Struggling to get your content shared on social media? Try using a social locking tool to increase your social shares on every post.
When you create valuable content, you obviously want to reach as many people as possible. With every hit of the “publish” button, you cross your fingers and anxiously hope that your readers share your post. Sometimes they do . . . but sometimes they don’t.
But what if there was an easy way to increase your number of shares every time you publish new content?
You’ll be happy to know there is (and you’re probably not using it)—social lockers.
Instead of letting readers freely access your content, social lockers allow you to ask them to pay you in social media cash. So, if they want to read your article, they need to share it on their social networks before they’re permitted to view it. It’s a win-win—you get social shares, and they get to read valuable content at no real charge.
Here are 5 of the best social lockers—4 plugins, and 1 web-based tool for non-WordPress users.
1. Social Locker by OnePress
Social Locker by OnePress allows you to lock any content until the user “pays” for it with a social media share or like. They can choose from a like, plus one, or a tweet.
The free version has a quick set of statistical reporting tools to track the number of social shares on each locker. The paid version allows you to post a specific URL for each share button and gives you three different locker styles.
2. SocLock
SocLock is a free web-based tool. It isn’t a WordPress plugin, and so it can be used on any website. Simply enter in your target address (where people go), and your freebie address (where the content is). Once people hit the target address, they’ll meet the SocLock barrier, and will have to share the URL on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+ to get to the address where the content is located.
3. Automatic Social Locker
Automatic Social Locker by WeOnTech is another free plugin. It’s very simple to use, yet unique in one way—the social locker is displayed in a popup, so your users can’t miss it. This feature could make your blog spread like wildfire on social media.
4. Easy Social Locker
Although this locker isn’t free, Easy Social Locker is well worth its $17 price tag. Like the others, it allows users to share on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook; but it also has a sharing option for LinkedIn (you can also hide any social network from the locker as well). With five different locker styles, the ability to generate new URLs, and comprehensive reporting, this is a very powerful plugin.
5. Social Liker
Social Liker is another premium WordPress plugin. This plugin is cheaper than Easy Social Locker, priced at $14, and yet it offers 6 different locker styles and automatic post excerpt settings. It’s quite possibly your best choice to hide content behind a social share wall.
Wrapping Up
Locking every post you write is an overkill (and it will help you lose your readers faster than you can say “Jack Robinson”).
Instead, you should lock only your most valuable content—the stuff that takes a lot of time and resources to produce. That could be videos, eBooks, infographics, coupons, download links, special links, and more.
No matter which locker you choose to employ, remember that readers will only share valuable content, so focus on locking only the best works your website has to offer!
Which one of these social locker tools is your favorite?
Jonathan John is a total WordPress fan and freelance blogger for hire. He loves comparing WordPress plugins and themes, sharing the latest Automattic news, and helping non-techies get the most out of the world’s favorite CMS.
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