Table of Contents
What is a Viral Blog Post?
Viral blog posts pertain to a piece of blog content which are circulated rapidly and widely from one web user to another.
If that’s so, why does certain content spread like wildfire, and some just gather dust in the rubbish bin?
I guess that depends a lot on the value of the content.
Consider this…
About this kind of content the famous digital personality, Neil Patel says “Looking at the anatomy of viral content,you have to keep in mind that the content itself must be worthy of being shared. It has to solve a particular problem, enhance your reader’s life or make something better. If it doesn’t do any of these, no one will share it with their social network.”
With the explosion of the internet and social media, there is increasing potential for a lot of content to turn viral. Media content like images and videos, infographics are particular force multipliers for virality.
Efficient bloggers frequently mix a healthy proportion of media and images within their canvas of wordy text. A famous eastern quote says “an image speaks a thousand words”. Well, this shows results rather prominently in online content.
That’s why, unknown to us, tons of images and videos spin around the globe on the internet. And for social media consumers, this visual content is constantly bouncing off Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube with dizzying speeds.
Well, these are a force multiplier, and also building blocks of viral content.
However, all this is only factual data
But what does it mean to make a post go viral?
What is that hidden X-factor that ultimately contributes to the virality of a post?
Something Makes Content Spread Fast.
Firstly, to spread fast and far, your content must trigger some element of awe in your readers. If you can strike that chord and resonate with them, your content has done its job. Some factors that are found to deliver this magic in a post are:-
Humour in a post
Trending aspects
Arousing curiosity or debate
Offering unexpected value
The immediacy of impact.
In fact, rarely does a post consist of all the magic ingredients, yet you need only a couple of them to help spread your content far and fast.
Of course, some aspects are dictated by your niche itself. For example, depending on the niche, certain images have a predictable impact on emotions.
That’s why images kids and pets invariably evoke tenderness and lightness.
Likewise, hot & trending topics that are current and impacting your audience’s lives are likely to grab eyeballs.
Unfortunately, the term trending is often wrongly, associated with narrow niches like fashion, lifestyle, and news only. But this equally relates to real-life events that include industry, economy, health, medicine, natural calamities, etc.
Trending topics also include disturbing information. But be advised, when you promote disputable or controversial content you are likely to evoke surprise, indignation, or even fear. For instance, the suspicion, fear, and apprehension unleashed globally after the coronavirus outbreak is a prime topic to write around.
But it is wiser to be considerate, sensitive, and constructive when you create content around such subjects.
Make sure that you never become the epicentre of rumour. Because content on the internet flies in real-time across continents.
So you have to be prepared to deal with the ramifications of triggering rumors in the exuberance of creating viral content.
7 Great Ways To Create Viral Blog Posts
There really isn’t a cookie-cutter formula for writing epic blog posts that start flying off the shelf. And though there does appear to be a hidden secret to creating great content, it is a pretty dynamic process. Yet, if you follow certain rules you do raise your chances of coming out with useful and captivating content.
1. Write Tons of Quality Content
Firstly, be very, very conscious of the fact that not everything you churn out, and fling at your audience indiscriminately, is going to go wild online.
No wonder bloggers often make the mistake of churning out lots of long-form content that is perhaps good in their own eyes. But it’s not what their audience wants. And so it doesn’t rank well.
That’s why you must keep your audience center stage. And honour them.
Remember, you are writing for them, not for yourself.
On every topic that you write about, keep in mind the reader’s choice. Then make sure you write with your own flair, personalizing it, infusing your own experience, adding your own story. Because all said and done, at the end of the day, your reader is that man or woman who’s going to consume your content.
What I mean to say is that your reader online are human beings and they deserve that respect.
They are not google bots who will go over your content, machine- fashion. They simply want sensible, emotive content that satisfies human needs.
And because they’re human, and they naturally yearn for a human feel, you bear a hidden responsibility. That is, as a content creator you have to travel the extra mile to meet that reader’s need. So you’ve got to bring yourself in, somewhere in your content.
Share bits of your personal self.
Weave in your uniqueness into the content you’re plastering on the post. Don’t just build a big wall of text, and sit back for results.
2. Effect Of Titles On Viral Blog Posts
Next thing. Your post title or headline is the first point where rubber meets the road. It’s your initial contact with the reader. So what are you telling them about your post through your title?
Make sure you do that.
Often bloggers make this terrible mistake of writing vague titles. And the reader is needlessly burdened with guesswork about what your intent is initially.
So instead of dryly saying “write a book” in your title, give them something specific like “How To Write A Great Book: Bookwriting 101” in your title. Your title must define what you’re saying in your blog. That’s what long-tail keywords are about!
In a way, your title is a good means of conveying to your readers why your post is worth reading further.
As a general guideline, try and include some valuable aspects in your title, like :
Tips
Tricks
Secrets
Ideas
Techniques
Strategies
Facts
Methods
Statistics
Reasons
Ways
3. Viral Blog Posts In Obscure Niches
Here’s the interesting part…
It’s possible that your niche is relatively unpopular and obscure, and yet you’re passionate enough to pursue it as a blog.
There is nothing wrong