What Makes a Post Shareable?

 

In the digital age, creating content that goes viral is the holy grail for marketers and content creators. Understanding the elements that contribute to shareability can significantly increase the chances of your content reaching a wide audience.

Let's delve into the science behind viral content and explore real-life examples that illustrate these principles.

Emotional Appeal: Emotional content tends to resonate strongly with audiences and is more likely to be shared. For example,

Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" campaign tapped into emotions by showcasing women's self-perception vs. how others perceive them, leading to widespread sharing due to its powerful message about self-esteem.

Relevance and Timeliness: Content that is relevant to current events or trends has a higher chance of going viral.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a prime example of timely content that spread rapidly, raising awareness and funds for ALS research while engaging participants in a fun and meaningful way.

Surprise and Novelty: Surprise elements or novel ideas can capture attention and encourage sharing. Blendtec's "Will It Blend?" series amazed viewers by blending unusual items like iPhones and golf balls, showcasing the product's durability in a creative and unexpected way.

Visual Impact: Visual content often performs better than text-only content, especially on social media platforms.

The "Old Spice Guy" campaign utilized humorous and visually engaging videos that quickly gained traction and became widely shared across social networks.

Storytelling: Compelling storytelling can make content more relatable and shareable. Airbnb's "We Accept" campaign featured stories of diverse hosts and guests, celebrating inclusivity and fostering a sense of connection that resonated with audiences worldwide.

User-Generated Content: Encouraging user participation and sharing can amplify the reach of your content.

Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" campaign personalized their bottles with popular names, prompting customers to share photos of their customized bottles on social media, driving widespread sharing and engagement.

Practical Value: Content that offers practical value or solves a problem for the audience is highly shareable.

Tasty recipe videos on Facebook provide quick and easy cooking ideas, leading to millions of shares as viewers find the content useful and share-worthy.

Controversy and Debate: While risky, controversial topics or debate-worthy content can spark conversations and drive shares.

Nike's "Dream Crazy" campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick ignited debate and discussion around social issues, leading to widespread sharing and media coverage.

By incorporating these elements into your content strategy and learning from successful viral campaigns, you can increase the likelihood of creating shareable content that resonates with your audience and expands your reach organically.