How to make your instagram post go viral
How to Go Viral on Instagram: Strategies for Your Brand
You want to know how to go viral on Instagram.
We’ve seen brands and influencers become overnight sensations on the platform.
It’s no surprise, considering there are 2 billion monthly active Instagram users looking for unique, engaging content on the app.
But going viral on Instagram is far from easy. Thankfully, it’s possible if you follow some proven tips and best practices.
In this article, we’ll walk you through 11 tips for how to go viral on Instagram.
1. Know your audience
Understanding your target audience on Instagram will help you create more relatable content that’s more likely to go viral.
Below are some ways to identify your Instagram audience:
- Study your buyer personas. If your company has existing data on your ideal customer profiles (ICPs) and buyer personas, start there. Find Instagram audiences that share characteristics with your brand’s customers.
- Look at your Instagram analytics. If you’re already using Instagram for business, go to your analytics and look at audience demographics. This will show you what kind of people are following you and engaging with your posts. You can also use Sprout Social’s reporting tools to dig deeper into your Instagram audience data.
- Find your competitors’ audiences. Not sure who to target? Head over to competitor Instagram accounts and study their followers. Chances are these people are your target audience as well.
- Use social listening tools. Track online conversations around your brand and niche using a social listening tool like Sprout Social. This will help you identify not only your audience but also any influencers you can partner with to boost your content.
Once you’ve narrowed down your Instagram audience, understand their interests, goals and habits. Study the accounts they follow and the posts they interact with.
All of this will give you a solid idea of what kind of content is sure to be a hit.
2. Keep an eye on trends
Trends on social media change fast, and Instagram is no different. Marketers need to quickly jump on new trends to create viral content.
Whether it’s posting more videos, using new content formats or adding trending music to your Reels — if it’s going viral, you need to get on it.
For example, a recent Instagram trend is the increased use of Instagram Reels — the bite-sized, vertical video format inspired by TikTok.
Reels generate more engagement than regular videos on the platform, which make them perfect for going viral.
Other trends we’ve spotted this year include using link stickers in Stories, leveraging story ads and cross-promoting Twitter posts.
3. Establish a unique brand voice
The key to standing out on Instagram is to be creative and authentic.
For businesses, this means finding your own voice that’s unlike any other brand.
One that also resonates with your target audience and keeps them engaged with your content.
BBC Earth offers an excellent example of what establishing a unique and creative brand voice can do for you on Instagram.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by BBC Earth (@bbcearth)
They consistently share stunning visuals with informative captions that are also humorous and relatable at the same time. Talk about non-boring educational content!
The result? Viral posts with thousands of likes, comments and shares.
4. Audit your own posts
Conducting an Instagram audit is important so your new strategy to go viral doesn’t clash with your existing posts and branding.
It will also help you identify gaps to work on before posting new content. Maybe your captions need work.
Or maybe you need to align your bio and profile photo with your brand to look authentic and professional.
Whatever it is, fixing any issues with your current aesthetic, brand voice and content will increase the chances of success for your future posts.
5. Study the competition
If you need help coming up with ideas for viral content, turn to your competitors. Analyze their posts and find out what’s working for them.
- What are their top and worst performing posts?
- What’s their brand voice like?
- What kinds of formats do they use?
- How do they engage with their audience?
- What days or times do they post most frequently?
Sprout’s Instagram Competitors Report can help you gather, visualize and analyze this data from a single dashboard.
Use the insight to fuel your own creativity. Of course, this doesn’t mean you start copying your competitors. Think of it as starting on the right foot.
You may even borrow some ideas as long as you add your own personality.
Be careful of copyright infringement and stay true to your brand voice.
6. Engage with other accounts
Get noticed on Instagram by actively engaging with your audience. The more you show up in people’s feeds and notifications, the more exposure your profile and posts will get.
Plus, customers love brands that walk the extra mile and treat them as individuals.
And let’s not forget the Instagram algorithm rewards posts with high engagement and shows them more frequently on the Explore page.
So, ask questions, add calls-to-action and encourage interaction in your posts and captions. Also, don’t forget to respond to audience comments — both positive and negative.
