What Makes Content Go Viral?

Creating compelling content can do a lot for your company, but crafting something sharable can do even more. Sure, you can write an eye-catching blog http://www.cprw.com/wp-content/themes/gazette/cheap-essay-writing-service-uk.html post that captures attention, but did anyone share it after they read it?

Are you trying to get something that you created to go viral? Think about what causes you to share a video, picture or story you find on the Internet with your family, friends and colleagues. Generally, people share things that they can relate to or that evoke high-energy emotions, such as anxiety, elation, anger or sometimes shared hunger.

Additionally, it goes without saying that people tend to share things that they find interesting or helpful – would you share something that you found dull or useless? Take this into consideration when trying to push your content in front of a wide audience.

The concept of virality reaches back to 350 B.C. when Aristotle wanted his speech to be persuasive and memorable, so that those who listened to it would share his ideas with others. His solution was three principles, ethos (credibility), pathos (emotion) and logos (logic). When content is credible, evokes emotion and makes sense, it is likely to be remembered. Clearly this worked for Aristotle, who became a widely known Greek philosopher. His ideas were definitely remembered – most anyone you know probably learned about him and his philosophy in high school, or heard his name at the very least.

Before you set out to try and craft viral content, here are a few things to take into consideration:

• Do you care about what you’re writing? Are you writing it with emotion?
• Will your readers find it interesting and/or helpful?
• Does it evoke high-energy emotion?
• Is it credible?
• Does it make sense?
• Content in list form (“The Top 5…” “The Best of…”) usually performs well.
• Is your topic current and popular?
• A compelling headline accompanied by quality content will lead to higher success.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that your content will go viral even if you follow these eight tips. However, the likelihood of virality certainly increases when you take these tips into consideration and implement them while creating your content.

Interested in learning more about creating killer content that has all the qualities that could make it go viral? Check out our eBook, Everything You Need to Know About Content Marketing and take a look at our digital communications capabilities.

Updated: Apr 13, 2022