10 ways to increase your chances of going viral. Let PR help you make your content more shareable

Imagine if 200,000 people read your last blog post. Think how great it would be if your website got two million visitors in one month. That’s what it’s like when your content goes viral.

When everyone is talking about content you created, they’re actually buzzing about your company. This helps to build brand awareness and, ultimately, increase sales. Some may believe that having content go viral is pure luck. However, these ten tips might help give you a jump start:

Add value. Most people want to pass on content that is both unique and informative. Helping to spread the word about an important cause in a creative way is also valuable.

Begin with a question, list or infographic. These serve as visual elements and make your piece easier to categorize and understand. Charts and diagrams may also make an article easy to scan quickly for information. Things like Top 10 lists and titles that ask “why” go viral more often than How-To posts or videos. Special note: For going viral, the number 10 works like a charm.

Don’t be afraid to pull out all the emotional stops. Unquestionably, you want any content you post to be interesting. Making it humorous, astonishing and powerful to the reader will increase the chances that it will be widely shared.

Go long. You may be trying to shorten your content in an effort to conform to mobile devices and short attention spans, but this might not be necessary. Research has shown that more lengthy subject matter has a better chance of going viral. One reason may be that there is less competition in longer content, since most companies are following the less-is-more formats, hoping to capture readers with a quick “wow” factor. It could also be that we are underestimating the average consumer, who is smart and looking for challenging, stimulating content to share with others.

If it’s Tuesday, it might go viral. In other words, the days you choose to post make a difference. Overall, weekdays are preferable to weekends.

Include a test of memory or knowledge. People are more likely to share content that they enjoyed and feel others may benefit from, as well.

Share and share again. If you have written or created something that was worth promoting the first time, promote it again – you could pick up additional interest a week or so later. Obviously, this only works when the subject is not topical or time-sensitive.

Think visually. With longer content, great visuals can help to break up all that text and keep the reader engaged. This is especially true for information shared on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

What’s in a name? When it comes to going viral, it matters a lot. For most social media platforms, people are more likely to share content when they know who wrote it.

Get PR help. A good PR firm will help you create campaigns and build content that will get your company noticed. At Axia, our professionals can assist you in engaging with your audiences and demonstrating value. Contact us today to get started.

Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter at @axiapr. 

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