Everyone wants to be the next Dollar Shave Club ad. Aside from being a fantastic and effective ad, it’s a perfect example of viral marketing, with almost 24.5 million views and counting.
Unfortunately, most of us can barely agree on what classes as “viral” content, let alone create it at will with a set marketing process. Worse still, much of the existing research on viral marketing ignores one key factor; how big your audience is. That’s like gambling without even knowing how much you’re betting – the theory is solid, but you can’t expect to succeed without knowing more.
So, in an attempt to pin down how a less-established site can produce viral content, I analyzed 10,879 of the most shared articles from last year. Stick around to find out:
- How much your existing audience affects your viral marketing chances
- Which social media platform is best to focus on
- How long your content should be (and how much it matters)
- The link between viral sharing and traffic
- Why spam tactics work, but are a terrible idea
- How to give your content the best chance of going viral (without needing your own audience)
Let’s get started.