Don't Waste Your Time Creating Viral Content

When it comes to content creation, it can be tempting to focus on creating viral content. After all, viral content is the most popular, right?

Going viral might sound appealing, but it’s not as easy as some people think—and even if you do go viral, that doesn’t always mean that you will benefit from the attention or that you’ll see any long-term benefits.

What's Wrong with Viral Content?

As fun as it is to watch your cat video reach 10,000 shares on Facebook, focusing all your energy on trying to create content that goes viral will ultimately ruin your business' online presence.

If you’re serious about building a sustainable following with an active client base, one of your primary goals should be focusing on how to make high-quality content that your audience will not only want to see, but provides them value.

Focus on Content Quality

Fact: It can be easy to create low-quality content that no one wants to share without even realizing.

Trends are great to get the creative ball rolling, but if your only source of inspiration is making an exact copy of the last viral Instagram Reel you saw, it's time to rethink your strategy.

The issue with trends is that they a) date your work, and b) make your brand blend in.

When something goes viral, everyone jumps on the trend to create their own version of the original content. This leads to over-saturation, so every time someone comes across a new Reel with the same viral audio everyone else is using, they're more likely to overlook it because they recognize the trend.

Quality is Long-Term

When you’re creating or curating content on social media, it’s important to remember that you’re doing so in hopes of generating quality traffic and leads—not just clicks.

While viral posts do drive a lot of traffic, they also quickly fade from your followers’ newsfeeds. In other words, they don’t help build long-term business relationships with your audience.

The Beauty of Good Enough is That You Can Get Better

If you use viral trends because you are afraid to create original content, don’t worry—good enough is okay when you are just beginning! Do your best to create content that will withstand the trends and your audience will not only be more engaged, but feel like you provided them with value.

Short on ideas of where to start? Know that most posts should follow a 3-to-1 ratio when promoting a product or service:

That’s three valuable to one sales pitch.

Of your four most recent posts, three should provide your audience with valuable insight, whether it be a tutorial, local event showcase, product description, update, or customer review. Regardless of what the content is, ensure it is something your clients would like to know.

One of your four most recent posts, on the other hand, should be your request from the audience. This would be your “sign up for my newsletter” or “book with me” sort of post.

Following this system creates balance in your content that not only outlives trends, but also promotes the value of your content and brand to your active audience. Of course, this is one of many ideas, but it’s certainly one formula to potential success!