A few years ago, when I was with Channels Television, I learnt a few things about how to create viral contents, especially viral videos. One of such videos was the “There is God” video of the wife of a former president.
Before I posted that video that night, I knew it ‘WILL’ go viral in the morning.
In my years of journalism practice, I have come to internalise the things that must be present to create a viral content.
If it is your desire to create a viral content you are not alone. In fact, it is a coveted goal for content creators, marketers, and social media influencers.
Viral content spreads rapidly and generates significant engagement.
While there’s no guaranteed formula for virality, there are steps you can take to increase your chances of creating a content that could go viral online:
Things That Help You Create Viral Content
1. Know Your Audience
Understand your target audience’s preferences, interests, and behaviours. Tailor your content to resonate with them. Analytics can be of help here. Check Google analytics to see the demography of your audience.
With any analytic platform, you can tell whether you have more male or female viewing your content.
If you are just a beginner, social platforms now have insights embedded in them.
Check insight for each content and you will begin to grasp the demography of your audience.
2. Trend Analysis
Stay updated with current trends, news, and popular topics in your niche. Content that relates to trending subjects has a better chance of going viral.
The social network, X (formerly Twitter) and Google trends can help you find what is trending.
One thing to know about X is that you may not be able to know why a particular word or hashtag is trending. As a result, you will need to google the word to find if there are contents already created on that trend.
That way, you will be able to know see how contents topping the search are doing.
3. Unique And High-Quality Content
Create content that is unique, valuable, and of high quality. If your content is mundane or low-quality, it’s less likely to capture attention.
4. Emotional Appeal
Tap into emotions.
Content that evokes strong emotions, whether it’s laughter, awe, empathy, or anger, is more likely to be shared.
5. Storytelling
Narratives are powerful. Craft compelling stories within your content.
Story-driven content is more engaging and shareable.
6. Visual Appeal
Images and videos are more shareable than text. Invest in visually appealing content. Use high-quality images, infographics, and videos.
7. Simplicity And Clarity
Keep your content simple and clear.
Avoid jargon or overly complex explanations.
The easier it is to understand, the more shareable it becomes.
8. Timing Matters
Timing is crucial. Publish your content at the right time when your target audience is most active online.
Consider time zones and peak activity hours.
9. Eye-Catching Headlines
Craft engaging and attention-grabbing headlines. A strong headline is the first step to getting people to click and share.
10. Interactive Content
Encourage interaction with your content. Polls, quizzes, and interactive elements make your content more shareable.
11. Social Sharing Buttons
Make it easy for your audience to share your content. Include social sharing buttons on your website or platform.
12. Influencer Collaborations
Partner with influencers in your niche. Their endorsement and sharing can significantly boost your content’s reach.
13. Hashtags
Use relevant and trending hashtags on social media platforms. This helps your content get discovered by a wider audience.
14. Solve A Problem Or Educate
Content that provides solutions to common problems or educates the audience is highly shareable. People love to share helpful information.
15. User-Generated Content
Encourage your audience to create content related to your brand or message. User-generated content often goes viral.
16. Leveraging Controversy Carefully
Controversial content can go viral, but it’s a double-edged sword. Use caution and ensure your content aligns with your brand’s values.
Also Read: 11 Highly Important Soft Skills To Acquire
17. Community Engagement
Engage with your audience and build a loyal community around your content. Communities often share content within their circles.
18. Paid Promotion
Invest in paid social media advertising to reach a broader audience. It can kickstart the viral potential of your content.
19. Adapt and Repurpose
If a piece of content starts gaining traction, adapt and repurpose it for different platforms or audiences.
20. Analyse And Learn
Pay attention to analytics and metrics.
Understand what works and what doesn’t. Use this data to refine your future content strategies.
Creating viral content is a challenging endeavor, but by applying these steps and learning from your successes and failures, you can increase your chances of having content that resonates with a broad audience and goes viral online.
Remember that not every piece of content will go viral, and persistence is key.
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