How To Increase My Reach With BuzzFeed

When looking to gain fans, it is important to find creative avenues to expose new audiences to your content. Especially for your recipe and DIY programs, featuring your most buzz-worthy photos through "listicles" on BuzzFeed is a great way to organically funnel traffic back to your website or blog story. ("Listicles" are lists with images or GIFs and short text blurbs with links.) While we don't necessarily recommend BuzzFeed as a tool to hit your click milestone on a Linqia program, the site is a great way to repurpose the quality content you are already creating! 

Read on for more on how you can utilize BuzzFeed as a creative outlet and means for reaching a wider audience!

Visit Katalina of Peas and Peonies'  BuzzFeed article and corresponding Linqia story.

1. Create A BuzzFeed Account

Anyone with an email address or social account (Facebook, Twitter, or Google+) can register an account on BuzzFeed. Once your account is confirmed, you are free to post as many BuzzFeed articles as you want.

2. Brainstorm An Engaging Theme

Do your research by spending some time on BuzzFeed for inspiration and to gain a better understanding of what's trending. Does your Linqia program recipe connect to a recent food fad? Maybe you've seen similar ideas floating around the internet or within your blogging communities. Ensure your post has either a unique recipe, a DIY component, a lesson, or an entertainment element. If you're having trouble, get inspired by  BuzzFeed Food's latest articles to see what captures your attention.

3. Curate Your Listicle

Pick a number between 9 and 19, since odd numbers have shown to be more engaging. Select that number of drool-worthy recipes or DIYs to match the theme. Spotlight yourself by sharing a photo of your own at the top. Next, spotlight your blogger friends by featuring some of their best content, too. Most importantly, make sure what you have to offer is visually and thematically cohesive.

4. Write A Stellar Headline

Showcase your personality! Make the headline funny, timely, or tie it back to pop culture. Invite your audience to learn something new by leading with "Who," "What" or "Why," and speak directly to your reader with a promise to deliver something unique. Flex your vocabulary by including engaging adjectives. Finally, optimize for search results by limiting your headline to 65 characters, or a maximum of six words. The shorter, the better!

5. Get It Published

After you've finished creating your article, "suggest" your post for BuzzFeed's Community editors to consider promoting! If your article is promoted, you'll begin gaining Cat Power, which then establishes your credibility within the BuzzFeed community. After, share to Facebook and make sure to tag @ BuzzFeed Food. They might share your article to their official page's 22 million fans!

Remember To Follow The Rules: 

1. No Linking Your Ooh.li Link: 

Keep in mind that linking back to your Linqia program ooh.li link is against BuzzFeed's terms of use, especially for a live Linqia program.

2. No Boosting Your BuzzFeed Post: 

After you've created and begun sharing your listicle, remember that it is against BuzzFeed's terms to boost your post or put any kind of paid media behind it across your social channels. 

3. BuzzFeed Isn't All About Self-Promotion: 

In the words of BuzzFeed itself, "If you are a brand, organization, political/public figure, or if you’re posting something self-promotional, BuzzFeed Community is probably not the place for you. BuzzFeed is no longer supporting new posts from Community Brand Publisher accounts, which include any accounts with a political, commercial, or promotional agenda."

When It's Worked: Linqia influencer Unicorns in the Kitchen used BuzzFeed to expand her reach in her post for LA VICTORIAⓇ brand mango habanero salsa. She wrote “12 Breakfast Toasts That Are As Tasty As They Are Instagrammable” and placed her sponsored image for a Sweet and Spicy Breakfast Toast (made with LA VICTORIA salsa) at the top, linking back to her LA VICTORIA post. The editors at BuzzFeed loved the toast post so much they placed it on BuzzFeed’s Facebook page, where it received over 4,000 engagements. Not only did this drive traffic to her sponsored post, it likely earned her new followers. Now it's your turn!

Additional Resources:

• A Step-By-Step Guide to Making a BuzzFeed Post: A very BuzzFeedy-y step-by-step guide to creating an account, curating the right kind of post to tell your story, creating the listicle itself and getting it published. 
• How I Made it to the Front Page of BuzzFeed Twice, and How You Can Too: This article provides insights by the Global Head of Growth & SEO at HubSpot about what makes a standout BuzzFeed post. Along with a step-by-step of how the process looks, it also offers helpful information on how to promote your story and generate additional activity.
• Write Irresistibly Clickable Headlines Like BuzzFeed: How to write a perfect headline, as told by helpful and easy to digest infographics. This information can be applied to your blog post headlines, too!
• BuzzFeed- About: Get to know BuzzFeed a little more intimately while gearing up to get your stories

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your program Brand Success Manager or the Influencer Success Team at  community@linqia.com.