What makes content go viral?
Many business owners wonder about the answer to that question. There are a lot of things that contribute to what makes a piece of content catch like wildfire. But, there is one thing for sure, no piece of content is going to go viral if it doesn’t make the reader feel something.
The types of content that go viral:
- Content that evokes high emotions.
- Content that is positive.
- Content that is practical and useful.
Many elements come together to create viral content, but one of the biggest challenges marketers face is shifting their focus toward creating valuable content. When looking at the anatomy of viral content, you have to keep in mind that the content has to first be worthy of being shared.
Your content should solve a problem, enhance the lives of your followers, or make them feel something. Viral content is not easy to create, but if you get the recipe right, it can open your business up to an opportunity for growth.
Let’s break down some of the elements of viral content:
Evoking Emotion
Content that evokes emotion is more likely to go viral. Emotions such as, awe, wonder, anxiety, anger, sadness, humor, surprise, and amazement. Pulling these emotions out of your audience isn’t easy, but if done well, it can have a positive effect. If you are looking to tap into your customers’ emotions, the most effective means of doing this is with visual mediums such as video and images.
Positivity
It shouldn’t be a surprise that positive messages get shared more than negative ones. Positive messages are powerful because they resonate with most people. Creating a beautiful piece of uplifting content can not only perform better than other types of content, it can also have beneficial effects for you and your business.
Useful Content
You might be thinking that you don’t have a flair for the dramatic, and that’s okay. You can still take advantage of the last tactic for creating viral content. Content that is useful in a practical way has a much higher likelihood of being shared. Chances are, being a professional, you have developed a specific skill-set. Try offering your followers content that teaches them something new, makes them look at something in a different way, or gives them practical tools they can apply in daily life. People love content that is actionable and applicable – they don’t want to just hear about your expertise, they want to know how it will help make their lives better.
So, remember this the next time you are creating content for your business: don’t just create content for the sake of creating content; focus on emotion, creating value, and giving useful information and maybe you’ll create viral content in the process.
Contact The Light Digital for help creating a digital marketing strategy for your business.
