Why is it that some of the largest companies can spend millions of dollars creating content that will go viral with no avail, but your average man or woman can stick a pair of tights on their household feline and all of a sudden it’s a worldwide phenomenon? Virality is a concept that defines a photo, post or video that gains popularity quickly among multiple social mediums.

When analyzing what makes something go viral, it’s important to note what emotions it provokes in a consumer to make them want to share it. I’ve broken down the emotions of vitality to the following:

I found it first!: People like to be the first, they like to share stories, pictures, videos with friends that they have never seen. It’s funny because the reality is they had nothing to do with the making of this content, but being the first to share it comes as rewarding to the consumer. By creating content that sparks this feeling of wanting to share in order to be the first to do so, virality will come easier.

Nostalgia: Back in my day, cats in tights was the hip, viral thing. I sure hope I’m not telling my grandchildren this but nostalgia really is a driving force in virality. Memories from our past are much easier to share as they will likely spark conversation among friends and family who lived through the same times.

Entertaining: Finally, what would seem to be the most obvious, entertainment value. People aren’t going to share something that didn’t get them talking. Whether it’s funny, shocking or informative, there needs to be that sense of urgency to share.

Going viral is every brands desire, but getting there is the hard part. Unfortunately, triggering emotions alone is often not enough and a little bit of luck is needed in order to propel a post from zero to hero.

Source Used: http://mashable.com/2013/07/09/jonah-berger-viral-content/