Making something that goes viral on the internet is not a matter of luck; it’s all about human psychology. Some posts get millions of views, others practically vanish. The answer often involves specific psychological triggers that motivate us to share information. Though you might scroll past material with sad hashtags, because it does not inspire in you a similar urge to act, other posts that generate extreme responses can go viral within hours.
This blog post explains the science behind what makes people click, engage, and share.
The Emotional Engine of Viral Content
It’s basically the emotion that spurs sharing, according to both research and Nielsen’s report. But not all emotions are created equal when it comes to virality. The difference is in the level of emotional charge, how strongly a piece of content makes us feel.
High-Arousal Emotions Fuel Action
The high-arousal emotional content is much more likely to be shared. These are feeling states that energize us, and there’s a physiological response that prompts us to take action, such as sharing.
Positive high-arousal emotions include:
- Awe: Content that is inspiring, such as wonder or amazement. Consider breathtaking nature documentaries or accounts of amazing human accomplishment. Awe makes us feel like we’re part of something larger than ourselves, and we want to share that.
- Entertainment: Cause laughter is just great. Jocular memes, clever videos, and witty observations set off a rush of delight that people are eager to share with others.
- Joy: Content that generates joy or celebrates a universal passion is more likely to go viral. This might be an announcement for a new product or a highlight reel featuring a sports team.
Negative high-arousal emotions also drive sharing, but for different reasons:
- Anger: Protesting an injustice or a similar issue can arouse righteous anger. Sharing is now a tool for expressing dissent, soliciting validation, and enlisting others in a cause.
- Anxiety: Information on potential threats or unknowns can cause people to feel anxious. They post this content to alert their network or talk through the news with others.
Low-Arousal Emotions Discourage Sharing
In contrast, low-arousal emotions are generally of an internal nature and do not result in action. Emotion and such that are powerful won’t necessarily motivate sharing, but rather reflection. This is why straight-up melancholia rarely goes viral, unless it’s got an aspirational or empowering message at the end of it that drags you back out from under the weight of it.
3 Key Characteristics of Shareable Content
Apart from sentiment, certain content features consistently recur in viral posts. When you combine these factors with the right emotional triggers, you can significantly extend your content’s reach.
1. It Offers Practical Value
Share-worthy: Because people want to share content that provides value to them or their network. This is what some psychologists refer to as “social currency,” sharing knowledge that makes us appear good to our peers. That practical-use value may take many forms:
- Step-by-step explainer guides for an issue most of us face.
- Shortcuts that save time, money, or work.
- Useful, practical advice that makes someone better at something.
Practical content makes even the most basic information more valuable. For instance, when you are brainstorming captions for candid photos, you’re more likely to find a post that doesn’t just give examples but also shares the psychology about why some captions receive more engagement and what you can learn from it if you aim to dissect and dive deeper. This turns a mundane list into something that people will see and say to themselves, “Hmm, I want to save this resource for later or share it with X.”
2. It Tells an Interesting Story
Humans are hardwired for stories. A great story engages us, helps simplify complexity, and transports us to a place within our hearts or minds. Brands that can package their message into a story are infinitely more memorable than those that rely solely on the facts.
The best story, as you learned in the first sentence paragraph of this article, has a beginning and an ending with something that happens in between. A stand of relatable characters or situations you “get” on their own level(s). Campaigns like Airbnb’s “We Accept” ad took a straightforward narrative about belonging, sparking powerful emotional connections that resonated with the values of its viewers and led to widespread sharing.
3. It Contains Surprising Information
Content that forces us to reconsider our expectations or teaches us something new is very shareable. It’s eye-catching because we’re caught off-guard, and feel like we’ve just learned “the thing to know.” It builds a desire to share that newfound knowledge with others.
This can be achieved by:
- Debunking a common myth.
- Offering a counterintuitive conclusion from one of the studies.
- Disclosure of facts that you may not know about a very familiar subject.
Patagonia’s iconic “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign is a great example. The shocking message stirred up tons of buzz and delivered the end in a much stronger blow against waste than any down-to-earth ad could ever have done.
Creating Viral Content Ethically
With this knowledge comes responsibility. Employing psychological triggers to sway audiences can also backfire, eroding trust and damaging a brand’s reputation. The moral logic of these viral contents is a feeling of real connection.
- Stay True to Your Brand: Keep your values at the forefront of your content. Do not attempt to create a feeling that does not come naturally or feels forced.
- Give Actual Value: Make your content useful, entertaining, or inspirational. Don’t use clickbait or shock value to generate short-term attention.
- Be Respectful of Your Audience: Fear-mongering or content that foments indecision is out, as is anything that sets groups against one another. Focus your fire when it comes to strong feelings like anger, not simply outrage.
The aim is to create a community based on shared emotions and values, not to increase shares.
How to Apply These Insights to Your Content
Want to produce more shareable content? Here are a few concrete steps to help you get going.
- Audit Your Content: Take a good, hard look at what you’ve written in the past. Determine which ones got the most shares and comments. What emotions did they evoke? Did they provide practical value, tell a story, or share surprising information?
- Chart Your Emotional Cues: Consider the emotions your brand can genuinely tap into. A fitness brand could emphasize excitement and inspiration, wherein a B2B software company can use surprise by disclosing an obscure industry fact.
- Incorporate Utility: At every step, ask yourself how your content helps your audience. Could you include a helpful tip, free checklist, or step-by-step guide?
- Experiment and Measure: Try different methods. Mix it up with a funny post and one that inspires awe. Monitor the results of your efforts to determine what your audience responds to the most.
The Future of Sharing
Virality isn’t some locked code that only the select few can break. It is a manifestation of our common human need to connect. From psychological triggers to sharing (pride and pleasure), shareworthy high-arousal emotions, peer-to-peer practical value, the emotional versus rational drivers of behavior, and surprise invitations. If you’re making that kind of stuff, people actually WANT to pass it along.
Simply focus on forming genuine connections and delivering genuine value. When you do, not only are you creating content that could potentially go viral, but you’re also growing a dedicated audience who trusts your brand and wants to share your message.
