Secrets of Viral Instagram Posts: How to Capture Attention

If you’re like most people, you know all about the “rabbit hole” of social media – those nights when you intend to go to bed early, only to find yourself staring at post after post… after post.

Suddenly, it’s been two hours, and you don’t know where the time went!

There’s something almost magical about how viral social media posts worm their way into our brains and command our attention. Whether it’s a post about a current event, a bit of pop culture drama, or just a funny meme, the right post can go viral at any moment.

But are there ways that you can boost the chances of an Instagram post going viral? For brands and businesses looking to boost their engagement online, knowing the mechanics of virality online – and how to increase the chances of it happening to you – is key.

Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to go viral on Instagram and beyond.

The Science Behind Viral Content

Think about this – over 100 million pictures and videos are posted to Instagram every single day. Of those, the average engagement rate (how many of that post’s potential reach engages with any given post) is around 4.7%.

In other words, going viral can be a bit like hitting the lottery. But there are ways you can increase that engagement rate and try to hit a compounding effect toward going viral.

This isn’t to say that going viral = instant success. We’ve all seen posts that go viral for all the wrong reasons. But the mechanics behind both good and bad viral posts are actually pretty similar – and if you know how to capture that, you’ll strike gold.

Tips For Creating Viral Instagram Posts

While we can’t promise every post you make will go viral (that’s the mystery behind the madness) we can give you some proven tips that will get your engagement above that 4.7% threshold.

The higher your engagement, the more likely it is that your post will gain momentum as it’s shared.

Always Lead With A Hook

Every viral post on Instagram has some kind of hook that snags your eyes and locks you in. Like fishing, you want to bait the users into stopping the scroll and looking at your content.

For images, bold colors, big fonts, and faces are great ways to capture attention. Humans are psychologically designed to connect with human faces, so the more you can put people on your posts, the better!

Video posts have a magic three-second window where a user decides to stay or swipe on. Get their attention with a hook at that moment, and you’ll hook them for the rest of your content.

Remember Your Composition Principles

Don’t sacrifice quality for the sake of virality! While some posts go viral with poor photography or videography, the more appealing you can make your content, the more likely it is to be shared.

This includes paying attention to composition principles such as the rule of thirds, leading lines, and balance in your images and videos.

Write Excellent Captions

The captions you include in your posts can also play a role in whether it goes viral or not. The same “hook” elements apply to captions as well – as storytelling and emotions are universal elements that speak to all audiences.

Don’t be afraid to use the limited viewable text space in the first few lines to hook the audience with the start of a juicy story that compels them to click!

Get Hashtag Friendly

Hashtags were originally created as a way to categorize posts for easy searching. Now they’ve become a key way the Instagram algorithm puts content in front of users.

Make sure you’re adding relevant hashtags to your posts – including common ones that are borrowed from the TikTok world (#foryoupage #fyp, etc.) Not sure what to use? See what other posts are doing and model their techniques!

Watch Your Posting Timing

You’ll find that some posts work better than others at certain times of the day. This could be due to your followers using their social media channels at particular times, or it could be down to the Instagram algorithm.

Try a few different times and see how your posts perform. Keep track of when your posts are getting the most engagement and adjust the posting schedule as needed.

Create Share-Worthy Content

As we mentioned in the hook and captions tips, stories are key to successful engagement. People love stories, and they crave the human connection that comes with them.

Some of the best viral posts on Instagram are those that create a connection with the user on a personal level. It could be a serious story that is worthy of a share for support, or a funny “Oh, me too!” video that users want to share with their friends.

Watch the Trends

Perhaps the best way to help ensure your content goes viral is to jump on the bandwagon. The momentum that certain trends have online can create a massive wave of shares and engagement.

Stay up-to-date on current events, pop culture, and social media trends. Incorporate them into your content in a creative way that relates to your brand or business. Just make sure to move quickly, because the trends move quickly.

The Key To Going Viral? Stay Consistent

There’s nothing more frustrating than spending hours on a single post that only sees a few clicks or likes… while that off-the-cuff post you made goes viral for no apparent reason. But that’s the name of the social media game!

The key is staying consistent with your content development. You never know when a post may or may not catch traction, but you can guarantee that not posting will net you nothing but social media silence.

Keep creating, use the above tips, and stay consistent. You’ll begin to see some momentum as you take action, and soon, your content will hit that viral level more often!