Top 6 Ideas for Incredible Viral Content
Posted by Tamar Weinberg on October 29th, 2007
As many of us alluded to earlier this month at SMX Social Media, viral content is king. Viral content is what people look for. Viral content is what people bookmark. Viral content is what people talk about. Viral content can spark memes. Viral content is the foundation for linkbait. Indeed, viral content is a wonderful concept and especially important when you’re looking for traffic or attention. But if you’ve never traversed along the road to viral content, where can you get started? What is makes good viral content? I’ve talked briefly about great lists. I’ve talked about videos. I’ve talked about pictures. Now I’m going to talk a bit more about six solid foundations upon which you can build viral content and I’ll illustrate how they’re used in today’s social media.
The Motherload of Lists
Let’s face it. People like lists. Lists win for a variety of reasons: they’re easily digestible, they’re typically short, and they contain a lot of good information in one single article. Lists also take a great deal of research, and the return is typically a resource that people will turn to time and time again.
Here are some example lists that totally rock:
- 135 Completely Free Distance Education Courses
- 121 Jobs that Don’t Suck
- Top 10 Ways to Sleep Smarter and Better
- Online Media God: 400+ Tools for Photographers, Videobloggers, Podcasters & Musicians
You don’t have to go all out and make a list with hundreds of items, since the larger lists, while bookmark favorites, are typically harder to consume (and may never even be looked at if too extensive). But that doesn’t mean you should feel like the task is daunting when comparing your list with 11 items next to a list with 101+. (Remember, this list contains 6 items!) In the list case, all four aforementioned lists are winners — just put a good deal into your research and you’ll do just fine.
The Quiz
The quiz is another viral tool that brings a bit more fun into everyday web browsing. Quiz yourself on relationships or just random trivia and see how well you score. Share your results with friends, in your blogs, or on any site that accepts HTML. Some examples follow:
What are Your Chances of Surviving a Zombie Apocalypse?
These quizzes are addictive, fun, and by nature are meant to be shared.
If you don’t have a graphic designer or Flash developer in the house, you can still work on basic quizzes such as this life expectancy calculator and a quiz that determines whether you’re in an abusive relationship.
Interactive Video
Another great way to promote viral content takes a little bit of Flash (usually) and some creativity. Customized videos work especially well.
Bob Dylan’s Album Announcement
(By the way, in case you couldn’t tell, that is Neil Patel, not my husband. Funny, though, picturing the princess on that studly body, right?)
Images
Images work in all shapes and sizes. You can do a photo essays or present a gallery of images that you or your graphic designers have Photoshopped–and you can feature tutorials on how to make the best out of your photography/graphic design skills. The possibilities are endless, but the creative images take the cake.
Tutorial: 21 Ways to Shoot Better Photographs
A Photo Essay of a Heroin Addict Whose Life Suddenly has a Tragic Ending
A Mother’s Journey with her Son as He Loses His Battle with Cancer (1/2/3/4)
On the other hand, perk up with some humorous images, such as this one:
Wallpapers are a big favorite on social sites, particularly wallpapers that work for high-resolution displays or dual monitors. Don’t forget about those users.
There’s more where that came from. We’re computer aficionados at heart; we like things to make our desktops pretty.
Tools
Users also like things that make their lives easier. Whether it is a tool that finds domains for you or a utility that makes web surfing just a bit easier, remember, tools were created out of a need. I’ve already stated that I love apps built on the Digg API, and anyone with some programing know-how can build an excellent web-based or standalone utility. Examples include:
Instant Domain Search (with its AJAX glory)
Think about it this way: MyBlogLog has a widget, statistics, and a community. COLOURlovers has color palettes and trends.
Teach Your Users How to Do Something
No matter what is out there, people generally want to learn how to do it. How do you fold that shirt so neatly? How do you shuffle poker chips like a pro? Teach us.
How-To viral pieces work in two flavors: the detailed writeup and the video tutorial. Here is an example of each:
As you can tell, both of those instructional videos work quite well. The T-shirt folding trick has been remade hundreds of times and has been reproduced thousands of times on a variety of video sites.
On the other hand, there are step-by-step articles that help you get the most out of anything whether on the computer or in the household. A few examples are below:
- How to Fold a Fitted Sheet
- How to Tell if a US Dollar is Counterfeit
- How to Track the Original Location of an Email via its IP Address
The How-To possibilities are also literally endless since everyone wants to know how to do something (or at least wants an easy way to look it up if they can’t learn right away!)
Conclusion
So there you have it: six viral ideas that you can get started with today. Viral content takes research, time, and dedication, but on the plus side, your users will likely be talking about your masterpieces for months (or years) to come. What’s stopping you from taking the plunge?
79 Responses to “Top 6 Ideas for Incredible Viral Content”
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Ryan Galiotto - » Viral Marketing: 6 Ideas for Incredible Content Says:
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SEO WORLD NEWS » Blog Archive » Odds and Ends at the End of October Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 3:14 pm[...] shared her top 6 ideas for incredible viral content. Fun fact: the Zombie Apocalypse quiz was created by none other than former SEOmozzer, Matt [...]
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The Importance of Social Media Marketing: Why You Should Learn and Master it Says:
October 30th, 2007 at 9:23 pm[...] or see the value of social media websites, let’s take a look at the benefits of creating viral content and effectively promoting them through social media [...]
