What Makes Online Content Go Viral? The Science Behind It

It's that mystical, elusive phenomenon that only happens by accident. Seemingly random videos catch on and spread from person to person as they share some photo, video, or story that caught their interest and grew and grew until it seemed like everyone had heard about it.

Making your online content go viral is something marketers desperately want to do, but they can never seem to do it. It's the accidental videos, the unexpected events, and the completely random happenings that burst into people's consciousness, not the carefully produced and scripted videos.

So what gives? Why does some online content go viral while other content just sinks like a stone, never to be seen after its first launch?

There are a few reasons why content goes viral, and the first thing to know is that you can't manufacture it. You can't make it happen. You can do things that will increase the odds, and give it a better chance of becoming popular. But there's no magical formula or checklist that you have to complete to make your online content get hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of views.

There's an old shampoo commercial in the United States in the 1980s that went, "When I first tried Faberge Organics shampoo, it was so good, I told two friends about it. And they told two friends. And so on, and so on, and so on." (The movie "Wayne's World" even spoofed it.)

As the commercial goes on, we see the actress (Heather Locklear) multiply several times as each friend tells two more friends who tell two more friends, leading to exponential growth, which caused billions of people on Earth to hear about Faberge Organics shampoo in a few days.*

• Not really.

This is a great example of how things go viral. You see something cool, you share it with your 1,000 followers, and they share it with their 1,000 followers, and so on and so on and so on.

Maybe all 1,000 followers won't share it, maybe only ten people will share it. Even so, imagine how quickly that content will spread if ten people share it at a time, and ten of their friends share it, and so on and so on and so on.

This is how online content goes viral.

For content to be considered viral, it generally has to be shared a lot within a 24-hour period. Depending on who you ask, the numbers will be vastly different, and it depends on the platform.

Caption.ai says it can be thousands to millions in 24 hours. They specify that on TikTok, that's usually 1 million views in a few days. On YouTube, it's 5 million in one week. And it's 1 million in 3 – 5 days on Instagram or 3 – 5 million on Facebook in a week.

FourthWall says it's 1 million in a week for YouTube; Instagram is 10,000 – 20,000 views in a few days; 10,000 views in a few hours on TikTok; and Twitter "just" needs tens of thousands of likes and retweets.

While that may be an "unofficial-official" designation, I heard a friend once say that he had more views on a post than he had followers, and that was a good indication of the post's success. That may not mean it's viral, but it does show that you're on the right track.

There are several reasons why things go viral. (We'll talk about how to do it in a minute.) Social psychologists have researched this and come up with a few good reasons why we share content gets shared over and over, all around the world.

Professor Jonas Berger from the University of Pennsylvania wrote a book called, Contagious: Why Things Catch On. In it, he said there were six elements that made online content viral. He called it the STEPPS model: Social Currency, Triggers, Emotions, Public, Practical Value, and Stories.

• Social currency. Knowing about and sharing interesting content makes us look good to our peers. It can establish us as thought leaders and trendsetters, or at least people who are "in the know" about all the cool stuff. It fulfills our need to belong.

• Triggers. Our brains are wired to pay attention to certain images and ideas, and any content that taps these triggers is likely to get shared. It could be something humorous, surprising, or outrageous and angering. We share that because we responded to it ourselves.

• Emotions. The marketing technology company, Unruly, found that videos that stir an emotional response, positive or negative, are more likely to be shared. Since our brains are wired to respond to emotional triggers, your content needs to inspire some sort of emotion.

• Public. If we see a lot of people sharing content, we're more likely to share it ourselves. A post with a lot of shares and comments is more interesting, and we're more likely to trust it.

• Practical value. We love news we can use. Focus on being useful and valuable more than being entertaining. Do a quick search for tips or hacks on your favorite hobby, and chances are, someone has done a video on it with thousands of views.

• Storytelling. People are drawn to narratives and content that tell a story. It's ingrained in us. Before we ever had a written alphabet, we told stories to share knowledge. And that still resonates with us today.

Finally, it doesn't fit in STEPPS, but viral content is always short. Shakespeare said, "Brevity is the soul of wit." MDG Advertising says that most viral videos are less than three minutes in length, so if you can't get your message across in that time, you won't go viral.

Your content doesn't have to be short but don't plan on your one-hour product demonstration video to go viral.

If you understand the psychology behind why and what people will share, you can greatly increase the odds of your online content making it big.

