Log into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even Instagram, and what do you see? More likely than not, among candid pics of your friends and event reminders you’re likely to see post after post of content from another source.

Everything from news articles to tutorial videos, funny memes or moving gifs, content is being shared everywhere. If your brand isn’t creating content with shareability in mind, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. 

Shareable content can come in many forms, but first and foremost, it must elicit an authentic emotion from the audience. That emotion can be fear, excitement, love, loss or just a good old-fashioned belly laugh.

Movie trailers are inherently a good example of shareable content because they strive to tell a full story about the film, but also leave the audience wanting more. Trailers are also incredibly focused on selling the film to a targeted audience segment. Think about it: A trailer for a horror movie is very different than one for a comedy, yet both have an equal chance of being shared by fans of either genre.

I don’t know about you, but five years ago, I would have been shocked if you told me commercials would one day go viral online. But today, advertising agencies and brands are pushing the boundaries to create powerful spots. If a commercial does an especially great job of connecting with an emotion, then it has a greater chance of being shared or mentioned on social media, which not only adds life to that video but also improves brand recognition.