We’ve all seen them: posts that seem to pop up everywhere overnight, captivating millions of people and generating endless shares, likes, and comments. These viral social media posts significantly boost brands, spreading awareness and driving engagement. But what is viral marketing, exactly? It’s the strategy behind these wildly popular posts—designed to resonate so strongly that audiences feel compelled to share them.
But what is the secret sauce behind this kind of content? Is there a way to replicate its success? This guide will explore the ins and outs of viral social media posts, including how to create your own.
Table Of Contents
- Benefits of Viral Social Media Posts
- How to Make Viral Social Media Posts in 8 Steps
- 8 Examples of Viral Social Media Posts
- 10 Content Ideas for Viral Social Media Posts
- Create Viral Shorts In Seconds With Crayo
Benefits of Viral Social Media Posts
Viral social media posts offer businesses a wealth of benefits. Here are some key advantages of creating content that resonates with audiences and is shared widely.
Going Viral Builds Engagement and Loyalty
When content goes viral, it creates significant buzz and online discussion. This allows brands to join the conversation and connect with potential customers. Engaging with audiences meaningfully can help build trust and credibility, essential for driving conversions.
Increased Brand Awareness
Viral posts can reach millions of people in hours, creating unprecedented visibility for a brand. The exposure can increase web traffic and social media followers, even if the content isn’t directly related to the company or its products. This can help create a foundation for future marketing efforts.
Cost-Effective Marketing
Unlike traditional advertising methods, which can be expensive and require extensive planning, viral marketing relies on creativity and originality. Brands that create a viral hit can enjoy significant ROI, as the content is often shared and viewed for months or even years after its initial release.
Improved SEO
In addition to driving traffic to a brand’s website, viral content can boost its search engine rankings. When a post is widely shared, it often earns backlinks from reputable sites, signaling to Google that the content is valuable and relevant. This can lead to higher placement on search engine results pages, increasing visibility.
Valuable Consumer Insights
The conversation surrounding viral content can provide brands with important information about consumer preferences and behaviors. Analyzing the response to a viral post can help marketers refine their strategies and create more effective content in the future.
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How to Make Viral Social Media Posts in 8 Steps
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2. Begin With Thorough Research
To create viral social media posts, you need a strategic approach. Start by establishing clear objectives, whether achieving a specific number of views or gaining followers. Next, analyze your audience to understand their preferences and behavior. Identify the platforms they frequent and the content they enjoy to inform your campaign strategy. Finally, study successful viral examples from competitors to guide your creative process and aim for greater impact.
3. Embrace Originality and Authenticity
One key to creating viral social media posts is to deliver original content that surprises and delights. Authenticity resonates with audiences and fosters trust, while unexpected angles or formats generate intrigue. For instance, the NSW Police Force’s humorous approach to serious topics connects with younger audiences by showcasing relatability. Such creative risks can pay off in enhanced engagement and shares, so don’t hesitate to challenge conventions in your campaigns.
4. Capture Attention With a Compelling Hook
Your content’s hook is its unique value proposition—it draws people in and encourages them to share. Effective hooks are clear, audience-focused, and prompt further engagement, whether visiting a website or following a brand. Different formats require different hook strategies: Videos need strong intros, articles need catchy headlines, and images benefit from clever taglines. However, simplicity is often best—stay true to your brand voice and avoid overthinking the hook.
5. Prioritize Visual Content for Shareability
Visuals are critical for viral social media posts. People are far likelier to share eye-catching images or videos than text-heavy articles. Engaging visuals are easily consumed and provide entertainment value alongside information. For example, the NSW Police Force’s use of humor and graphics to discuss scam awareness is more shareable than dense statistical analyses. While substance matters, creative presentation is vital for maximizing reach and engagement.
6. Develop a Strategic Promotion Plan
Viral content sometimes happens by chance, but don’t rely on luck. Instead, create a comprehensive promotional strategy to ensure your posts receive maximum visibility. Start by clarifying your goals—video views or product promotion—and develop tactics aligned with those objectives.
