So you've finally created an infographic, and you're very proud with how it looks. You've spent hours perfecting it, and now it's finally time to release it onto the world wide web. How can you be sure that people will actually see your infographic and share it? After gathering some data from the Venngage Community Page, we found that on average, 107 infographics are created every single day, and those are only the ones that actually get published. If one website produces more than 9000 infographics a month from its user base, imagine how many are being designed every day across the internet! With so many infographics floating around online, it's very easy for your design to get lost in the masses. Just avoid the following five things when promoting your infographic, and you should notice a surge in traffic and shares.
1) Don't Publish Your Infographic Independently
The worst thing you can do when publishing an infographic is to publish it on it's own page. What you should do instead is embed it into a blog post that highlights the main ideas and points presented in your infographic. The reason for this is so that you increase the SEO potential for that post. With an article, you can target the appropriate keywords associated with the theme of your infographic. If you have the time, you should actually aim to write more long-form content. On average, an article that hits the 1500 word sweetspot see 68% more tweets than anything shorter, according to Buffer.
2) Don't Just Share It On Social Media
If you only share your infographic on the expected social media channels, chances are you are following the same sharing patterns you always follow, and thus you limit the reach of your infographic to the same group of people time and time again. Instead you should try to track down influencers who are interested in the content you are producing, and email them directly. For instance, if you produced an infographic about commuting to work, chances are that people who work from home would not be as interested as those who commute long distances every day. Find the individuals whose interests and work life fall within the theme of your infographic, and share it directly with them.
3) Don't Forget To Add An Embed Code
If you're going to bother making an infographic, you can't forget to add an embed code at the end of your blog post or on the infographic itself if it is an interactive one. This way you can ensure that whenever someone embeds your infographic, they are sourcing the image back to your site. You can also link the image back to your original blog post, and customize the alt text with a keyword you are tracking. Once again, this raises the chances of boosting your SEO, and as a result, gears more attention towards your infographic.
4) Don't Leave Out Your Sources
If your infographic contains a lot of data or facts that you had to research to find, don't leave out your sources. Do provide direct links to all of your research on the infographic itself. This gives your infographic added credibility, but it also protects you in the event that someone discredits the information in your infographic. Besides, if someone created some content and found the information on your website, wouldn't you want them to link back to it?
5) Don't Rely On Trending Content
Another huge "Don't" is to rely too heavily on creating content that is solely based off of current trends. Do try to produce content that is evergreen, or that has the potential of continuously being referenced over time. What do you think has a greater potential of being referenced continuously? An article about choosing the perfect Halloween costume, or an article about horror movies? Both articles are relevant to Halloween, however the first one is no longer relevant after October 31st. People watch horror movies year round, though, and thus the second article has a higher potential of being referenced more frequently. It makes more sense to use your time to produce content that will last for years, rather than content that will last for hours.