{"id":7423,"date":"2025-08-23T02:02:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-23T09:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/?p=7423"},"modified":"2025-08-23T02:02:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-23T09:02:53","slug":"whats-the-formula-for-a-viral-piece-of-content-in-marketing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/7423\/whats-the-formula-for-a-viral-piece-of-content-in-marketing\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Formula for a Viral Piece of Content in Marketing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Viral<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Every marketer dreams of creating a piece of content that everyone notices, shares widely, and talks about across platforms. While virality can feel unpredictable, understanding what makes content shareable can greatly increase your chances of reaching a larger audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Core Elements of Viral Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Emotion at the Center<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Content that sparks strong emotions – whether awe, laughter, joy, or even anger – gets shared. Studies show that people are more likely to share content when it makes them feel<\/em> something deeply. Think about the last viral video you shared; it probably wasn\u2019t neutral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: Focus on storytelling that creates an emotional connection rather than just listing features or facts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Relatability and Relevance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Viral content often makes people think, \u201cThat\u2019s me,\u201d<\/em> (reminds me of the app Me We Too<\/a>) or \u201cI know someone like that.\u201d<\/em> When people see themselves in your content, they feel compelled to share it. At the same time, the topic needs to be culturally relevant – something that taps into current conversations or trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: Tie your message to what your audience is already talking about, whether that\u2019s a seasonal moment, a meme, or a trending social issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Simplicity + Clarity<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your message requires too much explanation, it won\u2019t spread. Viral content tends to be simple, clear, and easy to \u201cget\u201d in a matter of seconds. A clear hook makes it easier for someone to share without needing to write a whole explanation to their friends. The same goes for your website design or landing page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: Craft headlines, visuals, or videos that communicate the main idea instantly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Surprise & Novelty<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People share things that feel fresh, unexpected, or that flip common assumptions. Surprise grabs attention and novelty makes people want to show it off first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: Ask yourself, \u201cWould this make someone stop scrolling?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Practical Value<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Not all viral content is emotional or funny – sometimes it\u2019s just useful.<\/em> Hacks, how-to guides, and insider tips spread because people feel good about helping their friends and networks by passing it along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: If you can solve a problem in a clever or quick way, you\u2019re already tapping into a viral-friendly angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Built-In Shareability<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Viral content is often designed with sharing in mind. That could mean creating bite-sized formats (short videos, infographics, memes), or crafting headlines that naturally invite curiosity and clicks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udc49 Tip: Think about how the content looks in the feed<\/em> before someone even clicks. Is it eye-catching enough to be shared on its own?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cFormula\u201d in Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If we were to boil it down into a repeatable formula, it would look something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viral Content = Emotion \u00d7 Relevance \u00d7 Simplicity \u00d7 Surprise \u00d7 Value \u00d7 Shareability<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each element multiplies the others – meaning if one is missing, the chances of virality drop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Don\u2019t Chase Viral – Chase Connection<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The truth is, not every piece of content will go viral, and that\u2019s okay. Virality is a spike; connection is a foundation. If your content consistently connects with your audience – even if it doesn\u2019t reach millions – you\u2019re still winning in the long game of marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you do hit the right combination of timing, creativity, and strategy, that\u2019s when virality happens. And the best part? It won\u2019t feel like luck – it\u2019ll feel like good marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: Will the Newest Social Media Trend Actually Boost Your Website Traffic? A Small Business Guide<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marketing Trends to Watch in 2025<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to design & build a website you’re proud to market? Learn more about UltimateWB<\/a>! We also offer web design packages<\/a> if you would like your website designed and built for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Got a techy\/website question? Whether it\u2019s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the \u201cAsk David!\u201d form<\/a>. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB \u201cAsk David!\u201d section.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every marketer dreams of creating a piece of content that everyone notices, shares widely, and talks about across platforms. While virality can feel unpredictable, understanding what makes content shareable can greatly increase your chances of reaching a larger audience. The … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1034,1693],"tags":[2373,2350,3192,5204,1637,1767,1825,5541,5551,2862,3139,1781,5546,3969,3864,5553,3086,5547,358,3942,1690,905,5550,854,930,5545,5540,3408,5549,3827,3066,2349,5542,2489,3358,1864,5552,5548,3788,5544,2980,5538,5554,5539,5543],"class_list":["post-7423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ask-david","category-marketing","tag-audience","tag-clarity","tag-clear","tag-clear-messaging","tag-content-creation","tag-content-marketing","tag-content-strategy","tag-current-trends","tag-emotion","tag-emotional-connection","tag-evoke-emotions","tag-fresh-content","tag-hacks","tag-headlines","tag-how-to-guides","tag-increase-engagement","tag-infographics","tag-insider-tips","tag-marketing","tag-marketing-strategy","tag-marketing-tips","tag-me-we-too","tag-membes","tag-meme","tag-mewetoo","tag-practical-value","tag-relatability","tag-relevance","tag-shareability","tag-shareable-content","tag-short-videos","tag-simplicity","tag-social-issue","tag-social-media-marketing","tag-solve-problems","tag-storytelling","tag-surprise","tag-tips","tag-trends","tag-useful","tag-value","tag-viral-content","tag-viral-marketing","tag-viral-merketing","tag-viral-videos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7423"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7423"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7426,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7423\/revisions\/7426"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ultimatewb.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}