The social media landscape is crowded, with businesses vying for attention and trying to go viral. But going viral isn’t just luck; it’s a strategy that aligns with audience behavior, trends, and the platform’s algorithm.
This guide covers social media viral growth hacks, with tips and tricks to increase reach, engagement, and visibility. Read on to get a viral growth strategy that works.
Shareable Content That Drives Engagement
For viral content to go viral, it must be shareable, relevant, and impactful. Shareable content taps into the emotions of the audience, making them want to engage and share with their own networks.
The key is creating content that resonates and adds value through humor, inspiration, or practical advice. Here are tips for creating shareable content:
Leverage Storytelling
Use relatable stories that evoke happiness, nostalgia, or surprise. Story-driven content tends to have higher engagement as it grabs attention and encourages sharing.
Provide Practical Value
Content that solves a problem or offers actionable advice is more likely to be shared. How-to guides, tutorials, or industry tips can get a lot of attention and go viral.
A great example of a business providing practical value through content is HubSpot, a leading marketing software company. HubSpot offers a wealth of resources, including comprehensive how-to guides, tutorials, and industry tips on topics like inbound marketing, SEO, and sales strategies.
Their blog features actionable advice that helps businesses improve their marketing efforts, such as “How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy in 7 Steps” and “The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing.”
This valuable content not only educates its audience but also encourages sharing, resulting in increased visibility and brand awareness for HubSpot.
Use High-Quality Visuals
Whether it’s images, infographics, or videos, visually appealing content stands out on social media feeds, making it more likely to be shared. Invest in good graphics and consider using design tools to enhance the look.
Pique Interest
Use interesting headlines or questions that make people want to learn more. Curiosity drives clicks and shares.
Use CTAs
Ask followers to "tag a friend," "share this post," or "join the conversation." can significantly boost engagement and expand your reach on social media.
For example, a fitness brand might post a motivational quote and ask, "Tag a friend you’d crush your fitness goals with!" This prompts users to engage with the content and share it with their friends, creating a ripple effect that increases visibility and fosters a sense of community among followers.
Stay Informed
Tying your content to trending topics or popular events makes it relevant and keeps your audience informed and up-to-date. This strategy often leads to more shares and engagement.
👉🏼Check out our article for insights and practical ideas on how to boost your social media content's shareability and engagement.
How to Use User-Generated Content for Viral Reach
User-generated content (UGC) is the most authentic and cost-effective way to expand your reach on social media. When your followers share content about your brand, it’s social proof; it builds credibility and trust.
The organic nature of UGC makes it more likely to go viral. People trust recommendations and content from other users more than branded content.
Here are viral content strategies for encouraging UGC:
- Run UGC Contests or Challenge: Encourage your followers to create content about your brand by running contests. Offer prizes to participants for sharing their photos, videos, or stories using a branded hashtag.
- Feature UGC Regularly: Share user content on your social channels to create a sense of community. Highlighting user content will encourage others to create content and participate in your campaigns.
⭐Case Study Highlight:
This campaign effectively utilized user-generated content (UGC) by encouraging previous buyers of the "Moonology Diary" to share selfies with the book and their testimonials.
These authentic user experiences were featured on the landing page, emails, and social media, creating a sense of community and FOMO. By showcasing real stories, the campaign built trust and encouraged broader engagement, amplifying its reach and impact.
Using Influencers for Viral Social Media Campaigns
Influencer marketing is a powerful way to drive virality. Working with influencers allows your brand to tap into their existing audience and get your content noticed. Influencers can add credibility and authenticity to your campaigns, especially if their followers see them as experts or trusted sources.
Micro-influencers have more engaged and loyal followers than macro-influencers. For better results, work with influencers whose audience matches your target market.
You can even use influencers to run giveaways where people have to follow your brand, share a post, or tag friends to enter. This increases reach and engagement.
💡UpViral users have taken advantage of influencer collaborations to promote their referral campaigns. By letting influencers customize the campaign message, their content feels more real and resonates more with the audience.
How to Write Social Media Headlines that Captivate
Your social media headlines are your first impression and play a significant role in engagement. A good headline should grab attention and make the reader take action, whether it's a click, like, share, or comment.
Follow these headline techniques:
Use Powerful Words: Words like "ultimate," "proven," "free," and "secret" create curiosity and encourage clicks.
Use Numbers and Lists: Headlines with numbers (e.g., "7 Ways to...") perform better because they promise specific results.
Try Emojis and Special Characters: Adding emojis can make a headline stand out, and special characters (e.g., "✔️" or "⭐") can highlight key phrases.
Tip: Use A/B testing to try different headline versions and see which one gets the most engagement. UpViral users can apply this to social media ads and organic posts to get the most out of it.
Optimizing Visual Content for Viral Impact
Visuals rule social media, so any viral growth strategy has to include visuals. Create visually stunning content that conveys your message quickly, and you'll increase the chances of it being shared. Make sure it's not just pretty but also relevant and on brand.
These are the types of visuals that go viral:
- Short Videos: Short, attention-grabbing videos (10-60 seconds) perform well on social media. Try to include storytelling elements to make them memorable.
- Infographics: These can break down complex info into something easy to understand and visually appealing.
- Carousel Posts: Use multiple images to tell a story, show a process, or share tips. Carousel posts have higher engagement because users have to swipe through various slides.
- GIFs: These short, looping animations are visually appealing and highly shareable, making them a powerful tool to convey a message or feeling.
- Cinemagraphs: Still images with subtle looping animation in one part of the frame to grab attention and hypnotize.
- Live Videos: Real-time broadcasts are great for product demos, Q&As, or behind-the-scenes content.
- Stories: Use Instagram, Facebook, or Snapchat Stories for ephemeral content that creates urgency and encourages interaction.
- Memes: Humorous or culturally relevant images can be great for engagement.
Maximize Reach with Strategic Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen by more people and by people who don’t follow you. The right combination of hashtags can make your content more discoverable.
Popular hashtags get your content in front of a big audience, and niche hashtags get you in front of a targeted group. Use a mix of both!
Keep in mind that having a unique hashtag for your campaign makes it easier for people to find and join in the conversation. You could also find trending hashtags in your industry and add them to your posts to get more exposure.
💡UpViral users are encouraged to create branded campaign hashtags, which helps to build a community and track campaign engagement.
Engage with Your Audience to Spark Viral Conversations
Active engagement is key to social media virality, as it builds a community and encourages followers to share your content. When followers feel connected to a brand, they are more likely to join the conversation and share organically.
Host Interactive Content
Use features like live videos, Q&As, or interactive stories to engage in real time.
⭐Case Study Highlight:
At the end of each livestream, David hosted a Q&A session to engage his audience and address their concerns about the contest. This interactive approach fostered community and ensured participants felt heard, which kept them invested in the campaign.
By encouraging questions, David maintained interest and reinforced the overall goal of the contest.
.png)