Every blogger leveraging social media marketing dreams of creating viral content with thousands of shares and page views. Unfortunately, for most, it seems to remain a dream.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Viral content tends to share unique traits, which means anyone can learn to create content that’s got viral potential. Let’s start by looking at why people share certain content and then hone in on 6 ways to create viral content.
Why do people share online?
While online sharing is relatively new, the concept of people sharing information with each other is as old as time itself. It’s just the medium and frequency that has changed.
When people share online, the act itself happens almost instantaneously, and this implies that there is a trigger to that impulse. This trigger is based on one of two things:
- Rational – the content is deemed valuable or relevant.
- Emotional – the content satisfies an emotional need, such as empathy or happiness.
These triggers can be further broken down to specific factors. According to a report by the Customer Insight Group of the NYT, the science underlying social sharing can be distilled into five motivational factors:
- To bring valuable and entertaining content to others
- To define ourselves to others
- To grow and nourish our relationships
- Self-fulfillment
- To get the word out about causes or brands
Understanding this psychology behind social sharing is crucial to developing great blog post ideas.
On the other hand, while there are solid scientific reasons people share content, it cannot be denied that other factors play a role as well. Social sharing, like any social science, does not have a clear-cut process with an exact formula that will guarantee results.
6 Ways To Create Viral Content
Be useful
Simply put, people share because they find something relevant and useful. People like to associate themselves with intelligent, insightful information because it encourages the same characterization of the person sharing.
It also makes the messenger feel like he is doing his audience a favor by turning them onto a great piece of content they may have otherwise not found.
As Albert Einstein once said:
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.
Be controversial
Inciting the right type of controversy can drive a lot of traffic and shares. Gregory Ciotti discusses the “toilet paper argument” – the right direction to have toilet paper roll out – to highlight the idea that moderate levels of controversy invoke higher levels of sharing and discussion.
Too much controversy (topics such as politics and religion, for example) makes people uncomfortable, leading to less discussion. Ultimately, people get passionate about the proper orientation of a toilet paper but shy away from political discussion in public.
How to build on this principle? Ciotti pinpoints the 3 B’s that are important to people.
- Behavior
- Belonging
- Beliefs
These are the areas in which you want to create a divide. The trick is to walk that thin line between encouraging debate and provoking the masses.
Share good news
People like hearing and sharing good news. Just like author Virginia Woolf writes, “Pleasure has no relish unless we share it.”
In regards to viral content, the concept is simple: people are more likely to share positive things. The New York Times backed this up in an article titled “Good News Beats Bad News on Social Networks.”
Some ideas and examples:
- Content that uplifts the human spirit – the “faith in humanity restored” type where you curate random people doing good things.
- Content that encourages people to speak up against the norm, such as a blog post defending the voiceless against the tyranny of large corporations.
Because these are all themes humans can relate to, the topics evoke an emotional response.
Appeal to human emotions – tell a story
Many of the studies already mentioned also show that content is likely to be shared when it appeals to positive human emotions. Think of videos and/or articles that show exemplary behavior from unlikely sources, such as a rags-to-riches story or the overcoming of insurmountable odds.
Everyone is struggling with something and everyone loses hope some time – like religion, a beautiful story can reassure our faith in humanity and give your audience members hope.
Tap into vanity
While heartwarming content does the trick, you cannot ignore the fact that humans can be vain – and this does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. Vanity can be manifested in the need to feel good about one’s self, which in turn can translate into appreciation for being recognized, generous, and so on.
Write real stories about charities that are doing great work and entrepreneurs who give back to their community. Bring attention to social causes and ask people to help. Everyone involved in the story will maximize the exposure of your content.
Make it look good
Presentation matters. Your followers love easily digestible content in the form of images and videos. Yet, if you are a B2B business, you can’t rely on memes and videos for all your content. This is where infographics can make a big difference.
For example, after I created the infographic to compare blogging platforms, that page became the most trafficked one on my site. I took a boring idea, incorporated vivid colors, simple to read text and icons and an eye-catching layout, and now bloggers are interested in posting my infographic on their sites.
Practical implementation:
- Divide your text into sections. Use headings and subheadings, with images scattered in the text when appropriate.
- Use infographics, charts, and similar visual aids.
- Pay attention to consistent formatting. Make sure images and text align nicely.
- Choose good-looking fonts and match them accordingly.
The bottom line is that you have to think a page looks absolutely beautiful, making it impossible for someone not to want to share or link to it.
Final Word
Anything social is never a perfect science nor can it be replicated time and time again. This is one reason sites like BuzzFeed and ViralNova are forced to create so much content – sometimes they hit a home run, but most times, the pages don’t hit the perfect tone.
The good news is you may only need it to work once to put you on the map!
Author Bio: Gary Dek is the blogger behind StartABlog123.com as well as a dozen other niche sites. His passion is helping new and professional bloggers build sustainable online businesses.