7. Use analytics to learn what worked before
Analytics help you make data-driven decisions about everything — including developing viral content. The result? More chances of success.
Use Instagram’s built-in analytics to track key metrics related to engagement and follower growth.
Learn about what worked in the past, what didn’t do so well and what kind of posts and stories are usually a hit with your audience.
Looking to go in-depth? Use a third-party analytics tool like Sprout Social.
You’ll get access to granular Instagram metrics, visual reports and the ability to track analytics for competitors and multiple accounts.
8. Recreate viral content
This is probably the easiest way to go viral on Instagram.
But practice it with caution.
Don’t just copy and paste viral content — add your own twist to it.
Explore your feed, look at viral posts in your niche and follow popular hashtags to find content to recreate. Here’s a look at how we created a viral video.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Sprout Social (@sproutsocial)
Better yet, look for viral content on other platforms.
For example, TikTok is a great place to find inspiration for Instagram Reels.
Since this content has already worked in the past, it’s likely to work for you as well. Just make sure you tweak it to appeal to your specific audience.
9. Partner with an influencer
Going viral on your own can be challenging, especially if you’re new to the platform or have a small following. This is where Instagram influencer marketing can help.
Partnering with popular creators in your niche can bring your content tons of exposure. You can either ask for reposts and mentions, or co-create content with them. The more eyeballs you get on your content, the more chances you have of going viral.
For example, Kapten & Son partners with travel influencers to create viral content promoting their backpacks.
The best influencers usually have an engaged following that trusts them. Having these creators endorse your brand or product can do wonders for your own credibility.
10.
Determine the best time to post on InstagramYour followers are not scrolling Instagram all the time — they work and sleep too. The key is to find out when they’re most active and then hit post for maximum engagement.
Sprout Social’s data shows the average global peak engagement times.
While it’s good to keep these averages in, the best time to post on Instagram for your brand will vary based on the unique characteristics of your audience.
Factors like location, time zone, interests, hobbies, schedules, age and gender all affect social media behavior. Use Instagram analytics to find out your followers’ peak activity hours and use that to schedule posts.
11. Post consistently to grow your followers
In addition to posting at the best times, you should also post consistently to attract more followers and build a strong presence on the platform.
Posting randomly or taking long breaks in between can make new, excited followers slowly forget about your brand.
Stay on top of their minds by posting great content regularly.
They’ll soon come to expect entertainment or creativity from your brand, which is always a good thing for your brand image and engagement.
Use Instagram automation to help you stick to a consistent posting schedule. For example, Sprout’s scheduling features enable you to set up a content calendar for Instagram and post at optimal times.
How many likes is viral on Instagram?
Generally, posts with 100,000+ likes or views and 1,000+ comments are considered to be viral. However, the term ‘viral’ is subjective and can mean different things to different brands.
For example, you might consider a post to go viral if it crosses 10,000 views. Or, if you’re a smaller brand targeting a very niche audience, viral can also mean 1,000 views or likes.
The point is — it depends. We recommend benchmarking based on your own analytics and competitor data, and aiming for higher (but realistic) engagement rates as you grow.
Create a data-driven strategy to go viral on Instagram
Going viral on Instagram can be tricky, but not impossible.
The trick is to use data to fuel your creative efforts, post timely and consistently and take advantage of new trends.
Most importantly, stay true to your brand voice and always be authentic. You’ll only drive away customers with repetitive and pretentious content. If you want to stand out from the noise, you need to be unique.
If you’re wondering how to use data and analytics to create amazing content customers love to watch and share, check out our complete guide to Instagram marketing.
How to go viral on Instagram FAQs
How many views makes a video viral on Instagram?
Instagram videos with more than 100,000 views are considered to be viral. However, that number largely varies depending on your specific goals, audience and industry benchmarks.
How many likes does it take to go viral on Instagram?
Instagram posts with 100,000+ likes are considered to be viral.
But your definition of ‘viral’ could be different based on your industry, goals and number of followers.
How do I make my IG Reel go viral?
