If you've ever achieved the holy grail of content marketing success—true virality—you know the rush of endorphins as you watch the share count climb. You've smiled the enormous grin when one of your friends shares that piece on Facebook without any idea that you helped create it. Maybe you've even felt the skin-chilling prickle when Buzzfeed picks up your content.
Then you've undoubtedly experienced the heart-stopping numbness when the traffic finally stalls. Where did all the people go? Was it real? Can you do it again?
What happens next depends on which camp you fall into. Most people either
- Squander that success in a haze of denial, or
- Rush back to their desks to copy the thing that just went viral so they can replicate the success (only to find that the Internet is already over it).
But there is a third, better way—you can learn everything possible from this moment of greatness and turn it around to create something even more shareable next time. This third path is not easy, but it is the surest way to get you back on the road to virality. Here's how.
Celebrate your success
Duh. You were going to do this anyway, but take a moment (or a day) to fully enjoy all the tweets, traffic, and accolades. This will give you energy for the next step and you'll be all the more focused for the long road ahead.
Analyze what went right
Sometimes content marketing feels like throwing Velcro darts at the wall—you just don't know what's going to stick. But when something finally does stick, there are a lot of lessons to be learned about your audience and what might work in the future.
For example, take this post from Organic Gardening, "7 Secrets for a High-Yield Vegetable Garden." According to BuzzSumo, it has six times as many shares as the next most successful article from the same site.
In fact, when looking at content that contained the word "garden," the post had more than twice as many shares as the top post from Country Living, a magazine with about five times the circulation.
I think we can safely call this piece a runaway success. Now let's look at what made this article so much more viral than its top three friends.
Title
It's not too much of a stretch to say that "7 Secrets for a High-Yield Vegetable Garden" is a lot sexier title than "Gardener's April To-Do List," "Going with the Flow," and "Cauliflower with Peas."
Not only does the highly successful article contain one of those emotion words that get us all excited to click, the title actually fully describes what the article is about—passing what Ian Lurie calls the "blank sheet of paper" test. You'll note that the titles listed in BuzzSumo are actually more descriptive than those on the page—next time they might want to use the more descriptive titles on the page.
Format
The format of these four articles is pretty basic: text with at least one related image. In fact, the to-do list article could have gone a bit farther if someone had turned it into a downloadable checklist (or at least a checklist).
Sometimes, like when you've invested heavily in a flashy parallax scrolling piece, it's easy to surmise that form contributed heavily to the success of the content. But in this case, it's unlikely that the form of this article gave it a viral advantage.
Length
These four articles vary widely in length, but they conform to what you might expect from the types of articles that they are. "Go with the Flow" is more of an essay and should be longer, whereas to-do lists and recipes get less useful the longer they are.
| 7 Secrets | April To-Do | Going w/Flow | Cauliflower |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1100+ words | 800+ words | 1700+ words | 200+ words |
I'd argue that "7 Secrets" is an exception here, in that it's more in-depth than it needs to be—in a good way. This could be one contributor to its success.
Topic
Not only is the "7 Secrets" title much more clickable, the viral article also hits on high-yield gardening—a high-interest topic. Having not seen the personas for this site, I'm not sure if Organic Gardening has identified gardeners with limited space or gardeners who are trying to sustain themselves entirely from their yards as targets, but this article would be interesting to both groups (which means more excited readers to share the content).
The to-do list article is practical and "Going with the Flow" (about water conservation) is newsworthy (although it would do a lot better if it mentioned the California drought in the intro). If you love cauliflower, perhaps you can tell me why that recipe is popular. But it's easy to see why none of these other three articles broke through the viral barrier.
Timeliness
From what I can tell, the original article is actually a couple of years old. It's just been hanging out waiting for the right moment. So goes content marketing. But the week that it went nuts on BuzzSumo was in late March—the very week I was mapping my own garden.
That said, it isn't the most timely of these four articles. The April to-do list is very timely (and this kind of evergreen content has the chance to get picked up again year after year) and, as mentioned, the article about water (despite being written in 2011) is on-trend with current events in California.
Again, you'll have to tell me if cauliflower is timeless, because I'm still not understanding the success of that recipe.
One caveat: There's some weirdness around the dating on this site (especially since the site re-branded in the middle of me writing this draft). If you dig into the publication date, it's April 1, 2015, a few days after March 29, 2015 (the date BuzzSumo called its publication date). And when I first started writing this article I think I found that the page was created about two years ago (though I can no longer verify that information).
Your lesson here is that if you do a site rebrand in the middle of assessing your content, your data will likely contain weirdness too.
Overall quality
This is where your spidey sense comes in, because overall quality is in many ways a combination of all the factors we just looked at along with the strength of the writing. But there's also that je ne sais quoi factor where you have to trust your gut (don't worry, spotting great content is easier than you think).
"7 Secrets" really is a better article for the Internet than the other three. It's easy to share, seems high-impact, and is a fast read. "Going with the Flow" is also a good article, especially with the storytelling angle, but the anecdotal lead-in followed by the intercontinental comparison of water management styles smacks of classic print journalism (requiring thoughtful rumination), which means it might be more appropriate or successful offline.
Influencer name dropping
Ego bait is a tried and true content marketing tactic. It's not used in this article, but that doesn't mean it isn't a good tool to keep on hand. If I wanted this article to go even more viral, I would have put names to the two experts they cite (and then reached out to tell those experts that I was quoting them).
The social angle
Looking at "7 Secrets" against the April to-do list, we can immediately spot a few reasons it was roughly three times more popular on the social network. It has an active and enticing image, the accompanying text is both inspirational and asks for engagement, and the article description is, well, descriptive.
High-profile sharers
As you can see, except for the magazine itself, very few people who shared this article on Twitter even have more than 1,000 followers. That might not be bad for you and me, but it's not going to cause a viral stampede.
If you find that more recognizable folks (or even those with a lot more followers) were part of your success, it might be time to build some relationships there. You can do that either by involving them in your content creation process in the future or by reaching out when you have something new to promote.
You don't have to wait until something goes viral to analyze what content is succeeding and why. Get some practice now (and help yourself on the road to virality):
Download this checklist as a template
Now that you understand what contributes to content virality, you're ready to try to capture that magic all over again.
Resist the urge to imitate
This sounds counter-intuitive, but the last thing you want to do after achieving content success is to run out and do exactly what you did last time. Why? Because the Internet craves novelty, and just like it's completely adorable when your friend's toddler sticks his tongue out at you for the first time, the second, third, and thirty-seventh times are increasingly less adorable (and notable).
Instead, use all that analysis you just did of what made the piece successful to remix those elements and try something new. In the case of the garden efficiency article we've been looking at, I'd follow up with a profile of three influential organic gardeners who have different ways of achieving efficiency in their gardens.
Enough about gardening already, what about some other topics like windows, water, and dessert.
- If "DIY Craft Projects using Old Vintage Windows Doors" earned you 428k shares, avoid writing "DIY Craft Projects Using Old Vintage Bannisters" and instead think more broadly with something like "10 Best Stores in the US to Find Vintage Windows for Your Project" or "Last Minute Summer Patio Projects for Upscale Freecyclers." The first plays with influencer marketing and the second explores a niche readership that has the potential to be very passionate about sharing your content.
- If you've recently had success with "Gray Whale Dies Bringing Us a Message - With Stomach Full of Plastic Trash" (226k+ shares), skip starting a series on dead animals that are portending the end of the earth. Instead try something like an infographic that shows how much the average American contributes to the gyre of plastic in the ocean that includes tips on how we can reduce our impact. That type of content would capitalize a little on the scare tactics of the first post plus the spirit that we're all responsible for the fate of the planet. It would also be a chance to test if posts that end with positive impacts are as shareable.
- Or if everyone loved your recipe for a ginormous Reese's Cup (21k+ shares), don't be tempted to write about chocolate peanut butter pie. Rather, consider creating a series on revamped recipes for childhood favorites like an upscale Nanaimo Bar or incorporating Jello into a trifle.
The exception
There are times when a piece of content you've created goes viral even though you feel like you only took the idea halfway. Playbuzz got some really good traction (1.6 million shares) with this post:
About a month later they followed up with this one which garnered 3.3 million shares:
They could have taken the idea even farther with "What Sci-Fi Novel…" and "What Horror Novel…" but those get weird fast and it's safe to say they found their peak audience the second time around by getting more general. So they stopped while they were ahead.
Build relationships
Viral success means that a whole lot of people just shared your content. It also means that you have a huge opportunity to connect with people who might remember who you are for the next five seconds.
Help them remember you for the foreseeable future by reaching out now and thanking them for sharing your stuff or engaging them in conversation. Ask what they'd like to see next time or respond to their questions. Be playful and friendly (if it suits your corporate voice) and get the writer to help you with the follow-up.
