All copywriters dream of creating viral content. Whether in a blog about travel tricks or a LinkedIn article on the newest form of SEO, we all want to reach as many screens, grab readers' attention, and gain as many online interactions as possible.
‘Going viral’ started as an internet trend in 2009 when online videos began to be described as viral when they received significant recognition from other social media users. This trend only grew with apps such as Vine, Musical.ly and TikTok.
But the term ‘viral’ now has a much more valuable meaning, although subjective. Going viral indicates in today's society indicates the success of an online post, and writers often use elements such as their interactions such as ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ to determine the skill of their writing.
This may seem a little derogative to us copywriters, as we know that all forms of the copy aren’t made to interact with, but in terms of creating a social presence for your copywriting business, going viral does the trick!
What role does content ideation have in this possibility of going viral?
What is Content Ideation?
Content ideation is one of the first steps in a copywriter's process when starting a new project, taking on a new client, or doing the necessary research to stay current with online trends. You will produce or source topics for your copy and marketing content through this process.
Aka, content ideation is where we get our ideas!
Imagine that a new client hires you, and they want to boost their social presence on LinkedIn and need you to write their posts. Research about what ideas boost interactions, what forms of posts attract and hold onto readers, and who to connect with in your client’s industry is a good starting point.
You can learn much from other content creators; platforms such as LinkedIn and The Author’s Pad are great places to do this as they have a strong community of copywriters like yourself sharing their writing techniques and ideas to enhance each other's skills.
Although skill is important, so is a keen eye for quality ideas. Content ideation focuses on spotting when something is real, relevant and relatable to your target audience and turning this idea into a well-thought-out piece of writing!
Tools such as Google Trends can help with this process by finding rising search queries and trends across different regions, finding you the best topics readers are desperate for.
AI-Tools
AI tools are a new and popular tool that is taking the internet by storm, especially in the copywriting business. These smart tools are programmed to produce copy in just moments and can write almost anything on your command.
Literally, you just have to ask it.
And now that all the online speculation about ‘AI stealing our jobs’ and ‘threatening copywriters' futures’, we can now utilise this tool for content ideation as AI accesses a vast amount of online resources that it would take us hours to read in comparison.
It’s important that you fully understand the tools that you use in content ideation. We recommend using Copy.ai or ProWritingAid if you want to explore the possible ways to generate ideas through the use of AI and refine your writing.
Creating Viral Content
There are a few different components to creating viral content. We’ve already touched on writing skills, online tools, and understanding trends, but what else impacts a post’s success?
A piece of content that is continuously shared by internet users and circulates online can be considered as viral. This term can be applied quite loosely, as the word's definition doesn’t specify a specific number of likes or shares.
Here are three questions to ask yourself before writing so that you’re more likely to go viral!
1. What Compels Readers to Share the Content that They View Online?
The aim is to get your content across different platforms in shared inboxes between friends, family and co-workers. So understanding what would make them share something is crucial. Readers want to share content that is valuable and entertaining.
2. Can You Make it Into a List?
Notice how we’re writing this inside of a list? Content creation, such as blogging, is a brilliant way to improve the traffic you receive in your copywriting business, for example, and can be an effective way to go viral!
Writing these in the form of lists is a popular style among online readers, and it can be an effective way to keep their attention.
3. Can You Write It in 1500 Words?
Short and concise content does better in today’s internet scene, as they are user-friendly and more susceptible to being shared among friends.
Think about it, would you share a 3000 world article when scrolling through your phone at night? Copywriters are known for changing their techniques, blending in with trends and consistently producing relevant and impressive copy; being flexible to our reader's wants is how we do it.
