If you have even a little knowledge of the blogging world, you probably already know the value of having a post that goes viral. A viral post is one that gets thousands of readers who then share it socially, continuing to expand your reach in an organic way.
While the benefits of a viral post are pretty obvious when you’re researching blogging 101, there can be one drawback: the difficulty of actually having a post that goes viral. What’s important to realize is that “viral” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting hits in the millions like those YouTube videos that are circulated all over the world. It can just mean that you’re getting a lot of organic shares.
So how do you do this in a realistic way?
Make People Feel Good
While some of the stories and blog posts that go viral might be sad, ultimately what people want to share is that content that makes them feel good. That may be advice that people feel like they can realistically incorporate into their lives to make them better or something that just leaves you feeling happy and cheerful. You also want to create content your readers are going to be able to relate to because they will feel more an emotional connection that’s going to lead them to share your post.
Craft a Compelling Headline
Something that a lot of bloggers fall victim to is focusing more on their blog post’s content and less on the headline. Yes, your post needs to be engaging if it’s going to go viral, but the headline is just as important in this. Even if your blog is fantastic, if you don’t take the time to craft an equally amazing headline, you’re not going to get the clicks you’re after. Good headlines tend to be direct and straightforward. Also, try to avoid clichés and only include humor if you’re sure it’s going to resonate with your audience (humor can be a difficult concept to incorporate).
Stay Current
When you’re a blogger, it’s always a good idea to stay on top of the trends and news impacting your niche. If you can create a post that’s timely and weaves in particular aspects of current events or what’s happening in the world, it’s more likely to go viral. It’s kind of like news stories that circulate on Facebook and Twitter, but you can put your own spin on it.
Get Personal
Along with positivity and evoking an emotional response, telling a personal story is also an excellent way to get your content to go viral. Sharing your stories in a way that’s real and first-person is going to resonate with your readers, and it’s going to give your entire blog a feeling of authenticity. That’s important not just when you’re hoping to go viral, but also as you’re building a relationship with your readers.
Make It Easy For Your Readers
If you want your readers to share your post, you need to make it easy for them. This sounds a bit obvious, but surprisingly a lot of bloggers don’t add social share buttons to their post, or if they do, they’re difficult to locate. Put those buttons front and center so once your readers have gone through the post it’s super simple for them to share it on their social media profiles.