Characteristics of Viral Content Marketing
How many online articles have you read today? How many of them have the potential of going viral? Maybe most of them already had the status viral when you accessed them? We’re getting to our point: viral content finds you even when you’re not looking for it. When you see a post like that, you’re drawn towards it like a magnet.
Viral posts come in many different forms and styles. You can hardly predict with 100% certainty that a certain post will achieve such status, but there are certain elements we can observe in insanely popular posts, so we can notice the things they have in common. When you’re aware of those characteristics, you’ll know what it takes to create your own viral content that will help you achieve fame in the online world.
Some pieces of viral content are extremely shallow and you don’t understand why people share them so much. You know, like that woman’s legs that recently went viral. In this case, it was the sheer humour that made everyone share the photo and comment on it. It made people laugh, so the post was successful in triggering certain emotions. Viral content does that – it plays the emotional card.
When you’re trying to craft a post of any kind and you intend to make it extremely popular, you need to make sure it’s funny, shocking, inspiring, beautiful, surprising, amusing, or touching. The content, regardless of whether it’s textual, audio, or visual, needs an emotional element that will make people feel something.
Don’t get me wrong; that woman’s spaghetti legs did go viral. However, her fame will last for a day or a week, and then people will forget about it. Even that black-and-blue (or white-and-gold) dress is boring at this point in time. The Internet community has the power to turn something random into something viral, but when you’re a content writer or marketer, you can’t base your success on luck. That’s why you need to create evergreen content, which will get great chances of getting shares in the long term.
According to Dave Mitchell, a content marketing specialist from Admission service writing service, an evergreen piece doesn’t lose its popularity and appeal over time. It’s like a part of a textbook on a topic from your niche. For example, a makeup expert can post an elaborate piece on colour theory and explain how colours can be used in different combinations to make a specific face more beautiful. People interested in makeup would love to read that article regardless of its publication date. They will keep sharing it, and other bloggers will link to it as an authoritative source. That’s the kind of authority you want your viral content to have.
No matter how shallow Internet people seem when you see the majority of posts they like, you need to keep one thing in mind: they love elaborate content. Research that analyzed the most emailed post in The NY Times proved that fact: people prefer e-mailing articles with positive themes, and they like sharing lengthy articles on intellectually challenging topics.
A post that goes viral is not something you see every day. You can’t craft a top 10 list on the same old topic people see all over the Internet and expect to achieve huge popularity with it. All viral posts are different and unique, and that’s the main common characteristic they have.
Check out this post about a 109-year-old woman’s secret to long life, which was published by The Huffington post: its something else, isn’t it? You read something unexpected, since she doesn’t recommend healthy food and stress-free living, but something you never assumed. It’s unique, so it managed to get over 230 thousand shares across social media.
If you’re looking for a specific formula for creating viral content, here it is: make it creative, high-quality, and absolutely unique. You don’t have to think of a topic no one has thought of before. You can simply add a fresh aspect to an old issue and you’ll have a great chance that everyone notice.
Okay, not all posts that go viral are inspiring, but we’re interested in the ones that are. They get shares for a purpose: to inspire many people to take some kind of action.
Here is a good example: Water Is Life is an organization that knows how to use trends in order to raise awareness for its campaign. Its publications go viral because they make people aware of world problems and inspire them to take real action towards a solution. The First World Problems Anthem currently has over 7 million views on YouTube, and it doesn’t show any signs of losing its relevance.
When you’re trying to achieve the status viral with your content, think of inspirational quotes, images with meaningful text, success stories, and advice that makes people believe they can achieve the goals they have in mind. Moreover, you want to make people believe that their actions can turn this world into a more beautiful place. You want to make them feel important, regardless of the topic you elaborate on your website, social media page, or blog.
Make no mistake: something silly can go viral when you least expect it. However, the people who post subway spaghetti legs and confusing dresses don’t become an authority in the online world. No one knows who the authors of those posts are. When you’re trying to become a successful blogger, social media celebrity, or website owner, all content needs to have a purpose: promoting you and your site.
That’s why you need to master the art of developing content with the potential to go viral. With the tips above, you can start doing that today!