Are you tired of spending all your time writing so-called viral content – only to find that nobody’s sharing it on social media? Do you wish that you could write content that goes viral on social media, generating a huge amount of shares that drive traffic to your site?

That’s what everybody wants – and I hate to say it, but you’re not really thinking the right way here. In fact, your content is likely not the problem. Of course, how it is written can affect the number of shares you’ll get, but that’s only a small part of the story.

In fact, it’s not really about the viral content. Studies show that while about 8 out of 10 people read your headlines, just 2 of those 10 will click through to read the actual content. That’s a pretty daunting statistic, but try to forget it for now, and don’t let it make you feel like just slushing out reams of low-quality content to play the numbers game.

You still need good content. But as you can see…

It’s All About Your Headline, Baby

If 80% of people will read your headline, this is clearly the part of your content strategy for social media that you really have to work at if you want to go viral on social media. Now, there is a formula at work here:

  • Keep your headlines short and sweet: Long headlines create overwhelm and reduce sharing. Ideally, you’ll want to keep them at no longer than 7 words.
  • Use adjectives: Adjectives are words like effortlessly, amazingly, easily – you get the idea. You want to make people see you’ve got a superlative, easy route to whatever your content is about, so use adjectives!
  • Create a mystery: This is clickbaity, but it works for creating viral content. Think headlines like 10 Ways to Whiten Your Teeth – Number 7 Will Shock You! It really creates a sense of curiosity and mystery that compels people to read what you’ve written.

It’s important to remember – especially when using mystery headlines – that you mustn’t trick people. That 7th way to whiten your teeth really must be shocking. Otherwise, people will feel cheated. So, just make sure that the headline describes the viral content accurately.

Conclusion: Go Viral on Social Media By Following These Hot Tips!

While you need high-quality content to build up a relationship and make your social media shares meaningful, there’s no denying that the headlines can really help you to go viral on social media.

If you want to make your content go viral, then you absolutely need to work on your headline game; nothing more and nothing less. Your headline is what makes or breaks your content, so focus on strong headlines that make people want to find out more.