Going Viral – Making Your Content Work For You

The dream of every Internet marketing professional and webmaster the world over is to come up with the golden formula that sees their content go viral each and every time. Once something begins to do the rounds in a viral sense, it can be no more than a matter of hours before it is seen by thousands and in just a few days, you have yourself a message that’s found its way out to millions.

Sadly, there still isn’t anything close to a perfect formula for going viral and even the best SEO outsourcing company has to often struggle when it comes to true viral exposure. The reason being that not only do you need to get there ahead of the pack, but you also need to move in line with the times and target what’s interesting at that given moment. Not an easy task, admittedly.

Nevertheless, there are certainly some pointers any writer or webmaster can follow when it comes to maximising their chances of getting a message or piece to go viral. Here are a few examples to start you off in the right direction:

Shock Factor

The first tactic to use is that of shock value, which never fails to coin a reaction. If you can come up with something that’s genuinely shocking to the reader – not necessarily in a bad way – chances are that they will find it impossible not to share it with others. Think of the kinds of things you hear and read every day that prompt you to share the info with others – chances are much of it will to some extent have surprised you. The effect will be the same with your own content, so try to maximise your shock potential but don’t go to extremes.

Emotional Appeal

In a similar vein to the above, you can also prompt the same kind of action if you come up with something that triggers any kind of emotional response whatsoever. If it makes them laugh, cry or think deeply in any way, it’s very likely that they will choose to involve others. Of course, you have to be careful not to cross the line into the tasteless, but get it right and you’re golden. It’s an approach that has worked for so many others. Use it yourself and don’t be shy to get personal.

Diverse

Think way, way outside the box and don’t just go with the obvious stuff. If everyone is talking about one specific subject that’s the in-thing right now, try looking into more diverse subjects and regions of the world to come up with something that might stick. The obvious is never all that interesting, but diversity is always fun. Be original and this will not fail to be appreciated by your readers and visitors.

Concise

Another key tip is to keep whatever it is you’re trying to send viral brief and to the point. There’s a reason why most examples of viral media are no longer than about 30 seconds and most examples of viral content no more than a few lines – most won’t hang around long enough to get the point if it’s too long-winded. Keep it simple and short and you will be golden.

Universal

And finally, you might be looking to attract a certain crowd of interest to your industry, but as far as going viral goes you need to look more from a universal slant. It needs to be something that will hit home or spark a reaction with pretty much anyone that comes across it, as opposed to only those that are already interested in what it is you do. Have an universal appeal and the masses will come to you in spades.

Resource Box: John Baron is a hard-working online marketing consultant at iSolutions Media, an SEO outsourcing company in the Philippines. For more than 5 years, he has helped a lot of businesses win more customers from their websites.