The 10 Qualities of Viral Content
It seems everyone nowadays wants to know how to make their content go “viral.” Getting the most likes, tweets, pins, and comments is a sure fire way to get people talking about your work, and thereby, your company. But how is it done?
Well, there’s no magic bullet. If there was, everyone would be writing web masterpieces on a daily basis. Even so, there are some aspects that most viral content share. Before you hit “publish”, check your most recent blog or video to see if it has one, or more, of these ten qualities found in most viral content.
1. Relevance
Content that gets people talking, tweeting, and typing is usually relevant to things going on in the world at that time. That doesn’t mean you can’t add a new spin to an old topic. What it means that you should try to keep current trends, ideas, and conceptions in mind.
2. Controversy
It’s okay to be a little bit controversial when you’re creating your content. That doesn’t mean you should deliberately make people angry, but there’s no problem with sparking a good debate every now and then if your views are well presented.
3. Conversation
Viral content is usually written in a conversational tone that readers can relate to. Nobody wants to share something that reads like an encyclopedia entry.
4. Personality
Ever notice that many viral videos and articles are personal stories? Web users love to root for real people they can relate to. Even if you’re using content for business purposes, you can still add elements of your personality in there.
5. Tact
While personality and controversy are good things at times, you have to do them in the right way. Viral content that gets positive responses is respectful of its readers and viewers. In other words, don’t be insulting or disgusting for the sake of getting readers. You might go viral, but it won’t be in a good way.
6. Coherence
This should go without saying, but viral content is well written with no grammatical errors.
7. Uniqueness
While it’s almost impossible to write something on a topic nobody has used before (there are no new ideas under the sun, after all), you should always add your own spin to the topic. Do the proper research and form your own opinions on the topic, or hire a writer who will.
8. Interest
There are good and bad ways to present any topic. Not everyone will agree on what constitutes interesting content, but there are some things very few people would find interesting. Do a little research to determine if your topic has universal appeal to your target audience.
9. Emotion
Your readers can tell if you care about what you’re writing. Viral content evokes emotion. This could mean it pulls at the heart strings, or incites anger, but it should make your readers or viewers feel something. The best way to make sure that happens is to write something you care about yourself. The emotion will shine through.
10. Intent
Even if you are using content to market a business, your intent should be to connect with your viewers, not to sell a product. If you go in with sales in mind, your work will sound like sales copy. Although sales copy has its place, it doesn’t make for viral content. How often have you read an advertisement you just had to share?
About Daniel Tan
