{"id":134996,"date":"2019-03-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-20T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/?p=134996"},"modified":"2019-03-19T11:56:04","modified_gmt":"2019-03-19T11:56:04","slug":"viral-blog-post-formula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smartinsights.com\/b2b-digital-marketing\/b2b-content-marketing\/viral-blog-post-formula\/","title":{"rendered":"An attempt to build a formula for creating a viral blog post"},"content":{"rendered":"

Going viral is something of a dream for us B2B content creators and marketers. You\u2019d be lying if you deny that, plain and simple<\/h2>\n

And why not? Creating original, high-quality content is a monumental task in itself, let alone marketing it and making it stand out. The thought of our content spreading across the internet like wildfire is often what keeps us going.<\/p>\n

However, for B2B marketers<\/u>, achieving virality with a well-written blog post is even more inconceivable. That\u2019s because our audience is highly targeted professionals and business leaders, and our content is not meant to entertain or amuse. Going viral with a piece of content is somewhat akin to finally getting our \"big break\" in the digital industry, after writing countless blog posts, outreach emails, and what have you.<\/p>\n

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Advantages of virality<\/h3>\n

Here are three big benefits of going viral:<\/p>\n

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  1. Exponential Reach<\/strong>: Your brand\u2019s message is shared far beyond your social network by mere word-of-mouth<\/a><\/u>, which is arguably the most effective form of marketing.<\/li>\n
  2. Minimal Cost<\/strong>: Producing a viral blog post doesn\u2019t cost a pretty penny. What it does require is you to think outside the box. Moreover, a single piece of viral content can generate a ton of leads and deliver a lofty ROI.<\/li>\n
  3. Instant Credibility<\/strong>: If your content suddenly pops up on everyone\u2019s social feed in a good light, your overall brand awareness and equity will soar through the roof.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    On the flip side, there is a potential pitfall to virality. If your viral content is audacious or controversial in nature, it can spur negative brand perception (first impression) in the minds of prospective clients and you may lose out on them forever. Thus, be very vigilant when trying to create viral content, the last thing you want is to go viral in a bad way<\/a><\/u>.<\/p>\n

    That said, virality is a justified ambition and deserves more attention. Admittedly, no matter how fresh, informative, data-backed, and actionable your content is, virality is never a guarantee. Still, don\u2019t make the mistake of thinking all viral posts are nothing more than a stroke of luck.<\/p>\n

    Before we try to devise a \"formula\" for creating viral, let\u2019s quickly analyze a couple of viral blog posts (B2B) to try and extract the secret sauce of virality.<\/p>\n

    Example 1: Inc.com<\/h3>\n

    Consider the example of Inc.com's most popular<\/a><\/u> post of all time, titled \"7 Reasons the best employees quit, even when they like their job\" published on August 1016. It has earned over 1.2 million Facebook shares since then.<\/p>\n

    A close inspection of the article suggests the following key factors contribute to its virality:<\/p>\n