Viral copy is golden thread
Posted by Caitlin Smythe on 08 Nov 2007 at 10:59 am | Tagged as: Copywriting
Viral content is golden thread on the net. It’s easy to understand and easy to share. It can come in the form of lists of resources, quotations, theories, arguments and points of view. Digg is a great place to find viral content. Social media are perfectly suited to spin viral content, as it’s usually interesting and rewarding to share it.
Turning a blog post viral should be every blogger’s dream – ditto for marketers and copywriters. As the copy is passed along the networks, a number of hot-seated individuals come into contact with it. Prospective friends, business partners, clients and people with viral clout will get to know you. This kind of success can bring you into the public consciousness. And with your newly found friends comes inbound links, which boosts your SEO in a self-perpetuating cycle (so long as your on-site factors are sorted).
Social media tends to chew news up today and forget it tomorrow. But with viral content, your wave of popularity will keep ebbing and flowing, long after the traffic Tsunami has swept through. A great post can still be accessed via word of mouth from comments and trackbacks, keeping you in the limelight. As Seth Godin points out, no one sends an idea unless he understands it and wants to spread it. Similarly, you don’t receive an idea unless you’re willing to investigate it, and you respect the sender.
People comment and make suggestions, giving you evidence of the common opinion. Write your copy with this in mind. Renowned bloggers often point out that their self-image is perpetrated and supported by the threads of comments that their posts evoke. Write copy that people will want to spread.
The prospect that your content could go viral should inspire you to pack your brand into your copy. Of course, not all viral copy sends a good message. Your name and the essence of what you’re doing is on show, and you need to reel the visitors in once they’re caught. Ultimately, the power of viral content is that it promotes interaction around you.
