What Makes Content Go Viral? Research Insights

What makes content go viral? According to our latest research, the key to success lies in triggering specific emotions, publishing at the optimal time, and telling stories that truly resonate with the audience.

The emotional drivers behind viral content, such as joy, surprise, or even anger, play a crucial role in sparking engagement and sharing. Timing is another vital factor—releasing content when it aligns with trends or key events can help it gain traction quickly.

Moreover, the stories we tell need to strike a chord with people’s experiences, values, or aspirations. Content that speaks directly to an audience’s emotions is far more likely to be shared, creating a ripple effect across platforms.

For brands, understanding these emotional triggers and combining them with strategic publishing practices can lead to campaigns that not only reach a wider audience but also inspire meaningful interactions, building deeper connections and increasing brand loyalty.

The viral emotions driving brand engagement

Up to 70% of journalists agree that PR professionals are crucial to the success of their work. However, according to Muck Rack’s *State of Journalism 2024*, 49% of journalists rarely or never respond to PR pitches.

So, what’s causing this disconnect? How can your company create newsworthy, viral content that not only captures the attention of journalists but also drives valuable brand coverage and fosters consumer engagement?

Back in 2013, Fractl—an agency I co-founded—published a study in the *Harvard Business Review* that explored the emotional triggers behind viral content. We analysed the emotions activated when respondents viewed the top 100 images from Reddit’s r/pics for that year.

Respondents were then asked to label the emotions they felt using Robert Plutchik’s “Wheel of Emotion.” This helped us decode the specific emotional interplay that fuels viral content and drives higher engagement. Understanding these emotional drivers is essential for creating content that resonates, spreads, and ultimately makes a lasting impact.

In the study, we uncovered some interesting findings about the emotions that drive viral content.

Firstly, positive emotions were more prevalent in viral content than negative ones, highlighting the power of positivity in creating engaging material. However, we also found that viral success occurred when negative emotions were combined with an element of surprise.

The emotion of surprise played a significant role, with various related feelings emerging frequently in viral content. These included curiosity, amazement, interest, astonishment, and uncertainty.

Additionally, admiration was found to be a highly common emotion associated with viral content, further emphasising how emotions that evoke respect or awe can contribute to a piece’s viral potential.

Ten years after our original study, I teamed up with Fractl co-founder Kristin Tynski to revisit and expand on our research, this time leveraging AI to deepen our understanding of the science behind viral content.

We applied the same methodology from our initial study and analysed the top 100 images on Reddit’s r/pics for 2024. To our delight, we uncovered the same set of viral emotions as before, reinforcing the importance of emotional triggers in content virality.

Building on this, our new research revealed several key factors that marketers can optimise to increase their chances of creating viral content.

Emotional strength was found to account for 40% of a post’s potential, indicating that content with heightened emotional intensity garners more interaction. Timing was another critical factor, contributing 35% to a post’s success. When content is published plays a significant role in its overall performance. Lastly, themes accounted for 25%, with specific narrative archetypes proving to have a greater impact on virality.

1. Content with heightened emotional intensity can increase engagement scores by up to 24%

Emotional resonance stands as the largest contributor to engagement, accounting for nearly 40% of overall interaction. As emotional intensity directly drives engagement, your team should focus on creating campaign ideas that evoke strong reactions from your audience. Instead of simply aiming for content that prompts a mild interest, you should strive for responses such as, “Wow, that’s really surprising!”

The greater the emotional intensity, the higher the engagement. High-arousal emotions like excitement, curiosity, and surprise are particularly powerful, increasing engagement scores by up to 24%. Additionally, evoking curiosity or laughter can lead to instant sharing, which significantly boosts the reach of your content.

2. Evening hours have 24% more engagement than daytime hours

Our research shows that content shared during late-night hours and on weekends sees considerably more engagement. Posts made late at night receive engagement scores that are 15% higher, while weekend posts get an 18% boost in comments. This highlights the critical role timing plays in the success of your content.

When considering user behaviour, it’s clear why this is the case. People tend to unwind in the evening, scrolling through feeds while relaxing. They are more likely to engage with content during these times, which is why scheduling your top-performing content for weekend and late-night promotion can significantly enhance your brand’s reach.

Engagement peaked around 10 p.m. and between 12 a.m. – 4 a.m. EST, aligning with key time zones when people are likely to be scrolling through their phones. Whether first thing in the morning or winding down before bed, these times are prime for reaching your audience.

3. Leveraging specific story archetypes increases engagement between 20-23%

People are drawn to stories that resonate emotionally, especially those that convey resilience, conflict, and growth. Story archetypes such as “Triumph Over Adversity” and “Conflict-Driven Narratives” have shown to increase engagement by 20-23%.

Stories that follow the “Hero’s Journey” or a “Redemption Arc” create a transformational narrative, driving a 17% increase in comment interaction. These types of stories, where a character faces obstacles, grows, and ultimately redeems themselves, encourage empathy and reflection, which in turn leads to more comments and discussions.

Conflict-driven themes, such as “Good vs. Evil” or tales of tragedy, produce the highest engagement, increasing comment numbers by 23%. These narratives evoke strong emotions like anger and sadness, motivating audiences to interact and voice their opinions, further driving engagement.

How content marketers can leverage the science behind viral marketing

The best marketers understand that the secret to creating viral content lies in a deep understanding of their audience’s emotions and behaviours in relation to their services, products, and industry.

To connect effectively, marketers must ask themselves: What would surprise their audience? What challenges are they trying to overcome? How can the brand relate to them and help solve their problems? By consistently applying emotional triggers that evoke strong reactions, understanding the best timing for content release, and incorporating impactful storytelling, brands can create campaigns that not only reach but engage and convert their target market.

The following sample headlines from our agency’s earned media demonstrate how brands can craft emotionally evocative, relatable content that earns viral attention, authoritative brand coverage, valuable backlinks, and audience engagement.

Paychex: “Retirees Rejoining the Workforce”
“How droves of employees are now being forced BACK to the workplace as inflation hammers their savings” – Daily Mail
“1 in 6 Retirees Are Considering Going Back to Work” – Fool
“This Is The Biggest Mistake We Make In Retirement Planning” – AARP
“Baby Boomers: Your talent shortage secret weapon” – HR Morning
“Tapping into tenure: Re-engaging retirees to fill skill shortages” – HRD Connect
“8 In-Demand Jobs for Retirees and Seniors” – Go Banking Rates

Consumer Affairs: “What is House Poor?”
“69% of Homeowners Feel ‘House Poor.’ Did You Buy Too Much House?” – Motley Fool
“Half of Americans consistently struggle to pay their bills on time, survey says” – Fox Business
“Most American homeowners are ‘house poor’ – and 40% of them have taken second jobs to afford a mortgage, survey says” – Business Insider
“25% of Homeowners Rely on Emergency Savings. Here’s Why You Need to Build Some Before Buying” – NASDAQ

CouponFollow: “Top Cities to Thrift”
“7 Common Myths About Shopping at Thrift Stores” – Go Banking Rates
“Here Are the Designer Items That Resell the Best” – The Street
“Home Decor You Should Thrift Instead of Buy New, According to Experts” – Real Simple
“Thrift Shop Like a Pro: Your Guide to Scoring Great Secondhand Clothing” – The Penny Hoarder

Viral success isn’t something that happens by chance. It’s the result of a deliberate approach to connecting with audiences on an emotional level. By using these science-backed strategies, you can observe how your engagement metrics improve in your next marketing campaign. Focusing on the most impactful emotional and thematic drivers will ensure your content is seen, shared, and discussed widely.