Create viral Instagram Reels by using trending music, text captions, hashtags and custom Reel covers. Additionally, publish your IG Reel at peak activity hours, share it on your feed and stories and capture audience attention in the first few seconds with an enticing hook.
What is the best time to post on Instagram?
The best times to post on Instagram are on Monday at 11 a.m., Tuesday and Wednesday between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. However, this can vary based on your specific industry and audience.
How To Go Viral On Instagram: The Beginner's Guide
Are you struggling to gain traction on Instagram? Still waiting for your first post to go viral?
It’s hard to know exactly what makes a post go viral on this platform.
Instagram’s algorithm is a closely guarded secret.
But it is possible to increase your chances by following a number of specific tips.
In this post, you’ll find exactly what they are so you can implement them in your strategy. And finally start seeing the results your content deserves.
Ready? Let’s get started:
What does it mean to go viral on Instagram?
A lot of brands don’t consider an Instagram post to be viral until it hits at least 100,000 likes. Does that seem like an impossible number to you? That’s because it’s too broad of a rule to follow.
Viral in your niche may look a lot different than what’s considered viral in another niche. Let’s say you and your competitors only receive around 2,000 likes per post. This means a post that reaches 10,000 likes could be considered viral.
Of course, reaching that 100,000 milestone would be nice. More likes means more followers and more click-throughs depending on the campaign you’re using.
To be more specific, when a post goes viral, it’ll have a lot more…
- Likes than the majority of your posts.
- Shares than the rest of your posts.
- Views from unique users.
- Activity on Instagram than your other posts. This means it receives interactions much quicker and continues to receive interactions long after activity for the majority of your posts stalls.
What you do with the viral traffic you receive is up to you. If you want more followers, insert a gentle “follow us” reminder at the end of your post.
If you want click-throughs to your website or landing page, you’ll need to use a tool that allows you to create a splash page for links on Instagram. Instagram only allows you to insert a link in your profile’s bio section rather than individual posts.
Shorby is a great option for this. It’s simple and affordable. We’ve even reviewed it if you want an in-depth look at the tool before you try it out yourself.
As for going viral, we have eight tips to share with you today.
8 tips on how to go viral on Instagram
Tip #1: Research your audience and your competitors’ audiences
Sure, #fashion and #art may be among the top 100 most popular hashtags on Instagram, but that doesn’t mean your content should target them if your niche is entirely unrelated.
Conduct research on your target market via audience surveys instead. These are short questionnaires that allow you to learn more about the type of people that make up your audience, what their interests are and the struggles they’re experiencing in your niche.
More importantly, discover what types of content your audience interacts with most on Instagram by researching your own and your competitors’ analytics. You can learn a lot about the types of content your audience prefers by reviewing yours and competitors’ most-liked and most-commented posts.
Use a tool like Pallyy to analyze your competitors on Instagram. Check out our Pallyy review to learn how it works.
Tip #2: Recreate your competitors’ viral Instagram posts
You should have a decent-sized list of your competitors’ most popular posts after the last tip. You can use this to get a headstart on the type of content that may help you go viral.
Don’t simply copy your competitors’ content outright.
Your audiences likely overlap, and they will catch on and call you out on it.
Let some time pass instead. Then, analyze the post to see how you can create something that’s similar but unique to your brand.
For instance, if your competitor keeps going viral for quick how-to videos, come up with a way to create your own short tutorials in a style that’s unique to you.
Tip #3: Recreate viral content from other social media platforms
This is similar to the previous tip, except you’ll research your competitors’ content on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. TikTok is a great place to look as well if your competitors happen to use it.
What you want to do is see what’s working for your audience on other social media platforms, then recreate that content in your own style on Instagram.
Again, don’t simply copy and paste what your competitors are doing. If their most popular YouTube videos are dedicated to reviews on products in your niche, don’t simply review the same products in the same review format.
Find a simpler way to review and showcase products, then turn your content into high-quality images, videos and Instagram stories.
Tip #4: Use your own voice
When you’re a new blogger or a young startup, you likely do your best to maintain a professional image on social media platforms. This may include never mentioning your personal life and speaking only in an anonymous voice (using we, us and ours instead of I, my and mine).
