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What makes content go viral? 

That’s a pretty loaded question with a ton of variables that one might think there is no possible way of knowing how content spreads. That’s not exactly true. There are plenty of tool you can use to creating meaningful and engaging content that sticks, and dare I say go viral.

Neil Patel writes in his blog, How to Craft Sticky Content That your Audience Drools Over, “So, writing isn’t just about sharing revolutionary ideas and data…you’ve got to communicate them effectively.”

Communication is key. You have to know the subject matter and your audience and then be able to provide something of value. Patel lays out six points to help better communicate your content.

1. Eliminate jargon from your prose and bring your article down to the simplest form

2. Find unexplored and interesting angles on popular subjects

3. Vividly and specifically describe your ideas

4. Earn credibility by linking to authoritative sources and quoting supporting data

5. People like to FEEL

6. Don’t be direct: Narrate a story

“If you zoom out, you’ll find that most of these six writing principles are common knowledge. And, I’ve covered them, in other forms, in previous posts. But, it’s always good to have a framework for writing content that’s proven to succeed.” writes Patel.

I like these simple rules. It’s harder in practice because when I’m immersed in something it’s east to fall into jargon and internal languages. I need to remind myself to keep things simple, but not so simple it becomes boring. 

I’ve also learned to link to sources, like I’ve done above. This helps provide addition resources to your readers, and at the same time provides proof that you research and provide the sources of your research. I like doing this because most of the time those sources say what I’m wanting to say better than I can.