Creating content that goes viral offers many benefits. However it is one of the biggest challenges for publishers and there is no exact formula for creating viral content. This article discusses 21 useful techniques for creating viral content. You can use this to create content your readers will want to in-turn share with others.

1. Use compelling Titles

Use of compelling titles is one of the most important factors that can make your post go viral. It is vital to spend time and choose your title carefully. Choose one that is appealing to readers. It is the first thing readers will come across and accordingly decide if they wish to read the rest of your post.

2. Take advantage of formatting

How a post is formatted plays a key role in determining its overall success. Readers often glance through content quickly before deciding whether it is useful for them. A well formatted post with well-crafted headings, paragraph breaks and correct spacing can make your post more readable and makes it easy for readers to scan your content. It makes your content stand out.

3. Use multimedia where appropriate

Lengthy content although necessary at time, can easily become boring and result in loss of interest among readers. You can use images, diagrams or videos where appropriate to make your content more appealing for readers. Images also help break up text and help engage users.

4. Utilise your existing network

Whether you are established publisher or just starting out, many publishers fail to target their existing network for best results. There are many ways to achieve this. Promote your content to your email list as well as on your social networks.

You can even explicitly ask for votes or likes in your post and email readers and social media influencers. Also make sure you support others in your network by reading, voting or re-tweeting their content as they will in-turn share your content with others.

5. Learn from experience

There is a lot you can learn by examining your older posts or by researching popular posts on other blogs. Your previous posts can offer a valuable insight into what has worked before. Similarly, you can examine other popular blogs in your niche and identify common elements that have contributed towards their success. You can use this information for inspiration and new ideas.

6. Use the right Keywords

It is also important to ensure you target the right keywords. This makes it easier for users to find your content. Try to use tools such as Google Keyword Tool to determine what users are searching for as it may be different to what you initially perceive.

7. Keep your posts fresh and Up to date

Many bloggers make the mistake of never updating their posts once they have been published. There are many ways to revitalise your old posts. Making sure your posts are up to date and fresh will keep it relevant and improve the value for readers. It will also provide a boost to search engine ranking.

Many users use trackbacks to stay informed of updates and they will be automatically informed when you update your post. Moreover, you can social bookmark or tweet about your post again to inform interested users that your post has been updated. This can create much needed new interest for your old content.

8. Make good use of Facebook and Twitter

Of the many social networks and media sites, none offer higher potential for attracting readers than the big players like Facebook and Twitter.

If you want to leverage the maximum benefits, you will need to invest time and effort in building your presence on these sites. It may take some time to build your network but the rewards are well worth the effort.  In addition to posting messages and links about your own content, you need to be active and read tweets and posts by others in your niche and re-tweet or share the content you find of interest to you. Re-tweeting and sharing other content is another great way to participate and build your reputation on social media.

9. Use other relevant Social Media Sites

There is more to social media than Twitter and Facebook. Social media plays a vital role in making your content viral. Websites such as Stumble Upon, Digg and Delicious can have a huge impact on your readership. A single digg or stumble can bring hundreds of visitors in a single day.

10. Use the right tools to share your content

Social bookmarking and content syndication can be time consuming. For best results you need to promote your content on many sites. There are many tools that let you post to multiple social networks  at once or even schedule your posts for maximum impact. Using the right tools can improve the results manifold. OnlyWire, Posterous and TweetDeck are some examples of free tools.

11. Take Advantage of List Posts

It is well known that certain type of posts such as numbered lists or how to articles tends to popular with readers and attract a large readership. Some examples are “Top Ten Web Design Blogs” or “Twelve common mistakes in Web Design”.

12. Make Sharing Easy

Make it easy for readers to share your content. Use social plugins for Twitter and Facebook as well as other social sites. Include well designed “sharing” buttons and place them prominently to encourage sharing. This can help improve conversions. Place your buttons prominently next to your title or towards the end of the post for best results.

You can even ask your readers explicitly in your article to Tweet your post or share it on Facebook if they find it useful. This is usually done at the end of the article. You will be surprised at the results.

13.  Network with influential users

One of the best ways to make your content go viral is to network with other influential publishers in your niche. If influential people in your niche recommend tweet or re-tweet your posts, you stand a much better chance of going viral. Keep track of influential users and take steps to contact them in order to get the right recommendations. .

14. Timing is important

The time you publish your article, tweet about it or share it on Facebook can also have an effect on the impact it generates. Posting at a certain time of the day can actually achieve better result than another. A simple split testing can reveal the differences in impact and readership.

15. Include internal and external Links

Linking offers many benefits. It not only has a positive affect on your ranking but also improves usability and readability of your content. This will ultimately ensure wider dissemination of your articles.

16. Write on a Hot Topic or issue

Posts on hot or sensational issues stand a better chance of going viral. It can make your content stand out. Covering a controversial issue in your niche can also help. It can create a buzz and spark a debate which can easily go viral. It is however important not to loose focus and target topics within your niche.

17. Be the First to address an issue

Being the first to report address an issue is another effective way to make your post go viral. However, it is not easy to find topics or issues that have not been reported elsewhere. Subscribing to a selection of news websites from your niche is a good way to monitor breaking news or issues.

18. Pay attention to comments

Comments are an integral part of a popular discussion. Blog post or article with good comments stands a better chance to go viral. It is hence equally important to place emphasis on your comments and encourage readers to comment.

Replying to your comments is another useful technique to engage readers. Asking a question is another way to encourage readers to leave comments.

19. Experiment and refine where necessary

There are no hard and fast rules as to what exactly will make your content go viral. There is no set way to determine for sure what will become popular with readers.  The methods that work for one may not work for another. If you want to achieve the best result and want your post to go viral, feel free to experiment and try our new methods. Monitor your performance and analyse your statistics. Above all, use this data to refine your content as well as promotional techniques.

20. Make full use of RSS feeds

RSS feeds are an excellent way to attract readers for your blog. Make sure sharing buttons are included for every item in your feed. Free tools like Feedburner offer improved tracking and the ability to offer updates by email. Also syndicate your feed to feed directories and social sites.

21. Use Blog Carnivals

Submit your posts to relevant blog carnivals for improved visibility and readership. After all the more readers you attract, better are your chances of going viral. Blog carnivals create and publish posts on a particular topic by syndicating content on from multiple related blogs. You can use Blog Carnival.Com which is a directory of blog carnivals and categorises carnivals based on topics.

The author K.Singh is a London based Internet Consultant with over 10 years of experience working with established  businesses.  He is an expert in  Web Design, Internet Marketing and E-Commerce.