Three Tips for Creating a Viral Post

On social network platforms, people re-share information they see from friends and pages. These shares may prompt additional shares, leading to a cascade throughout the network that grows bigger and bigger.

Every business wants their posts to start a cascade, or go “viral.” However, only one in 20 photos posted on social networks gets shared, and just one in 4,000 gets more than 500 shares. So, how can you get your post to go viral? There is no secret formula but here are three tips to keep in mind.

Diffusion Protocols

We want to understand the factors that govern the growth of these viral posts, and we can do that by looking at successful campaigns and the diverse social mechanisms by which they propagate.

Why did the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge garner such a massive response and participation? The campaign sparked $115 million in donations and attracted celebrities such as Bill Gates, Justin Bieber, and Jeff Bezos.

Another viral effort was the TOMS One Day #WithoutShoes campaign. Instagrammers could provide a pair of shoes to a child in need by sharing a barefoot photo using the hashtag #WithoutShoes. No purchase necessary.

By studying these successful campaigns, we attempt to distinguish the social exchanges that enable information to be transmitted. These social exchanges are known as “diffusion protocols” and define the interactions needed for information to be spread across edges in a social network. Popular posts and campaigns tend to have two key characterizations: low individual effort and high social cost.

Individual Effort:

As the effort to participate in the cascade increases, the speed at which information propagates tends to decrease. The TOMS One Day #WithoutShoes Campaign did not require any purchase and users simply had to share a photo with a hashtag. The easier it is to participate in a challenge or contest, the greater likelihood of participation. Consider this when running your next campaign. Perhaps a user has to share your post on their Instagram story (known as a transient copy protocol) or tag two friends in the comments. These are easy ways to participate, but effective methods of building brand awareness and sparking additional shares.

Social Cost:

The social cost of staying on the sidelines also influences the likelihood of going viral. While the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge required more effort than simply pressing a button or tagging a friend (pouring a bucket of ice water over your head is no easy feat), it had high social cost that allowed it to spread like wildfire. Individuals would often post their ice bucket videos on YouTube or Facebook for all to see and then would nominate one or more of their friends to participate after they completed the challenge. From the graph below, you can see how the nominations spread across the country through the connections individuals had with strong and weak ties they nominated. You may face judgement or be called out by not accepting the nomination, especially since the campaign itself was for a cause and nominees could do their part in helping spread the word. See if you can incorporate these types of diffusion protocols into your next post to encourage shares and possibly tie your messaging into supporting a local charity, foundation, or mission.

Speed of Shares

The speed of shares is an important component in whether or not your post will generate virality. Social media algorithms determine which posts are seen, pushed to the top of your feed, and suggested for your viewing. These algorithms frequently change and differ across platforms. However, most are influenced by the engagement your posts receive, including the speed of shares. It makes sense that a social media channel such as Facebook would push your post higher if it sees many of your followers are interacting with it, which usually indicates engaging, relevant content. Facebook will not want to promote a post that “flops” and doesn’t achieve a reaction.

Stanford Computer Scientists were actually able to predict which photos will go viral by watching how fast the photos were shared, with an 80% success rate.

They began by analyzing 150,000 Facebook photos, each of which had been shared at least five times, and looked for variables that would indicate that the number of shares would double. The strongest factor was the speed of shares.

An example of how the speed of shares contributes to the virality of a post is the video of the infamous “Salt Bae” on Instagram.

Quickly after posting a video of himself chopping a steak and artfully sprinkling salt onto it, the video went viral. He had a large following and now, everybody dubs him as “Salt Bae” and the video has over 16 million views.

A business should keep in mind the time that their followers are most active and most importantly, continuously post engaging content that your followers will be quick to share.

Create Engaging Content

At the end of the day, getting a post to go “viral” is very hit-or-miss. One should keep in mind the various factors and algorithms that influence the spread of information — but ultimately the priority should be creating engaging content. This is one of the main factors that you have full control over. Use the latest content marketing trends, trending topics, and attention-grabbing creatives, you will be able to increase the likelihood that your content is spread quickly and share your message effectively if this is your number one priority.

There is a lot that goes into creating a viral post or campaign and it can be a complicated process. Our team is here to help increase your odds and work with you to reach a larger audience. Keep these factors in mind when thinking about your next contest or giveaway and shoot us a message if you have any questions.

Dunne Goodwin is a content-driven social media agency. Follow us on social media for digital marketing news and updates. If you enjoyed this blog, please share with friends and colleagues.

Luke GoodwinApril 17, 2020