What you may not be aware of is that you can actually do a lot to improve your chances of being noticed on social media by simply showing more of your own personality. You may even increase your chances of going viral on Instagram by getting personal.
Take Bindi Irwin, conservationist and daughter of famed wildlife expert Steve Irwin, as an example. A lot of Bindi’s posts get around 100,000 likes on Instagram with some receiving a few hundred thousand. Posts featuring only pictures of animals receive even less, around 50,000 or so.
However, when she took to Instagram to announce the birth of her child, she received an astonishing 1.4 million likes, much higher than her average posts.
The post was accompanied by an image of her, her husband and her newborn along with a heartfelt Instagram caption.
It’s proof that behaving more like a real person on Instagram rather than a marketer does a lot to set you apart on the platform.
Tip #5: Be more active on Instagram
Some marketers are lucky. They barely post on Instagram, and suddenly find themselves going massively viral with a single post.
Others aren’t so fortunate. If you’re struggling to gain traction on social media, try being more active on the platform outside of publishing content.
Respond to every comment users leave on your posts, and use a unique reply every time. Never send canned responses on social media. It’s among the easiest ways to aggravate users as they’re able to see you send the same message to dozens of other users.
You should also become more active with your competitors. It’s an easy way to collaborate on Instagram. Respond to their posts and stories more, and even communicate with their own user comments.
You’ll start to become known to them and their audiences over time. They may even start interacting with your content.
Instagram does a reasonable job at keeping you in the loop with notifications but once your account activity increases, it will get harder to keep track of. A social media inbox tool can help you keep on top of your comments.
Tip #6: Run social media contests on Instagram
This is one of the easiest ways to go viral on Instagram. People love free stuff. Others love participating in competitions.
What you want to do is create a contest specific to your niche and have participants send their submissions via photos or videos on Instagram.
For example, if your blog is about web design, give your audience a challenge. Have them create a single web page that teaches people about the moon.
They should submit their photos on their own Instagram accounts. Whoever has the best page design with the best functionalities wins.
Even better, make liking the competition announcement post and following your account requirements for winning.
Just keep the number of competitions you run to a minimum. You don’t want to wind up in a position where they’re the only posts of yours that get any activity.
Here are a few resources to help you out:
- 16 Creative Ideas For Instagram Giveaways And Contests
- How To Do A Giveaway On Instagram That Grows Your Audience
Tip #7: Market products on Instagram
This tip is similar to the tip where we recommended posting product reviews to Instagram, except this time we have data on why this type of content works.
Influence Central interviewed more than 400 women who partake in online shopping and found the following data:
- 82% claim that social media recommendations change the way they research products.
- 81% claim product reviews influence their shopping habits.
- 72% prefer to use social media as a way to verify marketing claims about products they’re interested in buying.
- 57% use images and videos on social media to finalize their decisions. 53% use testimonials while 51% use reader comments.
It’s clear that product marketing is an effective way to receive more activity on social media. You can market your own products or products you’re affiliated with.
Be sure to read StartupBonsai’s guide on writing Instagram captions if you want to increase your sales.
Tip #8: Create niche-specific life hack videos
The study we mentioned in the previous tip produced another piece of data that may help you create viral social media content:
42% of consumers claim life hack content influences their likelihood of buying products and services.
It’s true. Hashtags containing the phrase “life hack” are quite popular.
When you plan new Instagram content, especially content for products, come up with content that solves a specific problem your audience experiences in a simple way.
For instance, apps like Uber and Lyft solve the problem of obtaining transportation in a quick and easy way. However, this is too broad of a problem. You should instead create life hacks that teach your audience how to save on rides, how to find hidden features and more.
Final thoughts
Knowing what content to create is only half the battle. Creating and actually publishing that content is where the true struggles of running a successful Instagram account lie.
Do yourself a favor and create your account well ahead of time. You’ll save a lot of time and guesswork in the future, and you’ll never be without content to post to Instagram.
Social media scheduling tools work great for this purpose. It gives you two ways to schedule Instagram content. It’s also quite affordable for bloggers, and you can even try it for free.
