Face it – writing a post that goes viral is not very easy! There are countless factors that determine just how successful your posts are – the content of the post and your audience are just 2 of the important factors. Below are the most important ones that determine how viral your post will become.

1) An Effective Headline

Invest a lot of time on your headline, because it’s perhaps the single most important factor determining the success of your post. Of course, the content is important but you will have to lead people to the page first. A good headline ensures that the visitor gets to your content and reads it! Remember the 3 ‘U-s’ when you are writing the next headline for your blog:

• Useful: establish the use of your post and how the visitor will benefit by reading it.
• Urgent: it should urge the visitor to read it now.
• Unique: show them that you’re different from the hundreds of other also-rans!

2) Don’t Miss the Content though

A good headline is important, but if you fail to deliver on the content, it can do your blog a lot of damage. After all, readers who were attracted to your blog by the headline would be disappointed if the content isn’t good. A good headline backed up by solid, useful content – that’s your best bet! Readers would like to share the blog post with others and it would attract more and more readers!

Which are the Best Types of Viral Posts?

The headline and content are very important of course. But some posts just seem to have a life of their own because of no apparent reason! So which are the posts that can help you go viral?

• List posts: an overwhelming majority of posts are of the list type. For instance “10 best ways to promote your blog” or “9 top reasons why people surf the net”. What’s the reason? It’s simple – a majority of these blogs relate to the reader very easily and of course, they can be shared very easily too.
• Subjects of interest: this one’s obvious! The more popular the topic, the better its appeal and so the higher its chances of being shared.
• Posts that tell you “how to do” stuff: since they address problems directly, they are more likely to be shared. If you address a common problem with an innovative solution, you have the highest chances of your post going viral. The search engine advantage is also there because most visitors start off their search by typing ‘how to’.
• Case studies: they are practical and informative. What’s more, they have the added advantage of proving your point. When you are writing a case study, you detail the process and the results. For this reason, you have more chances of getting your post to go viral.
• Controversial stuff: the reason is simple – people love alternate views on any subject especially if you are going against a popular notion. Just make sure you avoid negative traffic though.
• Talking about people who rank high in your niche: or sharing their views about a particular topic is great too! People love to know what the top guns are saying about their interests, and these posts always get shared rapidly.

Of course, nothing’s fool proof on the net! Luck has a distinct role to play in how successful you can make your blog. Just following the strategies above will not guarantee your success but it will give your blog a fighting chance!