If you’re trying to increase traffic to your website by creating shareable content, then the idea of having a post go viral might seem as lofty – and valuable – a quest as the search for the holy grail.
How you achieve such a goal may also mystify you, like it does many business owners who have actually reached it. Even Buzzfeed, the famous viral content company that carefully studies the reasons their posts succeed or fail, acknowledges they can’t fully predict which posts will spread furthest.
Luckily, Buzzfeed has learned what elements viral posts tend to have in common, and here’s what they are.
Infectious Content
Buzzfeed defines the term Viral this way:
“Posts go viral when they get traffic from elsewhere on the web – by being shared, searched for, and linked to from the Internet at large.”
Basically, that’s every content and SEO marketer’s dream.
But how do you get there?
Here are some tried and true strategies you can start using in your blog and social media posts right now.
- Listicles! These pieces promise useful or entertaining content in a quick, easy to read format our brains love to consume.
- Quizzes let your audience talk about themselves when they show off their quiz results.
- Timeliness is key. Try searching Buzzsumo or other trend-watching sites to find out what people are talking about, and then create a piece with your own spin.
- Videos and images almost always get more shares than just plain text so get visual!
- Promotions and contests help get readers excited, so set one up. Just make sure you check out the rules first, or let Vivid Visual Solutions know you need help with Facebook promotion in Southfield and we’ll talk you through it.
Grabbing Attention
What’s missing from our list? Headlines of course! Other than your post’s visuals, its headline is the most important factor in deciding whether people will even click on your post. Naturally, Buzzfeed has spent lots of energy analyzing headlines that go viral – and headlines that fall flat. Here’s what they learned:
- Numbers are awesome! These usually go with a list of some kind, but “10 Reasons Your Hamster Needs a Halloween Costume” will likely perform better than “Reasons Your Hamster Needs a Halloween Costume.”
- Actually explain what your post is about, but leave something to the imagination. Generic, click-baity headlines like, “This is Awesome!” or “You Gotta See This!” are simply too mysterious for most users to care. Instead, try asking a question or leaving out the twist or punchline. “Eliminating This One Thing from Your Diet Could Change Your Life” will probably perform better than, “Stop Drinking Diet Soda to Lose Weight.”
Our Not-So-Secret Weapon
Still not seeing results? If you have a great post, you might just need a little boost to get started. That’s why channels like Facebook offer promotions.
Need help crafting the perfect post or creating a Facebook promotion in Southfield? Let the experts at Vivid Visual Solutions help. Contact us today!