Identify the platforms your audience uses and focus sharing efforts there. Consider budget options for paid promotions versus organic outreach. Lastly, outline a timeline for your campaign to structure your efforts. A clear plan will help guide your approach while allowing for flexibility.
7. Evaluate Performance and Measure Success
Once your content is live, track its performance to assess success against goals. Key metrics may include engagement rates, social shares, impressions, and referral traffic. Use analytics tools to gather data across platforms and inform your assessment. Understanding what resonated and drove traffic will help you optimize future campaigns. Regular measurement is vital for adapting strategies in an evolving digital landscape.
8. Learn From Every Campaign and Iterate
Creating viral content is not a one-time effort. Each campaign provides insights to inform future initiatives, whether they succeed or fail. Analyze what worked to replicate those successes while also identifying areas for improvement. Regularly testing new approaches and learning from results will enhance your chances of ongoing viral success.
8 Examples of Viral Social Media Posts
1. Duolingo's Mascot "Death" Stunt Went Viral
On February 11, 2025, Duolingo announced the death of its beloved mascot, Duo, in a dramatic social media post. The campaign, which included a “dead Duo” theme, sparked a surge in Google searches and showcased Duolingo’s quick-witted, humorous social media team.
2. Miami Beach’s Spring Break Breakup Video
The City of Miami Beach launched a humorous “Breaking Up With Spring Break” campaign to discourage rowdy spring break crowds. The video featured the mayor in a breakup-themed skit, which went viral, amassing 20 billion impressions and over 400,000 YouTube views.
3. Visit Oslo’s “Is It Even a City?” Campaign
Tourism board Visit Oslo went viral with a tongue-in-cheek video asking, “Is Oslo Even a City?” The clip, featuring a local listing Oslo’s negatives, humorously highlighted the city’s charm and amenities, racking millions of views across social media platforms.
4. CeraVe’s Super Bowl Ad Featuring Michael Cera
CeraVe’s Super Bowl LVIII ad featured actor Michael Cera pitching product ideas to the brand’s board. The campaign cleverly played off the brand’s name, generated 11 million views, and increased online searches for CeraVe.
5. e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Sports-Themed Potential Grip Primer Ad
e.l.f. Cosmetics’ Super Bowl campaign promoted its Potential Grip Primer with a star-studded ad featuring Joey King and Lucien Laviscount. The campaign’s behind-the-scenes content outperformed the main ad, highlighting the value of creating shareable social media content.
6. Heinz’s “Ketchup Insurance” Campaign
Heinz Arabia launched a humorous “ketchup insurance” campaign, claiming to cover 57 types of condiment-related mishaps. The campaign, which included a viral video and interactive rewards, generated millions of views and sparked discussions about ketchup-related accidents.
7. Airbnb’s “Up” House Stay Invitation
Airbnb guests will stay in a real-life replica of the iconic house from Pixar’s “Up.” The campaign, which generated significant buzz online, highlighted Airbnb’s unique accommodations and followed a similar promotion for Barbie’s Dreamhouse.
8. Tinder’s “It Starts With a Swipe” Videos
Tinder celebrated the start of relationships with viral videos reimagining classic movie scenes. Inspired by conversations between Tinder users, the campaign aimed to showcase the app’s role in modern dating and sparked social media engagement.
10 Content Ideas for Viral Social Media Posts
1. Eye-Catching Infographics
Infographics rank among the top choices for generating viral content. Their design makes them easy to share across social media platforms, and they efficiently convey large volumes of information. Furthermore, infographics can be incredibly engaging and visually stimulating.
Identify a captivating and pertinent topic to craft an infographic with viral potential. Use reliable data and statistics to substantiate your claims. Prioritize appealing visual design and ensure your infographic is optimized for online sharing.
