In a world where social media is king, creating viral content is the holy grail for marketers, influencers, and content creators, even businesses. The fight to join the viral tornado is heated:Is it sheer luck, or is there a method to the madness? While there is no magic potion to make content go viral, there are many methods that can be adapted to turn content into a viral social wildfire.

“Provide good content, and you’ll earn the right to promote your product”

– Guy Kawasaki, American marketing specialist, author, and Silicon Valley venture capitalist

Now Viral content is a double sided sword, as it is as exhausting to get there as it is rewarding when you do. It was in fact first called “The Virus of Marketing” as an article title for Fast Company, and was later renamed “Viral Marketing” by Jeffrey Rayport. According to Forbes, the chance of your content going viral is one over million, especially that viral content cannot be measured by a specific metric: for niche markets, a few hundred shares can go a long way while in more common industries thousands of shares might not make a difference.

Viral content can transform the financial and brand situation of a company. It provides a low-cost, high exposure brand recognition and boosts sales for businesses. It might also attract media attention and provide a jump in the lifetime cycle of the brand. 

Going viral is not a walk in the park, sometimes it might be up to luck, and others up to hard work. However, there are a few things can marketers and other content creators can do in order to “push their luck”.

The first component is to try to trigger strong emotions like anger, anxiety, or “WOW” effect that can make hearts pump out of chests, while also keeping a positive feel.  Building this emotional connection with viewers, readers and other types of audiences, whether by tugging at their heartstrings or making them laugh —can create a feeling of trust, comfort and understanding between them and the initiating content party. The 2022 Sprout Social Index™ highlights that consumers now prioritize company alignment with personal values 74% more than they did in 2021. Effective storytelling with clear storylines and real-life relatable characters can keep people entertained and engaged, pushing them to keep reading, watching, or even browsing the content till the end. Whether it’s happiness, sadness, or excitement, diving into these emotions can make individuals relate with the content deeply, therefore  increasing the fact of them going viral.

The second important thing is understanding the audience towards who the content is addressed and why they would share this material. The basis of this is that the content that people share reflects something about them either enhancing their image on social media or showing an activism side of them. According to Nathalie Nahai, an expert in digital psychology, the desire for content to go viral requires time and demands an exploration of the “why”: why people should watch it, why it will benefit their lives, and why they will feel motivated to share and engage with it. 

The third component would be the “Social Currency”. When someone shares content from a business, a page, an influencer or a content creator, they are spending their social money, or “social currency” on this specific page, blog or profile. The more it resonates, the currency of the content creator and the person who shared it increases. For many, this means creating content that provides a feeling of exclusivity around it, making people feel like they are part of an elite group. And to effectively leverage that, brands need to focus on crafting content that is not only educational but also makes the audience feel special and privileged. 

Finally, ensuring that content has a “long shelf life” requires a focus on practical value. The more visible the content is, the more likely is it to become a trend and to be copied and shared. Alongside this, creating content that can be useful 6 months into the future, caters to what people want: they crave practical, actionable content.  

In the quest for viral content, understanding the underlying principles of emotional engagement, audience motivations, social currency, and practical value is essential. By creating emotionally resonant content, tapping into the reasons why people share, leveraging social currency, and ensuring long-term relevance, marketers and content creators can significantly enhance their chances of achieving virality.

References

What makes online content go viral? (2022, September 17). Social Media Psychology. https://socialmediapsychology.eu/2022/09/12/what-makes-content-go-viral/

What makes content go viral | Zazzle Media. (2018, January 22). Zazzle Media. https://www.zazzlemedia.co.uk/blog/viral-content/#gref

Rees-Jones, L., Milkman, K. L., & Berger, J. (2024, February 20). The secret to online success: What makes content go viral. Scientific American. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secret-to-online-success-what-makes-content-go-viral/

Smith, A. (2023, November 1). How to go viral: 9 steps to increase your audience reach. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/how-to-go-viral/

Gargioni, A. (2024, June 4). How to Help Make Content Go Viral and Why it’s Important. GreenGeeks Blog. https://www.greengeeks.com/blog/making-viral-content/#:~:text=Viral%20content%20often%20succeeds%20by,people%20would%20want%20to%20share.