Tips to Help Content Go Viral

These tips are not what you’re hoping for if you want clear instructions on publishing viral content. There is no such formula, and most of the time it’s hit-and miss. Of course, you want your content to go viral but you can’t make it happen. Once you put it out there, it’s up to the internet to make it happen.

So what does the internet want?

Take a look at things that do go viral. Look at the news stories, videos, pictures, articles, and other memes that fill your news stream. Look at the things you share, especially what your audience interacts with more.

Then you know what they want.

The Most Epic Split, featuring Jean Claude Van Damme in an impressive stunt, was a commercial that put Volvo trucks in the spotlight… and it went viral. The inevitable “most epic split parodies” also went viral and that was long before the one everyone was waiting for: Chuck Norris's most epic split video.

Pro Tip: You can add a flavour of humour to your videos and make them go viral by adding memes in them. You often see such clips shared on Facebook, so to save them, you can use the Facebook video downloader.

So should you parody something that is already viral?

Parodies are a good strategy for publishing great content that spreads… but it might not be right for you yet. If you don’t already have enough of a following to make it worth the effort then you might skimp on the effort it takes to publish a great parody, and it will all be in vain.

To be honest, building a loyal following is how you learn how to publish viral content. It’s how you know what your followers like. So it’s a case of “Which came first, the followers or the viral content?” except less of a paradox because you do need enough fans to start with before anything can go viral and lead to more fans.

Building a good fan base

This is actually the most important tip. If you want your content to go viral, you need to build a base of fans who love your product/service but are also eager to share your content. Yes, you need to publish content worthy of sharing with friends… but then you will leave it up to your fan base.

Whether it is an infographic, an article, or a video you want bloggers to link back to it. You want socialites to share it. You want Likes. You want comments. You want activity, and that has to come from somebody.

In summary: build an audience of active people.

Finally, be unpredictable.

Mix it up a bit!

If you usually post articles on your blog, try a video for once. Predictable = boring, and you’ll gain new insight by stepping outside of your comfort zone. (You’ll also learn more about what your audience responds to and interacts with best.)