The Ultimate Guide to Creating Engaging Social Media Content

What makes content reach more people and ultimately go “viral”?

I’ll be honest with you, no one besides the social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc) know exactly what makes content go “viral”. If someone were to tell you that they did know, they would probably be lying to you. Although, we can assume that based on how social media companies make their money (which is through advertising) that what is most important to them is the following:
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• How much you interact with the content on the platform (advertisements or otherwise)
• And how much time you spend on their platform
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To put it simply, the more you interact and spend time on a given social media’s platform, the more likely you are to see and interact with their adverts which will ultimately improve their bottom line. This means that content that captures, engages and retains people's attention will be pushed out to more people as it will typically keep them on their platforms for longer and lead to more profit. In simple terms, the success or failure of your content is solely based on its ability to keep people's attention and engagement.

If there were a simple formula, it might look like this: Increased time spent viewing your post + Increased content interactions on your post (likes, comments, shares, saves) = More people seeing your post.

Increased time spent viewing your post
+
Increased content interactions on your post (likes, comments, shares, saves)
=
More people seeing your post

This then begs the question: how can we make our content more engaging so it then in turn reaches more people and exposes us, our business or brand to a wider audience?

How to make your content more engaging

I always knew that the more engaging a piece of content was, the more people it could potentially reach. But I didn’t know exactly how to make a post more engaging. So I analyzed my posts by assigning the following characteristics to each one:

• What type of post was it?
• What structure did I use?
• And what theme did I use?

For example, I posted a reel video, I used The 11 Method post structure (more on this later), and I used a “science based” theme.
I then cross-referenced this data with all of my posts and analysed what characteristics gave me the most reach.

Before I share with you the exact characteristics that worked most effectively in getting me reach, I want to preface by saying not every single post that had these characteristics went well. It was just on average that they performed better than the rest of my content. With that in mind, here are the three characteristics that gave my posts the most reach.

Are reels really the most effective post type?

On average reels formatted posts across all platforms performed 1700% better than regular posts and carousels posts (sliding images). In addition to this Meta (facebook) has openly stated that reels videos are the most engaging and therefore will be pushed out to more people on their platforms. So it’s simple, if you want to maximise your post reach aim to do at least 3 - 4 reels per week. You want to use reels to create more reach and carousels, stories and regular posts to help engage and create conversations with your current audience. Since reels are by far the most beneficial for reach, how then should we structure our reels videos to make them more engaging and therefore reach more people?

The ultimate reels post structure for maximum engagement

Initially when I started posting reel length videos to my social media accounts I would just speak about what came to my mind. I didn’t think too much about the structure. I just imagined that the more authentic I was the more reach I would get. Now, don’t get me wrong, being authentic and real in your posts is important but it’s an intangible metric. Meaning, you can’t measure the results of a post based on how authentic you thought you might have felt. So I started structuring my posts in different ways to see what types performed best. I tried all sorts of structures including giving 5 bits of advice on a given topic, cutting up podcast clips, explaining scientific studies and so on. Out of all the structures that I tried there was one in particular that on average outperformed the rest of them by close to 200%. The structure of these posts is something I call The 11 Method. The structure of The 11 Method is as follows:
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1. Opener/Hook
2. One, Subject 1
3. Problem or Description
4. Solution
5. Two, Subject 2
6. Problem or Description
7. Solution
8. Three, Subject 3
9. Problem or Description
10. Solution
11. Call to Action

You can learn more about The 11 Method© here.

How to garner credibility even if you have 0 followers

On average when I backed up my posts with scientific evidence they performed 250% better. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to use science to back up your claims. It just means that you should find ways to use the social proof of someone or something  to give your ideas weight which in turn will improve your reach and engagement. If you are posting about nutrition you might back up your claims with science references. Or let’s say you're a designer. You might reference a well known designer in the industry to give your claims a little more oomph. Here are some examples:

• If you’re a physiotherapist: “Here are 3 science backed ways to improve your posture”
• or maybe you’re a fashion designer: “Here are 3 ways Virgil was able to revolutionise the fashion industry”

You want to use the social proof from someone or something else in your industry to give your ideas or advice more weight.

Conclusion

In conclusion, making your content go viral is not an exact science, but engagement is key. By using the right post structure, backing up your claims with social proof, and focusing on reels, you can increase your reach and exposure. Remember to keep your content authentic and relevant to your target audience. By implementing these elements in your content, you'll have a better chance of making it go viral and reaching a wider audience.