Su.pr-Shortening Your Way to More Clickthroughs

Discovery engine StumbleUpon has a URL shortener called su.pr, which has actually been around since 2009. Like bitly and the Google URL Shortener, su.pr is a tool used for shortening URLs before they are added to Tweets, Facebook posts, emails, or instant messages. A su.pr account can be used by an individual, or it can be shared by a team — the latter is explained below.

When su.pr is used for Tweets and posts, the links have a much longer shelf life compared to links generated by other URL shorteners — as su.pr-shortened URLs get bonus exposure within StumbleUpon’s network. If the link is stumbled, the number of views can jump dramatically. To really benefit from using su.pr, the destination content should be original and compelling. By using a strategy that included su.pr, one blogger received over four million clicks to a blog post from StumbleUpon.

Su.pr for Individual Use

Setting up and using su.pr as a single user is straightforward. Here are the steps.

1. Create a StumbleUpon account; this is necessary step before creating a su.pr account.

2. Upon signing up for su.pr, choose the Twitter and/or Facebook accounts to publish su.pr posts to. Click on Settings (in the top right corner) to add or remove these accounts at any time.

3. To shorten URLs for Tweets, Facebook posts, type in post content and then paste a long URL into the text box. Next, click on “Post” to publish to the selected Facebook or Twitter accounts. “Just Shorten” can be used to shorten a URL so that it can be copied and pasted into a different social media site or in an e-mail or instant message. Su.pr does not currently integrate with social media platforms other than Facebook and Twitter.

4. Another option within su.pr is to “Schedule [posts] for later.” A post can be published at a specific date and time in the future.

Su.pr for Team Use

Third party applications like MediaFunnel have su.pr integration built into them so that users do not have to visit the su.pr website to publish Tweets or Facebook posts that include su.pr-shortened URLs. A single, su.pr account can be shared across a team, so that all statistics are consolidated within one su.pr account.

MediaFunnel also offers publishing to social media platforms that su.pr doesn’t directly support, such as LinkedIn, Tumblr, and WordPress.com. MediaFunnel allows for publishing to Facebook business timelines, whereas su.pr natively only allows for publishing to a Facebook personal timeline.

To use su.pr in a team environment, the first step is to go to su.pr Settings and copy the API key.

Next, in MediaFunnel, click on the Settings icon (the gear image) for a channel. Click on URL Shortening, make sure that URL Shortening is active and click “Yes” for custom URL shortener. In the window that pops up, click on the dropdown menu and choose “su.pr.”

Add a Name of your choosing, paste in the su.pr API key and enter the su.pr account’s username. Publishing with su.pr-shortened URLs will now be the setting for that MediaFunnel channel.

Su.pr Statistics

Su.pr offers statistics on published posts. Clicking on the top chart on the right side of the su.pr interface will bring up a page with statistics on the account’s total clicks:

The page will also feature Suggested Posting Times for each day of the week. The vertical lines on the chart represent the most effective times for the su.pr user to publish posts.

Make sure that the account’s time zone is set for the proper location. Go to Settings, click on Profile, and choose the appropriate timezone.

Su.pr also provides a chart of the account’s number of Twitter followers over time.

Statistics for individual, shortened URLs can be viewed. Below are the statistics that appear when “View Stats” is clicked for one particular shortened URL:

One thing to keep in mind with su.pr is that the destination content is framed within a StumbleUpon page. There is a drop down callout on the left suggesting that the visitor click “Stumble!”, which could be a minor annoyance to some visitors. The fact that the page is framed also means that your page’s social sharing buttons will not register “credits” for clicks.

Overall, su.pr is an excellent URL shortener for measuring the success of Tweets and Facebook posts. It can drive more visitors to blog posts and other destination content compared to other URL shorteners. When integrated with a third party application like MediaFunnel, su.pr can also be used to shorten the links in posts to LinkedIn, Tumblr, and WordPress.com accounts.