Going viral is often seen as a phenomenon that simply happens to some but not to others. While it’s impossible to completely predict what type of content will take off next, it is possible to put the secrets behind viral content creation to work for you. While some platforms differ in what type of content goes viral, general best practices still apply.
Want to make sure your next posts take off? Read on for seven secrets to viral content creation.
1. Grow Your Following
One of the most important viral marketing secrets is to grow your following. With a committed following of loyal fans, you’ll guarantee that all of your posts will receive high engagement. The more likes, shares, saves, and comments your posts receive, the more likely your content is to go viral.
2. Consider Paid Promotion Opportunities
While many brands imagine going viral requires purely organic engagement, this isn’t always true. Many brands give their viral campaigns a helping hand by paying for promotion. With the help of Facebook Ads and IG sponsored posts, you can take advantage of paid promotions and make sure your content gets in front of the right people.
Keep in mind that success with paid promotions is heavily dependent on reliable audience targeting. Be sure to use your insights and metrics to target the best demographics for your content.
3. Make It Newsworthy
The best viral content often makes the news. To make sure your posts go viral, it’s a good idea to craft a newsworthy campaign. Whether you connect your campaign to a current event or you create news around the campaign itself, a newsworthy announcement and incredible content will help your posts go viral.
4.Know Your Target Audience
The best way to launch a viral campaign is to have a clear understanding of who your target audience is. Start refining your target audience by creating a buyer or customer persona. These personas represent your brand’s ideal customer, considering psychological and demographic information.
The more accurate your buyer persona is, the more likely your content is to go viral. Speak with your customers, clients, and followers to find out what they love about your brand and content. This way, you’ll be able to develop striking and relevant content that they are eager to engage with.
5. Always Put Engagement First
One of the biggest secrets to creating viral content is to focus on generating engagement as early as possible. Content with the highest engagement will have a greater reach, making it more likely to be shared by your followers and other interested users.
6. Consider the Time
In the world of Instagram, TikTok, and other popular platforms, content can go viral at any moment. While this means your most shared posts can take off at any point during the day or night, there are certain times of the day that will guarantee your posts receive maximum visibility.
The best time to post your content will give your target audience the chance to engage with your posts and share them as much as possible. Take advantage of timing by paying attention to what times your audience engages with your content the most. By releasing content at the perfect time, you’ll see the greatest impact on engagement, reach, and shares.
7. Measure Performance
First-time campaigns rarely go viral. The most successful content usually has solid social media analytics to back it up. If you hope to go viral, be sure to use analytics from past campaigns to improve the performance of your posts. These metrics will help you determine which aspects of your campaign are effective as well as where you need to improve.
With a little trial and error and a lot of research, you’ll start making your content go viral. Keep these seven secrets in mind as you craft your next campaign.
