With video content making up a large portion of the daily media we consume, viral content has become a central pillar of the content we watch online. However, what exactly makes a piece of content go viral? And what similarities does viral content share? This blog post will explore the intricacies of viral social media content and what makes it spread.
Emotional Impact
At the heart of every piece of media we enjoy is emotion! It could be joy, surprise, sadness or anger; if it evokes an emotion, people are drawn to it. Content that stirs emotions is likely to be shared as it connects people, creating the sense of a shared experience. For instance, heartwarming videos of acts of kindness or silly memes often gain traction because they resonate emotionally with a broad audience.
Relatability
Content people can relate to on a personal level often sees higher engagement. Relatable content creates a connection between the content and the people watching it, making it more likely to be shared. Relatability and authenticity go hand in hand, genuine and transparent content resonates more with audiences compared to staged and polished material. This is often why behind-the-scenes glimpses, personal storytimes and user-generated content go viral as they feel real and relatable.
Storytelling
Why do you think nearly every human watches television? It is because humans are natural storytellers and we enjoy a good story! Content that tells a compelling story captivates an audience and can motivate them to share it. A well-told story can evoke emotion and create a memorable experience for the viewer.
Relevance
What’s happening in the world has a huge impact on the online content we view. Often, viral content can stem from creating content around a current talking point in the social or news sphere. Creating content around emerging trends or news can significantly increase the chances of going viral as it’s creating content about exactly what people want to hear about.
Visual Appeal
With a high saturation of various different quality videos popping up on our feeds, quality matters. This doesn’t mean polished and staged material, it means content with a clear message that’s in focus with the correct captions and catchy title. You want to aim to create content that feels impossible to scroll past.
Luck
When looking at viral content there is always an element of unpredictability and luck involved. You could use all of the ingredients to make a viral video but if it doesn’t hit the right audience at the right time it just won’t happen. Whilst there is no magic formula, using emotion, relatability, storytelling, relevance and good visuals can certainly increase your odds.