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Tamar Weinberg is a social media enthusiast with a passion for all things tech and productivity. She provides consulting in internet marketing and blogs for numerous online publications, most notably Real Simple Magazine, Lateral Action, and Mashable. She is also a former Lifehacker and Search Engine Roundtable contributor. Tamar is also the author of 
October 29th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Awesome, awesome, awesome summary! Most marketers forget about providing a value to their audience. You just did a great job of highlighting some of the most effective methods. Tamar rocks.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
btw, where’s your Sphinn button, damn it?!
October 29th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
I’m not fishing for Sphinns, unlike some people.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:50 pm
Great ideas Tamar. That T-Shirt one must be gold because I watched it despite the fact I don’t fold my cloths at all anyway lol.
October 29th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
pfffft
October 29th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
This is a great list of ideas coupled with specific examples that other people should certainly take note of and review. I definitely appreciate your time putting this all together! (bookmarked and saved)
October 29th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Great practical post that isn’t self serving and provides solid examples. Excellent! I have linked back to your article from my blog too. Thanks!
October 29th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Hey … that fishing for Sphinn jab was at me, wasn’t it?
Great post, thorough and useful list. Yet again why you are the queen of all bloggy, posty, social media-y things.
I bow.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Yeah. but there’s totally nothing new in this article here, “What *blank* are you quizzes have been around for years. The main appeal of most things that take off on the internet is that they were made because someone wanted to make them, not because some movie studio is trying to make a few extra dollars by trying to take advantage of cheap advertising.
October 29th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Jeff, did you read Tamar’s article? It looks like you skimmed the article and reacted to the Zombie Apocalypse and Transformers quizzes, neither of which were produced for movie studios. They were timely and on trend, but didn’t benefit studios except for minor brand recognition, which doesn’t mean much since the target market was already flooded with fan boys and girls.
As for the main appeal of viral content, a component is certainly an individual having the creativity, time and resources to develop it, but ultimately it’s the connection it makes with readers/viewers. The “if you build it they will come” philosophy only goes so far.
October 30th, 2007 at 4:49 am
I spent at least 45 minutes on instant domain search to look for 3 letter domain names and i couldn’t find any. they’re all gone
October 30th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Sorry bakkouz
They are all gone — probably have been gone for years.
October 30th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Hi buddy.. Thanks for dropping by.. I have blogrolled you.. Hope you reciprocate.. Thanks
October 31st, 2007 at 12:07 pm
I enjoyed this summary muchly, great tips to get someone started on the road to generating viral content.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Very informative. My stuff falls under the Tools category, the last item of your 6, does that mean it’s harder to do ‘viral marketing’?
Thanks.
November 1st, 2007 at 11:58 pm
It wasn’t in any particular order. These are just 6 of many ways to do viral marketing, and they’re usually pretty effective.
November 4th, 2007 at 8:07 am
There’s such a lot to learn. I’ve been blogging for, wait for it, not even one week… I could do with some traffic!
Thanks very much, I’ll be giving your suggestions a go and I’m sure I’m going to learn a lot.
November 9th, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Very informative. Thanks.
November 11th, 2007 at 10:28 pm
That in and of itself is a great list posting! Thanks for the great ideas and resources. Another fun idea is to try a contest or two with a prize people really want.
January 1st, 2008 at 7:31 am
Thanks for the ideas. I like such inspiration.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
congratulations on winning at the Semmys . this post surely deserved to win.
February 3rd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Thanks Arindra (and to everyone who voted!)
March 11th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Great post!
March 28th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Some great ideas, in bite sized chunks, too- nice work, and, many thanks!
April 4th, 2008 at 4:09 am
Hye,
Great Ideas about Viral marketing, I have been studying about the ideas regarding Viral and Content marketing, But it’s really great , Thank you for educating people.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Great ideas for creating viral content. Will surely try some of them!
June 19th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Great Ideas about Viral marketing
July 15th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Great ideas. I will be using these to promote my journal.
October 11th, 2008 at 11:21 am
Tamar, thanks for the list. I’ve a new blog with Wordpress and I’m trying to learn (by the seat of my pants) how to do things on my own. Someone got me started but I’m flying on my own now. You confirmed what I thought about video content. I’ve been thinking of putting video content on my site as I personally am drawn to it when I visit other sites. Your example was a “How to” but I think most interesting videos draw people in. I’m a sucker for the play button!
Glad I found you - will enjoy reading your blog!
November 10th, 2008 at 3:48 am
I like the way this page is widespreading the vitality of viral content in the social media marketing.
November 10th, 2008 at 3:50 am
actually i want to promote a website on the internet arena. I will be glad if you assist me in this and suggest me certain fruitful ways to promote the website. It will be my pleasure if experts will come and recommend me the methods.
January 18th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
This is a great post! Thanks for sharing…it served as inspiration for a recent viral attempt of my own:
http://www.theofficialdouchebagmeter.com
January 25th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
A type of viral content that seems to bring some traffic (if only small amounts) over a longer time period is downloadable content with links back to your site (perhaps a short article in PDF format on photography hints)
May 13th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Impressive stuff. Viral content marketing is and should be the topmost priority of any online marketing campaign.
Excellent.