This is it. This is the formula that you need to follow to make your content go viral. As I said above, these won't guarantee your content goes viral, but viral content has these things in common. Some of them repeat the STEPPS process above, which shows you how important they are.

1. Be authentic. Skip the flashy marketing tactics and just be yourself. Let your brand personality show in your content. Show your human side and connect with your audience on a personal level. People will share content from a brand they can trust.

2. Laughter, Awe, and Surprise. If it makes people laugh or feel inspired, they're more likely to share it. Sad content does not go viral as easily. Positive emotions win out.

3. Outrage and anger. You only have to see the state of social media to see that anger and frustration are gaining clicks. Don't use negativity for negativity's sake. Generate outrage in a respectful way, but just know you could alienate a lot of viewers, too.

4. Keep it short and sweet. According to a Microsoft study, we now have an attention of roughly 8 seconds. That means your content needs to grab people's attention right away. Also, keep your content concise and to the point — short videos, infographics, and updates.

5. Heavy on the visuals. Visuals are captivating. This is why videos perform better than written text. Share your report findings in an infographic, do demo videos, and invest in a stock photo subscription.

6. Tell a story. Stories are powerful because they carry underlying messages and lessons. They let us connect with characters, feel emotions, and learn new information. Weave a short story like a case study or customer success story into your content to make it memorable.

7. Make it sharable. Your website or social platform needs to make things easy to share. One thing I don't like about Instagram is that there is no re-share button, not like Twitter or Threads. Make sharing buttons easy to find on your website, too.

8. Be strategic about hashtags. Using too many hashtags looks spammy and desperate. But, relevant hashtags can reach your target audience. Never use more than four, and be sure to research which hashtags are gaining the most traction first.

9. Collaborate. Sometimes the best way to get noticed is to team up with someone who already has an audience. Work with industry influencers, vendors, or clients on a joint project or event. By sharing audiences, you can expand both parties' reach.

10. Timing. There are peak times when you should post on social media, depending on the platform and your audience. However, this is a moving target, so research when your target audience is most active online. Schedule your posts and use automation tools to cross-post.

You know the why and how of viral online content, there are a few things you need to remember about content marketing in general, not just viral content.

• Quality over quantity. You may think churning out a lot of content will make something stick, but this isn't a lottery. You don't increase your odds by producing more stuff, especially if it's bad. Create well-researched, informative, entertaining content, but make less of it.

• Know your audience. Viral content resonates because it taps into your specific audience's interests. It doesn't have to be all things to all people, it has to fit the demographics and interests of your target audience

• Be persistent. Success doesn't happen overnight. You need time, effort, and luck. Continue to create high-quality content (see above), experiment with different formats, and measure the results to see what works. Create more of what does the best and ignore the low performers.

• The power of paid. Organic reach on social media is dropping, so consider spending money to boost your social posts to reach a wider audience. Sometimes buying exposure is a whole lot easier than working for it. Sometimes that boost is all you need to reach your biggest audience.

• Call to action. Great, you went viral! Now what? What should people do after they see your content? Make sure your CTA is clear and easy, whether it's visiting your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or making a purchase.

• Track the results. Don't create and publish blindly. You have to know what works and why. Use different analytics tools and website trackers to see which content is working and where the traffic is coming from. This will help you create even better content in the future.

• It's often unexpected. There's a formula to going viral, but it is a random chance. Sometimes the most unexpected content will be successful, and you'll never see it coming. Be open to experimenting with different formats.

• Be accountable. If your content does go viral, you need to be prepared to handle the sudden surge in traffic and attention. Make sure your website and social media people can handle the sudden surge in attention. Have a plan in place to respond to comments and messages.

Chasing viral fame is tempting, but it's only temporary. You can't base your company's financial success on it any more than playing the lottery can be your retirement fund. Think of your brand as a tree that needs to be nurtured and cared for in order to make it grow.

To cultivate it, you need to understand your audience and know what keeps them up at night and what makes them laugh. Develop your brand identity that resonates with them and work to become someone they can trust and connect with.

Don't churn out mediocre content in the hopes of going viral. Make valuable content that informs, entertains, or inspires. Remember, an authentic connection is critical. So answer questions, respond to comments, and build a community around your brand.

If you focus on the elements discussed in this article, you have a chance of making your online content go viral and reaching a larger audience than you intended. Just make sure you can deliver on the ideas that you promised and be ready to handle all the new traffic and sales that come your way.

Your online presence will ultimately be built on sustained and consistent value, not on a once-in-a-lifetime hit that people share and then ultimately forget.