Virality is a term used for an idea, image, video, or article that quickly circulates from one person to another.
Viral content is also referred to as “going viral.” This means that there’s something about it that causes it to spread like wildfire online. A video can go viral because people find it hilarious, news articles can go viral because they’re controversial, and memes can go viral because they’re relatable.
Something going viral has a lot to do with empathy. If you see something and think, “yes! this person understands me!” then you share it with your friends who might also identify with what was said or done.
What are the various types of Virality?
The definition of virality is pretty clear. But, one question that may have surfaced in your mind is how to start. It is pretty obvious that if you want to make your video, image, article, or product viral, you need to find out answers to some questions such as:
- How to start?
- How to trigger the mind of the user?
- How to make people talk about or share your content further?
And many more! Once you have answers to these questions, you can begin curating content.
If we talk about the types of virality, there are 5 types such as:
Word of Mouth Virality
This is the most basic form of virality, and it is pretty contagious too. The idea behind word-of-mouth virality is that the product or any other content becomes so liked by the people that they start talking about it with other people.
For instance, the app TikTok was an instant hit as it provided people with so many opportunities to create and share content. Other than that, PUBG and Among Us were some viral games that garnered millions of players within days of their release. The sole reason was word-of-mouth virality.
This may seem easy. However, to ensure that people talk and share your content, it has to be super engaging. Moreover, it is also necessary to keep some pointers in mind such as:
- The content or product is easy to find.
- People should be able to describe your product easily (for instance, the logo of Among Us game is pretty easy to draw and explain)
Incentivized Word-of-mouth Virality
This technique is also a variant of Word-of-mouth but a bit more effective. In word-of-mouth, people may not check the game or any other product if a person told them. However, in this virality, they surely will as an incentive if offered.
Many businesses undertake this method to promote or grow their product. For example, Google Pay is a payment app that offers an incentive to both the referring person and the new user for installing the app and using it afterward.
Other than that, PayPal offered $10 to each user who installed the app and created an account.
Demonstration Virality
This is another cool type of virality. The crux of this virality is that you are using a product normally, and people ask how you did that? The next thing is that you tell them about how you did it, and the product gets viral.
Some great examples of this are:
- Snapchat: There are many of us who came to know about Snapchat when we saw some of our friends posting funny pictures with filters. This is what Snapchat did to become viral.
- Uber: Uber is another product that became popular via demonstration virality. When people used Uber to get a cab, Uber benefitted by you just pressing the book a ride button.
Infectious Virality
When you first used Facebook or played PUBG, you must have told some of your friends about the apps. Moreover, you must have pushed them to use the app just like you because you will get a company. This type of virality where a product gets viral while you feel good when connected to your friends and loved ones on it is infectious virality.
You can say that in this virality, both you and your friends are hooked. And it becomes tough to let it go.
Outbreak Virality
The last type of virality is outbreak virality. In this, people just share or use a product only because they like it. For example, PokemonGo is a game that became popular only because people loved the fact that their favorite anime show was converted into a game.
Other than this, Youtube videos are a great example as some of them make people look cool or funny. People feel good while sharing it with their friends. This virality is outbreak virality.
How to implement Virality techniques?
If you have read everything closely so far, you must have an idea that making content viral is not just about making something extremely popular. You just need to be aware of the demographics of a specific set of audiences and develop content targeted to them.
One fine example of this is Instagram Reels. As TikTok got banned in some of the Asian countries, Instagram instantly released the Reels feature as they had knowledge about the demographics. Their simple feature got viral within days, and today, millions of reels are shared on the network.
To create something viral, ensure that your product targets those who want it and are inclined towards it. For example, if you launch something similar to PUBG now, it may not go viral. However, if you launch something related to Bitcoin, it might go viral as its numbers are off the charts.
What are the benefits of Virality?
Virality allows businesses:
- To scale quickly while saving acquisition costs
- Boosts revenue
- Increase sales
- Garner new customers
- Enhance brand value
Mediums to make content viral!
There are various types of media via which you can make your product or content viral!
- Social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Video platforms like Youtube, Vimeo, etc.
- Word-of-mouth
- Web Forums like Reddit
