What Makes Content Go 2x Viral On Social Media?

Making content is a daily task for many businesses, and maintaining online visibility is key to connecting with audiences. However, sending out a post that goes viral can be an exciting and profitable game changer. 

Creating viral content on social media is the ultimate goal for many brands and marketers, but many companies never achieve high engagement, let alone a viral post. 

For many businesses a professional ‘done-for-you’ social media service can be the answer, Leveraging experience and expertise can be just the thing to send your content into orbit. So how can entrusting your social channels to the expert give you a competitive business advantage?

Understanding the mechanics behind what makes content go viral is crucial for high engagement, expanded reach, and increased brand exposure. 

Emotionally Compelling Content

Content that elicits strong emotions tends to be the kind of post that goes viral. Whether it's joy, surprise, or even anger, evoking strong emotions creates a big impact and can resonate deeply with your audience. Emotional content typically triggers a higher number of shares because people want to connect, increase awareness, or express their feelings with others. 

Timing and Relevance

Timely content is the kind that relates to current events or recent news. Following trends or capitalizing on cultural moments has a much higher chance of going viral. Posting content that is relevant and aligns with what people are talking or thinking about increases the likelihood of content being shared widely. It's about capturing the moment and sparking ongoing conversations.

Unique and Unexpected

Uniqueness and originality always grab attention. Posting content that surprises your audience or offers a fresh perspective stands out in the vast number of social media posts. Catching your audience off-guard with unexpected twists or unconventional approaches captivates users, compelling them to share something out of the ordinary.

Visual Appeal and Creativity

High-quality visual content that features eye-catching images or videos tends to perform exceptionally well on social media. Being original or creative in design, or incorporating exciting aesthetics immediately draws attention and encourages sharing. Memorable visuals create recognition while enhancing the shareability and possible virality of content.

Relatability 

Content that people can relate to on a personal level always has the potential to go viral. When individuals see themselves and their experiences reflected in content, they're more likely to share it with their network. Tapping into people’s beliefs or preferences generates relatable content that sparks conversations and connections among users.

Engagement and Participation

Interactive content that encourages audience participation is hugely popular and an effective marketing tool Things like challenges, quizzes, or polls, can spread rapidly and attract entire new audiences. Many big brands use user-generated content to prompt engagement and motivate people to share their experiences.

The Role of Algorithms

Understanding social media algorithms so that you can post content at optimal times can increase the chance of content going viral. Playing to the algorithm and understanding when your audience is likely to be online can be highly beneficial. Timing content to coincide with peak engagement periods increases its visibility and likelihood of being shared and reaching a higher number of potential customers. 

Does Luck Play a Part?

While strategic planning and other tactics greatly increase the chances of content going viral, there is also an element of unpredictability. Sometimes, for no specific reason, content goes viral simply due to a stroke of luck or being seen by the right person at the right time. Content may hit the right note or strike a chord with users, sending it into the stratosphere, or an influencer may share your post, exposing it to their large and engaged audience.