Are you familiar with the experience of posting at 1 a.m. and watching your statistics page refresh every 90 seconds? We’ve all been there, chasing an algorithm, following “hot” trends, hoping this time things will “go viral”. Unfortunately, the truth about going viral isn’t an algorithm trick; it’s psychological. Understanding the underlying mechanics of why people share things leads to purposeful creation rather than guesswork.
The content is not what defines if it goes viral; instead, the sharer defines whether a piece will or will not go viral. People aren’t sharing things purely because they like them; they’re sharing things in order to gain status as someone who has shared something of value. Jonah Berger, a Professor of Marketing at Wharton, refers to this idea as “social currency”.
This means when people share something, they increase their own value in the eyes of others by providing them with either noteworthy or quirky information. So when someone shares your post(s), they’re not saying, “Great post.” What they’re saying is “Look how great I am for finding this first, look how knowledgeable I am, look how good my taste is.”
This is because exclusive information and exclusive access are often shared faster than polished information. When you give individuals something that allows them to be the “smart one” in their group chat, those individuals will provide for your distribution.
Emotion is the real algorithm
Disregard posting times and hashtags for a moment. The researchers who studied thousands of articles from the New York Times found that articles containing content that was high in arousal (such as awe, anger and anxiety) were more likely to be shared than articles with content containing low-arousal emotions (i.e., sadness). This is often overlooked in “how to make your content go viral” guidelines.
Not all emotions have the same potential for virality. Low arousal (calm, content, or sad) will result in people sitting still, and high arousal (awe, outrage, joy, or anxiety) will result in people acting. If your content does not produce a high-arousal emotional response from someone, it probably won’t be very successful, regardless of how accurate or well made it is.
The curiosity gap is doing more work than you think
If you’ve ever noticed that some headlines or hooks make you want to scroll right past them because you just can’t stop yourself, you’re not imagining things! This phenomenon is actually a byproduct of your own brain fighting to complete the cycle of an unfinished thought.
We are hardwired as humans to have a very strong, almost nagging need to find closure. When we are left without closure (such as finding out about what the results were after trying something for 30 days, “I tried this for 30 days, and my dermatologist was shocked by the results”), the brain continues to stay connected to that item until the closure is provided.
This creates one of the best psychological triggers that exist in content creation today, however, it also carries a warning with it: Audiences in 2026 will be more aware than ever before that they are being baited. If you open up a curiosity gap that doesn’t have something significant to resolve it, you not only lose that specific viewer, but you will have also lost their trust in all of your future posts. Therefore, wherever you create a curiosity gap, that gap must ultimately lead to something that is worth the reader arriving at.
Relatability beats perfection now
Traditionally, an underlying principle behind content creation has been to create content that appears perfect, sounds perfect, and always maintains the same character. But now, this approach is on the decline. People are bored with content that feels made for a company or brand and are turning towards creators who can be seen as ‘real’ people rather than an impersonation of a brand. So, engagement is coming from the less “perfect-looking”, more “natural-looking” videos which have random looks, unscripted reactions, and captions that resemble texting someone.
This does NOT equate to lowering the level of quality you create; rather, it simply means lowering the “performance” of the content. People relate to “real” versus “perfect”.
Triggers keep content alive long after the post
For the content to stay relevant beyond just 24 hours, it needs to be associated with something that people see repeatedly (i.e., triggers). When content is connected with something people experience on a regular basis, whether it’s a day of the week, season of the year or a common source of frustration, it will be brought to mind and shared again and again each time the trigger occurs. This is why we see certain jokes, songs or formats come back for months at a time. The content initially went viral and continues to do so because life keeps reminding others about that particular content.
So what does this actually mean for your next post?
Stop asking "what's trending" and start asking these instead:
- The value of the person who distributes this will be perceived as intelligent, witty, and educated.
- Is it creating a strong emotion, as opposed to merely interest, but with intensity?
- Have I opened a mental loop that requires a solution?
- Does this sound like me as a person, or is it a company impersonating me?
- What elements here can create a lasting emotional connection to their audience?
Luck has never been an element of a viral source; all that matters is understanding the fundamental and inherent behaviour of humans that causes them to share something. Once you understand that and how it can apply regardless of the current changes in every platform, you no longer fear any changes or new updates that will put your content at the mercy of the system. You will have learned how to work with psychology as it relates to those who choose to share.