Above all, analyze your content as you go so you can understand what’s working and what’s not.
Related Reading:
- 32 Latest Instagram Statistics, Facts, And Trends
- How To Get More Views On Instagram Stories
- How Many Instagram Followers Do You Need To Make Money?
- Instagram Hashtags: The Complete Guide
- The Best Times To Post On Social Media
- 30+ Instagram Tips To Grow Your Audience & Save Time
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
This means we may make a small commission if you make a purchase.
Instagram virus: how to make a popular post
Since the whole world is sitting at home because of one virus, it's time to think about creating your own contagious element - viral content. People are spending more time on social media, so now is the best opportunity to create a post that everyone will share.
A real viral post is, most often, a series of accidents and a fortunate combination of circumstances that allowed the publication to disperse. And although it is impossible to control this, there are aspects that will help your material become quite popular:
Unfamiliar for the target audience
Your subscribers and target audience are used to about the same “tone” of content that everyone follows in a certain niche. Presentation, images, meanings - everything is about the same for everyone. But when clearly different content breaks into this conditional silence, it attracts attention.
Remember the same “Pushechnaya” from SETTERS, whose account was not run like a typical bakery. It is not necessary to wait for an occasion and a topic that should burst out all over the world. Getting coverage among your target audience is what is important for commercial social networks, and moving away from the usual foundations will already help to do this.
News agenda
You can take both public news and touch on a topic from your industry. Well-executed situational content always gets enough attention. This works because the news itself already has some traffic and interest, so it would be appropriate to enter this stream and get some of the coverage for yourself. The main thing to remember about three points:
- do not touch "black" topics (or be careful with them, as there is a high risk of running into negativity)
- respond quickly (no one will pay attention to the situation in the old way of information, so do not delay the implementation of such content) Battle with a competitor
This does not mean conflicts and unreasonable attacks on colleagues in the shop, but rather friendly jokes.
Everyone is familiar with the confrontation between car brands, fast food restaurants, mobile operators and others. Albeit not on such a scale, but this technique can be used on your own. The audience likes to follow the development of such stories. Therefore, conflicts between bloggers are so popular on the Internet, and most films are built on the struggle of two sides. In marketing, there are even known cases of artificial conflicts for the sake of PR. So the option works.
Post design
Since we are chasing reach, the publication should look attractive. No one will share a post with a worse design than WhatsApp congratulations. Here again we take into account the tastes of the target audience and decide whether we want to stand out with the presentation. If yes, then do not forget to explicitly indicate whose post this is. If you remember about the same “Pyshechnaya”, then the product itself was everywhere in the photo - donuts. If they are removed, then such content will not even be thought that it belongs to a bakery.
Visibility of the post
The title and image should reflect the "sharpness" of the topic and develop it in the post itself. Otherwise, the publication will be scrolled, and your attempt to make a viral post will look like an uncertain answer from a schoolboy in an undertone. How exactly to highlight it is up to you, but the idea itself is worth keeping in mind.
Touch the emotions
Here you should mainly use either joy or anger/indignation. In the first case, people will share because of "look how funny/bold". In the second, the user's personal opinion will serve as motivation, where he will show in every possible way how he does not agree with the author or simply indicates an alternative view. The former are easier to work with, but the latter can bring more reach due to the activity under the post.
Total
The purpose of such a post, most often, is simply to get attention for your brand. But it is much better if the publication also has an additional purpose: to sell, inform, benefit, and so on.
Having done all this correctly, the post will not only spread across the network, but will also affect other indicators.
Viral content in social networks - how to create and use it correctly
Viral content, according to Wikipedia, is content that spreads almost exponentially thanks to the recipients themselves. This magic comes from its content, which captivates with a bright, creative, unusual presentation or a natural and trusting message.
It would seem that everything is simple - do it beautifully and get likes with reposts. But in practice, not everyone manages to promote social media regulars to organic reach. Therefore, we have a short guide for you.
Examples of viral content
There can be any content that has spread throughout the country and not only thousands and thousands of reposts. Positive - a funny meme on the topic of the day, or negative - a tragic event that shocked everyone.
