Going viral can have different meanings for different companies. A Buzzfeed post going viral is totally different than a Hubspot post going viral. Maybe one day, The Daily Carnage will go viral… ::stares longingly into the distance::
Okay, getting to the point — Buzzsumo (no relation to Buzzfeed) recently had a post go viral and they wrote a blog post about why it went viral. Tons to learn from it, including:
- Their viral post was what they call “cornerstone content”. They describe that as content that is so good that it demands the attention of your audience. Let’s say that again: demands the attention of your audience.
- They had a super detailed content promotion strategy. Buzzsumo used direct mail, paid ads, influencer marketing, podcasts, and journalists to help get their post out into the wild.
- The post had a ton of data. People love data, sharing data, talking about data. It helps make the story more real. Moral of the story: Use data.