There are two types of viral content marketing: fast and slow. Fast viral content marketing is most of the times the result of chance rather than of planning, while slow viral is the result of hard work and time.
You can say that a piece of content has gone viral if it has been shared by millions of users on different social networks in a very short period of time. This is fast viral and it is very rare in the content marketing world. If it happens, you can say you have hit the jackpot. Why? Because there are some elements of fast viral content marketing that you cannot control.
What you can do is make sure your content is funny, concise, surprising and easy to share. Then, you can only hope it will capture mass media attention or it will be shared by highly influencing people on social networks. The piece of content can “explode” within the first hour from posting or it can never happen, it is hard to predict.
Slow viral content writing is more predictable in terms of success. Its characteristics ensure a large number of readers, but spread on a much longer period of time. Slow viral content is evergreen and educational, and has between 1,000 and 3,000 words. It is a painstaking effort to create such content, but, in time, the results are worth it:
- You become a resource and will, thus, be able to build inbound links organically;
- At the same time, you become an authority on the subject. Your readers will start trusting you even more, as in depth articles will build your credibility;
- SEO performance and long tail will be improved.
Therefore, the slow viral content marketing tactic is perfect when you are focused on long term results.