I think it's not a secret that one of the most widespread "viruses" today is content about viruses.
News, humor, banter.
How did the business take advantage of this? He began to create masks with designs and popularize them on the Internet.
And to get more attention, they put masks on statues, paintings, animalsFunny pictures with animals often become discussed, sent, and also a source of inspiration for new memes. This tailed helper made a splash on Facebook* many years ago, and is still found on the Internet.
Car service employeeWhen major sites or instant messengers experience serious failures, not only social networks, but also news publications are full of messages and pictures on this topic in the very first hours.
The failure of the messenger and social networks generates a lot of viral content There are photos, the meme with which is so perfect for different situations that the photos begin to be altered to suit their thoughts and needs, not only ordinary users, but also brands.
To get the results you want with content, we recommend reading the article Content Marketing Techniques: New and Old, but Effective.
Examples of viral content on Instagram*
Let's start with an experiment done by advertiser Chris Godfrey. He wanted to create the most popular post in the world.
Here it is:
With 5 million subscribers, 55 million likes. It is not difficult to imagine how many times subscribers reposted Chris acted on the principle: keep it simple and people will reach out to you.
And it worked! In the first 10 days alone, the post collected almost 20 million likes.
Of course, such virality is an exception and an experiment for the sake of an experiment.
Now on Instagram* they are actively spreading:
News and memes about viruses Pictures about how ambiguous the Russian language is Videos, vines and rils on topical topics or just entertainment easier to create. A dance or a sequence of certain actions to catchy music is instantly picked up by other users.Read more about the new format in the articles: "Instagram Reels: Everything you need to know about short video reels on Instagram*" and "Targeted ads on Instagram* Reels: a guide".
Psychology of viral content
Viral content always evokes some vivid emotions. This was also confirmed by Buzzsumo's Steve Rayson, who analyzed the viral content itself. A publication becomes unnaturally popular if it is:
- entertaining;
- amazing;
- touching;
- beautiful;
- inspiring;
- warning;
- shocking.
That is, news, post, picture or video should not leave a person indifferent. An Internet user should be eager to share this with others, and he will not be lazy, because the content is too emotional to keep it to himself or at least not speak out about it on his page.
Another psychological component that can increase the chance of content to go viral, Steve considers the relevance of the topic, which should evoke emotion.
Overpopulation of the Earth, shown in several photos touches the souls of people much more than the text. Such materials are measured in hundreds of thousands of repostsWhere to get ideas for viral content
Method 1. Monitor competitors.
We are waiting for blunders and just some ambiguous statements, we come up with creatives for their creatives. Perhaps the easiest way for marketers. It is important to be clear and honest here, otherwise you can be too smart with creatives or cause a wave of indignation when Photoshop is revealed.
Attention, hint : try to negotiate with the advertising department of competitors and come up with a joint “war”, which will then be talked about in the media and social networks. Google to this day is teeming with examples of brand skirmishes, but, as always, foreign ones win. We believe and expect that domestic marketers will soon come up with something worthy too.
The eternal confrontation of automotive brands: each congratulates the other on the victory. And the signature is from the winner in other nominations and competitionsMethod 2. Monitor the news
There will always be such topics as nostalgia, human rights, humor, animals on the hype - this was bequeathed to us by the fathers of BuzzFeed viral advertising. But what if it doesn't work for your community?
First of all, check this very BuzzFeed more often. Who did not know, this is one of the top news portals abroad, which constantly covers current topics, comes up with the most readable headlines and tracks all trends, from cats to the degree of tolerance of Russia towards the LGBT community.
If you're thinking about creating cool viral content, don't be too lazy to go to Google Trends, well, at least a few times a week. And for those who lead highly specialized communities, it is useful to bookmark the same sharpened Telegram channels, forums, news sites, etc. or maybe a current poll or any other version of a viral post, immediately think about whether you would repost this content to yourself or not. After the answer is yes, try it right away - the longer you put off creating viral content, the less experience you will gain, and the later you will achieve recognition. Se la vie.
