The Number One Mistake You Need to Avoid After Your Post Goes Viral

And what you should do instead

You feel different after your post has gone viral.

You want to shout to the world and tell everyone how you did it (because everyone wants to know the secret sauce, so you’re sure to get tons of clicks by telling people about your story).

But there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about this.

I was reading an article this morning by a writer (who will remain nameless because I’m not interested in calling anyone out), who’s written several pieces of content about going viral. The post was littered with spelling and grammar errors. It seemed like they didn’t bother to re-read the post after they wrote it.

Ever since their first viral post, they’ve posted several clickbait titles and, it appears, the writing deteriorates in each one. They’re chasing the viral high.

I get it.

My fourth post on Medium went semi-viral (I say semi because I didn’t get tens of thousands of views, but I did get a ton of engagement). My notifications exploded for an entire week with people clapping, commenting, and best of all, following me.

I know what it feels like to experience that high.

But this high is dangerous.

It leads to thoughts of, “Wow, maybe I can actually make a living on Medium.”

Most of my posts have only made $.10 in a week if I’m lucky. I have a few in the $1-$4 range. This isn’t going to make me a livable wage. If I have one semi-viral post a month, though, I might be able to buy my son some nice Christmas presents or buy myself a new outfit.

What is the worst mistake a writer can make after one of their posts goes viral?

Get lazy

These writers feel the pressure to publish every day and draw in as many views as possible, but they aren’t producing high-quality content. They write clickbait headlines with content that does not deliver. This is pure laziness.

Is it tempting? Absolutely.

You may attract clicks, but clicks are not reads and Medium’s new pay structure measures how long a reader stays on the page. I imagine this is to punish those who are not producing helpful content with their clickbait titles and little delivery.

Posting a 2-minute (or less article) with a clickbait title is negligent. You’re better off posting one high-quality article a week than ten poorly crafted pieces.

In time, your readers will catch on and begin to become annoyed. They’ll eventually lose interest in your content and unfollow you. That’s the opposite of what you’re hoping to achieve, right?

Do This Instead

Think of writing like a race.

The person who starts in the lead (with a bunch of viewers) is known to lose momentum and fall behind by the end of the race. Meanwhile, the person who starts slow and steady has the energy to complete the race on top.

It’s the same with writing. The writer who crafts each piece of content thoughtfully, ensuring top-notch quality with each article, will eventually be rewarded.

There is absolutely a formula to get clicks. There’s nothing wrong with the writer who writes titles that people want to click. That’s a great skill to have!

What’s frustrating for readers is when a writer’s post fails to adhere to any sensical grammar rules and leaves them feeling annoyed because they clicked. Other nuisances include:

• Repetition throughout the article
• Posting the same article over and over
• Stating the obvious too obviously

Great quality work takes perseverance.

Each time you post something on the Internet, ask yourself this question:

Would I feel satisfied if I just read this for the first time?

If the answer is no, revamp, rewrite, and edit until you find the piece satisfactory (notice I said satisfactory, not perfect — there’s no such thing as perfect).

Avoid clickbait titles and hoping your readers will be too intrigued by the title to care what the body of the article says. They care, and they deserve better than a title with no reward.

Follow the examples of Eve Arnold, Abena Talks, and Derek Hughes, who write viral posts and continue to produce top-notch, high-quality content. I genuinely look forward to reading what they write. That’s the kind of writer I aspire to be.

Short-Form vs. Long-Form Content

Short-form content is a great way to “stay in the feed” and capture some clicks, but any copywriter will tell you that long-form content (1000 words+) is king, because it’s what keeps the reader on the page. It also helps you, the writer, build authority.

Long-form content takes longer to produce and, chances are, you did some research to create it. This type of content has historically performed better in search engines because it’s viewed as more valuable.

It’s worth investing in a mix of long-form and short-form content for your feed, as long as the content is valuable. A long-form article that is repetitive and full of long, challenging-to-read paragraphs is just as useless as a short-form clickbait article.

Final Words

When you’ve gone viral once, it’s easy to think you can make it happen again now that you know the “secret formula.” However, so many variables impact whether or not a post will go viral, and crafting clickbait headlines with no payoff in the body text is not the answer you’re hoping for.

Always think about how your readers will feel after they read your article. Will they feel inspired? Or will they feel annoyed? The last thing you want is to upset your readers by posting useless content simply because your headline will attract clicks.

Now, hit the keyboard and write some amazing content. Happy writing!

Read my semi-viral post: