People scroll social media at every hour of the day, so the competition for attention never stops. Creating content that spreads, getting shared, saved and talked about well beyond your own followers, is hard, and nobody can guarantee a post will go viral. What you can do is choose formats that people love to interact with and share.
Here are 10 content ideas that consistently drive engagement across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, and how to use each one for your brand.
What Does Going Viral Mean?
Getting something to go viral nowadays is totally different from when social media first kicked off. In the mid-2000s, a viral video was usually something silly and random on YouTube. Today’s viral content is basically anything you see on the internet, like a video, meme, picture, or article, that suddenly goes trending and gets shared all over social media just because people are talking about it.
Keep scrolling to learn about going viral and get some tips on how to get viral content ideas for social media.
The top 10 best viral content ideas for social media that will spice up your social media game.
Let’s plunge in!
1. Memes
Think about making memes if you’re looking to come up with creating viral content ideas for social media in a simple and trendy way.Memes could serve as an excellent approach to interact with your target audience and engage them with your business’s brand. They are also a wonderful method to connect with those who follow you. To produce successful memes, make them entertaining, relevant, and stand out in people’s feeds. Including memes in your social media content ideas will undoubtedly be a game changer.
2. Create a Poll
One of the most popular and successful types of viral content for social media is the (“This or That”) question. This type of poll is simple to build and quickly shared on social media. And because people enjoy voting and sharing their thoughts, your poll is likely to receive a lot of attention online. To build an effective poll, select engaging issues on which people would have strong opinions.
3. Host a Challenge
Social media networks are an excellent method to organize challenges that can go viral. You may boost the possibilities of your challenge being shared online by making it unique and intriguing. When selecting a challenge, ensure that it is something that people will want to take part in. You should also ensure that the regulations are clear and easy to follow. When the challenge is over, announce the winner and provide them a prize.
4. Infographics
Infographics are one of the most effective ways of creating viral content. They’re simple to distribute on social media and efficiently convey a lot of information. Furthermore, they can be visually appealing and entertaining. If you want to make a viral infographic, start by choosing an intriguing and relevant topic. Then utilize data and statistics to back up your claims. Make sure your infographic is visually engaging and easy to share online.
5. Contest
If you want your social media to explode, give posting puzzles a shot. Puzzles are an effective technique to engage your followers and encourage them to share your content with their peers. You can upload many various types of puzzles, ranging from word searches to crosswords. Make sure the riddles are appropriate for your audience. To make your puzzles more engaging, consider including a contest aspect.
6. Listicles
Listicles are an excellent choice for creating viral content on social media. Listicles are articles that include a series of lists. For example, “5 best tools for writers”. Lists are easy to read, and people enjoy sharing them on social media. Make your listicle relevant to your target audience and use eye-catching pictures to increase its share ability. You can also add some humor to make it more interesting.
7. Videos
Videos are currently incredibly popular. YouTube exists solely for video posts, and most other networks now encourage you to create video social media posts as well. Videos can generate some of the highest engagement rates, with many people commenting and sharing the videos they watch. You might create advertising films, instructive videos, and videos solely for entertainment purposes.
8. User-Generated Content
People adore seeing their own content shared online. Many businesses benefit from sharing their followers’ (users’) material. User-Generated Content is an effective strategy to boost engagement and reach. Some brands are particularly good at this. The key to this is to properly attribute any user-generated content you distribute. This increases the goodwill your followers and customers have for your brand.
9. Trending Content
Humor is always popular because there is always something to be sorry about. So give your audience a little humor and giggle. Trends provide a wealth of inspiration for our own social team. Most of the ideas come from going around various networks for hours to see what can be parodied or if there is a trend to capitalize on. This will surely improve both followers and brand exposure.
10. Collaborate with Influencers
Including influencer marketing in your approach will allow you to differentiate yourself from your competitors while also delivering cost-effective campaigns. You also don’t have to spend a million dollars to hire an influencer. Micro and Nano influencers are a far more affordable choice, and they can be more effective than large creators in persuading their audiences to take action (e.g., clicking through to your website or purchasing a product).
Make It Work for Your Brand
The best results come from a mix of these formats that still feels true to your brand and your audience. Use social media analytics to see what performs on your own pages and your competitors', test new formats regularly, and do more of what works. For Facebook in particular, see our 11 strategies for Facebook viral success, and to measure results, learn how to calculate your engagement rate.
Want help planning content that gets shared? Our social media marketing services cover content ideas, creatives, posting and reporting. Send us an enquiry.