Use your success as brand leverage
There's no better time for PR outreach than immediately following a big viral content win. Who doesn't want to drop a line in an outreach email like "Our latest infographic has earned 452,000 shares on Pinterest (so far)." That number might feel like a fluke, but if you can get someone from a major media outlet interested in your next piece, your future looks bright.
Keep trying
Capturing the zeitgeist well enough to give a post viral success is not an easy thing. But have confidence that if you've done it before, you have what it takes to do it again. Keep making awesome stuff. And when you're tempted to get bummed because something doesn't quite find its audience, instead milk that learning experience for all it's worth.
I think the problem on viral content is that it doesn't depend on your work, it always depends on people who really make that content viral, and, althought with your tips probably improves, is uncontrollable
There's definitely a large element of virality that's out of the creator's control, but I'd argue that you set yourself up better for possible success by understanding what your audience responds to.
Great post,
I know some of the things that I have learned over the years, was to take a viral article and run with it (continue to write on the subject). From what you wrote it makes more since to start being unique and touch on subjects in a fun and engaging manner.
I defiantly like this approach better, it gives you the freedom to relax and have fun with your content, explore new creative ways of reaching your markets boundaries. Rather than being a zombie and pushing out repetitive non-since.
Thank you for the share @Isla McKetta! Looking forward to more of your reads.
Oh Justin, I'm so glad to hear that! As a writer (for writing's sake) I firmly believe the world is a better place (and our content is so much better) if we enjoy ourselves along the way. Go forth and write amazing stuff (and send your marketing-related favorites to [email protected] for consideration for the Moz Top 10).
Hey Isla,
Fabulous analysis. Can I conclude that, to produce relevant content that has any chance of going viral, we’ll need to be creative and should have elements like,
Your thoughts?
Thank You Isla for posting such a useful and informative blog with us.
And Thanks you too Umar for adding more elements yes, i agree with you.
Those are great elements to consider, Umar. What I'd encourage is an analysis of your audience to see which of the items on your list (and anything else) they are most responsive to. For example, if you're writing a blog for a conservative financial institution, their audience might either be terrified to share surprising financial content or they could find that deeply motivating and want to tell all their friends that the sky is falling. Sometimes it's hard to say until you've put your toe in the water.
That's indeed a great point Isla. Thanks for that :)
Thanks for the tips for viral content. We're thinking up of ways to create some viral content ourselves to generate some buzz for home remodeling with granite countertops or kitchen cabinets. Maybe if we put up a time lapse video of the entire remodel process, that might work. Still gotta sketch some ideas out, thanks for sharing!
Tony
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Brilliant post, with the analysis of the viral articles and a conclusion at the end, "don't just copy what they did!"
There are many factors involved in having a viral blog post, and according to everyone's observation, it is impossible to keep writing viral content. However, it is good to have an insight and an understanding of what makes a blog post viral, the timeliness, the title, topic, community, sharing, etc.
As a question on the side, besides buzzsumo, is there any other website out there that offers you a free way to analyze and get the sharing / virality metrics for a blog / website?
I love it! I've been finding great success recently with creating viral content simply using what you discussed above.
Find proven winners in your industry/niche using a tool like Buzzsumo...use a SkyScraper technique to make it better...then push that content out socially. Boosted FB post + Sponsored Tweet + Retargeting Pixel = $$$
Another spectacular post Isl, I think engagement is the key to create the ultimate viral effect. Btw I really like the influencer name dropping part, it has always worked a great deal for me. Anyway looking forward to more like this from your side.
Thank you for such a great explanation about how to analyze your content once it is viral. I noticed you mentioned building relationships and starting conversations. What tips would you offer content creators for making themselves and their works memorable on Twitter? What do you think of the idea of using the following tools and/or methods on Twitter to engage your target market and make your content even more viral?
1. Twitter lists? Essentially, the content creator crafts a list based on every all of his/her websites and content locations that have accounts or the profiles of others who publish the content creator's content.
2. Twitter contests? The content creator offers a contest and then, during the natural discussion that happens from contests, he/she offers links to different types of content.
3. Twitter hashtags? The content creator picks the most commonly searched keywords related to his/her content topic and attaches them to a tweet that contains the link to that topic.
Very intelligently written, thanks for this. Lots of actionable points.