2. Host a Giveaway
Contests and giveaways consistently capture attention on social media, and it’s easy to see why. They offer fun and engaging opportunities for your audience while generating brand buzz. However, you must do it right to maximize your chances of going viral. Keep it simple. The easier it is for people to enter, the more likely they are to do so.
Make it fun. People love exciting and entertaining contests and giveaways. Promote, promote, promote! Share your contest or giveaway across social media and use hashtags to ensure everyone can find it. Tag others. Encourage your audience to tag friends to expand your reach.
3. Engaging Puzzles
Puzzles present an excellent opportunity for creating shareable content that engages your audience. Many types of puzzles include crosswords, word searches, and riddles. To maximize your chances of going viral, ensure your puzzle is relevant to your audience. For instance, consider pop culture references if your target demographic is millennials.
If you’re aiming for baby boomers, history or classic literature may be better options. To encourage interaction, you could add a contest element, asking followers to submit solutions for a chance to win a prize.
4. Shareable Memes
Few things are as likely to go viral as a clever meme. These humorous, relatable images offer great opportunities for engaging your audience and sparking conversations around your brand.
To create shareable memes, focus on humor, originality, and high-quality photos. Use editing tools to customize your meme and ensure it features bold text and eye-catching visuals. And, of course, share across social media platforms for maximum exposure.
5. Viral Listicles
Consider listicles if you’re looking for a proven format to create viral content. These articles, which feature a series of lists, are incredibly popular online because they’re easy to read and digest. To make your listicle stand out, choose a catchy and relevant topic.
Use eye-catching visuals to break up the text, and consider adding humor or personal anecdotes to enhance your storytelling. Finally, don’t forget to optimize your post for SEO to improve its chances of being discovered on search engines.
6. Uplifting Motivational Content
Motivational content is popular on social media because it inspires and uplifts people. This type of content can include quotes, articles, or videos encouraging your audience to pursue their goals.
To increase your chances of going viral, consider current events or trending topics that you can tie into your motivational message. Creating content around a hot topic can help you tap into existing conversations and reach a wider audience.
7. Creative Challenges
Social media is an excellent platform for launching challenges that have the potential to go viral. To maximize your chances of success, make your challenge unique, fun, and easy to participate in.
Clear rules and guidelines are essential to ensuring a smooth experience for participants. Once the challenge is complete, announce a winner and offer a prize. This will encourage participants to engage with your brand again in the future.
8. Informative How-To Tutorials
Tutorials are among the most popular online content because they teach people something new. If you can create a helpful how-to guide that answers a common question in your industry, you’ll attract a larger audience and establish your brand as an authority.
Consider using a trendy format, such as a video or infographic, to enhance your chances of going viral. Of course, promote your content across social media and other channels to boost visibility.
9. Fun Quizzes
Quizzes are an interactive content format that can drive significant engagement on social media. They offer a fun way to learn more about themselves and share results with friends.
To create a successful quiz, brainstorm engaging questions about your brand or industry. Use an online quiz maker to design your quiz, and promote it across social media and other channels to maximize visibility.
10. Insightful Polls
Polls are another easy way to engage your audience and spark conversations around your brand. They offer a fun and straightforward opportunity for people to share their opinions and preferences.
To create a successful poll, choose a topic relevant to your audience that will spark interest. Use social media tools to design and share your poll, and promote it across channels for maximum visibility. Afterward, share the results to continue the conversation and engage your audience further.
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Create Viral Shorts In Seconds With Crayo
Crayo AI is the fastest way to create short videos. Create unlimited short videos at once. Crayo even auto-generates captions, effects, background, and music for you. Take advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime and make easy money with the Tiktok creator fund program. Go from ideas to short videos in seconds:
- Write an outline/prompt,
- Customize the style (select a background video, voice narrator, and music from Crayo’s free templates),
- Finish and export! Go viral, make money, and make clips in seconds with Crayo.
Try Crayo’s free clip creator tool today — just click the ‘Try Now’ button on our homepage to get started. No account required! Go from prompt to viral short videos in minutes with Crayo.
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