How to Make a Blog Go Viral

Just the other day I found myself laughing because an article on this site gained asymmetrical traction on social media. The kids call this “going viral”. While there are degrees of what it means to “go viral”, in our world it looks like thousands of visits instead of millions. Nonetheless, I’ve found that many times the articles that I wish to go viral don’t and it’s often unsuspecting ones that do. So, which blogs go viral?

Here’s what I’ve observed:

1. Articles that clearly articulate an idea many readers are thinking but don’t know how to say.
2. Fear based information.
3. Passionate diatribes.

Now, I’m not sharing this so you can start a blog necessarily. I’m sharing this because I think there are implications we can learn from these observations. When it comes to the first characteristic, I hear the importance of communication. I often get feedback that I’m “inside” people’s heads. I observe that people know more than they think, but are just poor communicators. Focus on how to get what’s in your head out as much as you focus on getting more in your head, and you’ll affect the world with much greater impact.

Secondly, we are unfortunately drawn towards fear. The most shared blog in DEUCE history was called “The Most Dangerous Thing on Earth” and, of course, the article tricked the reader to recognize that the thing they feared isn’t what is actually most dangerous, but the click came out of an attraction to fear. Don’t forget that it’s much easier to be afraid, so it may be a common crutch in your life if you’re not careful.

Lastly, the popularity of the passionate diatribe tells me that people are bored and we’re desperately seeking remarkable experience and remarkable people. We all ought to get excited about something! It fills our cup.

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach