VIRAL contents on social media work in similar way biological virus spread in a human body. In fact, it has been tied to the popular notion that ideas spread like virus. If you want to make a concept trend on social media, do follow these steps. Break the news: A 2010 study found that 52% of people who view news online forward it on through social networks, email or post.
One the best way to make a topic trend is to break news on Twitter. Most times, because most persons are hearing it for the first time, if they find it interesting, they will share it with their followers which will lead to several retweets. Upload a video: If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video may be worth a thousand pictures. Therefore a video is worth ten thousand words. Sharing a video on Facebook makes it go viral.
Tell a story: Most persons like to hear a story. Share an emotional story from your life’s experience that you know people can connect with. Make your story as detail as possible. Make your post emotional: Most people will share an emotional story. Experts suggest you should tap into people’s emotions triggered by high energy responses caused by feelings of awe, anger and anxiety.
A recent research revealed that contents that evoked high arousal emotions positive or negative is more viral than content without emotion. Longer content is better. In a study of the New York Times most emailed list, data showed that longer content is more likely to get shared. Make your post practical. Use a list of ‘how tos.’ Practical contents can be implemented easily. People will most likely share a practical post on Facebook than one which is not.
Be controversial. Every journalist knows that controversy sells. You can even play the devil’s advocate on social media. Playing the Devil’s Advocate means that you take the unpopular side of a controversial topic and show an argument for it. If you decide to play devil’s advocate, you must be 100% sure of your facts, and approach the topics in a way that you do not step on other people’s toes.
Use a hook. A hook in this context refers to a phrase or sentence that will immediately grab the attention of the reader. Ensure the first line is catchy. Grab your reader’s attention and sustain it. Challenge assumptions, and prove them wrong. Share new ways of doing things differently. People are looking for new information. If you can twist a popular belief for instance, some persons will probably share it.
Write what people want to read. It is much easier to study what people are interested in reading and write about it in a practical, step-by-step guide than to write what you feel like writing and force it down people’s throat. Write about what is popular today.
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