Nice post! We've had some content that gone viral from years ago, but had a hard time getting our new content viral now. Competition have been tough these past few months. I will apply your tips and see if it works for me. Thanks!
I think many SEO is passing from the same problem, after doing a lot of work and analysis no result and client lost. i think if we focus on your mentioned point Rand, we surely can get improvement. i think we need to change the thought process, not to follow that old school SEO.
What are you left with when a piece of content has gone "viral"? A huge dose of social proof. And so while it's important to analyze why that one post succeeded where others failed, you really need to be putting serious effort into building relationships and leveraging your viral content for PR purposes, as you mentioned at the end of the article.
Each piece of content should have a higher purpose beyond "going viral." If you're conducting a thoughtful campaign and constantly testing and re-evaluating your content strategy, then you're giving yourself a better chance of creating something that explodes on social media. However, once lighting does strike, the real value comes from what you do after your post goes viral.
Thanks Isla! Another excellent Moz article!
Adam, I totally agree with you - the goal of creating content should not be to go viral. It's too ephemeral of a measure, and, honestly, too far removed from the creator's control. But, as you said, if lightning strikes... milk it for all it's worth :)
Great job taking a stab at quantifying what works with content virality. I especially appreciate your point about avoiding imitation, and instead thinking more broadly about what worked, why, and then trying something similar but with wider reach. The checklist will be super helpful, too.
Thanks, Kaitlin! I know you all have great support for ideation and continuing to think creatively at Portent. That kind of support is so helpful :)
I really agree with Isla McKetta, When we start the content with "7 Secrets" its really good impact on user and the internet, As well as Social angle with viral engagements is looking active and well descriptive.
Your blog is very useful to give a top ranking in different search engines. it have solution of all type problem related to digital marketers .it would also help event and wedding planner.
Thanks to this post.
Good post. In my opinion build good relationships is key for Virality. Thanks
Is too hard that you get the successful with the viral post because people aren't good in all facets. However, if you get more experience you will be one of the best editors of posts. I agree with you
Yes carlos, I agree with you.
Hey thanks for the great post Isla. I am trying to run my ownSEO and web design website called Marketing Mill but it is extremely hard to run content and comepeting with the big guys on your own.
Thanks, Boyan! It is hard to compete with the big guys and I totally sympathize. I write a tiny book review blog on the weekends and always have to shift my expectations when posting there (my best day ever was 429 views which felt amazing!). My advice is to keep at your content and building your audience while trying to judge yourself based on your best days and not those of The New York Times :)
I partially disagree with the fact of not repeating ourselves. Creating viral content is a really hard work, and once you hit the key with your site's audience, you learn some tips to be able to create again quality and shareable content. Not repeating the same again, but learning from success (and failure) is a must.
Hector, I see where you're going and it can be very tempting to replicate your success by shifting your topic or content only slightly, and it might work - in the short term. But people crave novelty and I'd argue that by applying the lessons learned from your initial success more broadly (rather than reiterating) you stand a better chance of really capturing your audience's attention and excitement (instead of "cool, I'll share that" and then forgetting about it entirely).
I believe that we are facing a sharing era, but we are unprepared for it as a society. The number of stupid news I read every day on my social profiles is astounding, and it let me to reduce the number of my contacts to an absolute minimum. I rather add pages I consider worthwhile, while constantly monitoring their efforts. Lately, there have been a surge of pages (especially on FB) which focus on the correction of the mistakes. I still hope there will be a better education in the media and internet for our youngest, who are fully integrated to the new era technologically, but still completely unaware of the possible consequences of big media scams and hoaxes.
Oh, Ikkie, if we judge society by what's posted on Facebook then we might all feel doomed :) Seriously, though, there's a lot to be learned from what attracts people's attention there. I was reading in Harper's just this morning that although The New York Times famously detests kitten stories, they run a lot of them. I'm not saying you should shift your focus to kittens (please don't), but if your interest is in hoaxes, you're likely to find a like-minded and passionate community who can (and will be excited to) help you share future content. Best of luck!
Great post :)
Nice post on useful and advanced SEO stuff. Learning how to utilize this. Thank u.
Nice post!
Create viral content is a big challenge for any online marketing professional. When content goes viral are the customers who come to us, and not we who have to make the effort to convince them to come to us. So when our content goes viral is an adrenaline rush for us and of course we must celebrate.
I hope to get it someday!
Thanks for the article.
Wishing you luck achieving that virality, Tino :)