Method 3. Monitor hashtags
Thanks to Instagram* for inventing a subscription to hashtags - it means that now you can always be aware of cutting-edge news in any field. The main thing is to identify suitable hashtags.
Spend time collecting keywords in Wordstat to follow these hashtags on Instagram*. See what hashtags your direct competitors use, other companies in your industry, what bloggers and celebrities use, who could theoretically become your face.
Voila, your list is ready! Stay tuned for updates and catch the hype war.
Attention, hint: don't forget that hashtags can be not only direct, like #concrete, #buygucci, #dancenatt. But also emotional: #fail, #crazy, #lovely. But it is emotions that rule when creating viruses. Sympathy, empathy unites with clients. With your content, make them love and hate with you.
Method 4: Follow the influencers
Most likely, when creating a content plan for your community, you also made a rough list of opinion leaders in your industry. And it is important not only to repost news from their pages, but also to respond with content to their statements, discussions, and even various challenges. This will also allow you to hype on reach.
An example of viral content on the pages of the creators of the advertising agency LBAHow to create viral content on Instagram*
coverage. But also, for example, to teach something, to entertain, to evoke emotions and thoughts.
Therefore, even before creating a post, it is important to think about the goal. If you publish, for example, a phrase on your narrowly focused blog, then it should express the point of view of the audience, so that readers think: “How they took it off their tongue,” and immediately began to repost to themselves.
The second step will be to work on the header. The most working schemes: polls, questions, numbers and negative. As for the negative, remember the headlines of the ads that flicker on sites with free movies. They intrigue with scandalous and often negative headlines that are usually quickly debunked in the article itself. But, one way or another, the majority follow the link and start reading...
The next step is writing the text. Even if it's not a meme, the text should still be as short as possible. People do not like to read and share canvases of text. Therefore, in this case, listen to the Glavred as much as possible - write and abbreviate.
So, if you want to use viral content as a method of promoting your Instagram account*, remember the following:
- content must be relevant today. Or "eternal", relevant at all times;
- content should be relevant to your target audience, especially if it's some kind of phrase or news;
- the post should have a catchy title;
- and, once again, evoke the brightest emotions.
Read more about current newsbreaks in the article “Situational content: advertising at the speed of Flash” in our blog. And also catch “Idea for a post. Cool news: the reason is one, the posts are different.
So, once you've come up with content and drawn/written it, publish it. It is better to do this during those hours when the activity in your account is the greatest. In order not to check the clock and not be nervous, use the SMMplanner deferred posting service.
- Create a video using any program on your computer.
- Open SMMplanner and start creating a new post.
- Upload the video, add a description, and set the time for the post to go online.
- Enjoy the comments!
What not to do when creating a virus
You can’t release content that you would not share yourself.
You can't create content in a vacuum, that is, suck a news story out of your finger — well, unless you're a PR person. For example, if the media is actively discussing the topic of the end of the world, you can safely, like BuzzFeed, publish an article with the title “32 pictures you need to see before you die” and be sure of success. During the Olympics, these same geniuses published the article “Olympic Games or Gay Porn?”. Guess what is better to write about now? And, as you understand, it is not at all necessary to express your opinion or repost memes. It's enough just to get attached to the topic.
What can be done when creating a virus
Use topics that infuriate everyone - according to psychologists, common hatred unites.
For example, a recent interview that Ksenia Sobchak took from Elena Blinovskaya, the creator of the marathon, about how to bring any thing or event into life with the power of thought. It blew up Instagram*. Everyone who ran the marathon and who only heard about him spoke about him, because the expectation / reality did not match.
But no matter how they call Elena, she could not buy such powerful advertising for any money.Adapt general topics to suit her. You must have come across headlines in the spirit of "Don't tell anyone: ..." in the style of "Fight Club"? Or posts in the style of “We had 2 bags of weed, 75 mescaline tablets, 5 brands of the most powerful acid, half a salt shaker of cocaine and a mountain of pathogens”, adapted to any topic.
Use interactive content. Remember how tests in the spirit of “My psychological age” went around the Internet and how many memes there were later.
