on Twitter, unless you’re already doing so. It’s an easy way to follow those people who post things of interest.

The wider and further we spread our posts, the better for our readers and the better for us as writers. Go on, have a go!