21 Ways To Give Your Content Viral Potential

Content is everywhere, and your own marketing strategy is filled with content, from the top of the funnel to the bottom. If you track the performance of your own content, even just through occasional observation of the metrics, you will likely see that some content languishes, virtually unseen.

And then there will be that piece of content—a video, a blog post, an infographic, an email or a social media update—that skyrockets. It goes viral.

What made the difference?

Backlinko takes a look at 21 things that may improve your content’s chance of going viral in this infographic, shared by LouiseM.

Sometimes the smallest details can have big impact.

Focus on headline writing and formatting: Using numbers and brackets in headlines can increase CTR rates by 1/3. Both give readers a more clear view of what they can expect, such as “8 Benefits of Hiring A Full-Service Agency” or “Your Marketing Measurement & Reporting Checklist [infographic].”

Use the right URL: Increase clicks by keeping URLs short but making them descriptive.

Keep attention-getting elements at the top: Colorful, professional images and share buttons above the fold engage readers and give them an action to take without scrolling down the page. And when you start with shorter sentences, readers are hooked in more quickly.

Format for readability: When text is easy to scan and provides practical, useful information, readers are more likely to stick around and to share your content with others.

Include images and infographics: Readers are more likely to share content that is visual, including images and infographics.

Time it right: Social media content performs best when it is published in the right windows of time. While the statistics shared here from Shareaholic point to the window of 8 a.m. to noon Eastern time, there are nuances you may want to consider, which we cover in our Complete Social Media Guide: What, Where, When & How Often To Post.

From these tiny details to the big picture of always ensuring your content has a purpose, an audience, and that it provides that audience with answers or entertainment, it is also important to remember that your content should all work together to achieve your ultimate corporate goals.

Check out how a complete full-funnel campaign incorporates all types of content from blog posts and thought leadership articles to emails and social media by downloading a real-life example here: Creating A Winning Inbound Program.

If your content creation needs some spark or additional resources to hit viral velocity, let’s talk. You can schedule a time in my calendar here to learn more about your marketing and content development needs.