10 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN YOUR

BLOG POST
GOES VIRAL
NEW YO
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 10 STEPS TO TAKE WHEN A POST GOES VIRAL

Y ou’ve done it...you’ve written that one perfect post, that resonates and
connects not just with your own readers, but with thousands of other people who
are sharing it with their friends, and their followers. You’ve just gone viral!

So what do you do now?

The good news is, going viral is the hard part but even so, it’s time to react quickly to
use the viral nature of your post to your advantage! Here are ten steps you should
take QUICKLY if your blog post goes viral:

1 PREPARE. If you are suddenly getting a huge surge in page views, make sure your
server is ready and fully prepared. There is nothing that will kill a viral post faster
than a site that won’t load. Contact your server host immediately to let them
know you have a post that may be going viral so that they can increase your
bandwidth and make sure your server is equipped to handle the surge.

Be sure to also mentally prepare. The Internet is not always a kind place, and
even if your post evokes a strong positive reaction, there will also be those who
strongly disagree with what you have to say. They may be mean. They may call
you names. It is just part of the deal.

2 EDIT. Make sure the post is one you actually want to go viral. Is this post really
what you want your claim to fame to be? It is very possible that this post may be
how you are judged for the foreseeable future. While viral traffic can be amazing
and wonderful, it can also be terrifying, particularly if your post is one that causes
a lot of anger. If you are not 100% committed to the effects of going viral,
consider taking down the post as soon as possible.

Next, double-check to make sure that the post has been edited and is free from
grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. If necessary, have someone else look it
over to edit it for you.

3 MONETIZE. If a viral post catches you off guard, before you’ve had a chance
to fully monetize your site, make sure to at the very least quickly put up some ad
network ads. (If you’re an EBA student, refer to Unit 7 for more details.) You can
always tweak and refine your ads and placement later, but just start by getting
them up as quickly as possible.

Depending on the post’s content, check also to see if there is a way to edit the
post itself and to monetize by adding affiliate links or by promoting your own
product.

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4 RETAIN. Having thousands of visitors read your viral post is one thing; getting them
to come back and become regular readers is a whole different ballgame. In
order to retain as many new readers as possible, first make sure you have created
a clear call to action. Place a subscriber box in several prominent places, and
actually invite readers to subscribe at the end of the post. Remember that
persuading people to subscribe is much easier if you are offering something of
value in return—if you have not yet created a subscriber incentive, this would be
a great time to create one. (Just do it quickly!)

Make sure also that new readers can easily find other great content on your site
particularly content that is similar to your viral post. Add some graphics to your
sidebar highlighting your most popular posts, or add a list of suggested posts to
the bottom of your viral post. The longer a reader stays, the more likely they are
to come back!

5 PROTECT. By law, everything you write on your blog is automatically copyrighted,

but it is a good idea to make sure that your copyright notice is prominently
displayed. If you don’t already have one, develop a reprint policy of how your
content can be used or reprinted by other blogs and media outlets. Make sure
your policy is extremely limited and requires explicit permission.

If you haven’t already, be sure to watermark all the photos used in your post,
and do NOT give permission for your photos to be freely used by a major photo
warehouse such as the Associated Press or Getty Images.

If you find out your content is being used in an unauthorized way, do not be
afraid to follow up and demand that your content be removed or paid for (or
both.)

6 CONNECT. If your blog post goes viral there is a large chance that people will
want to connect with you and get to know you better. If you haven’t already,
make sure your “about” page is up-to-date with your bio and background and
a professional-looking head shot. Make it personal and personable, and include
links to some of your favorite posts.

There is a good chance that you may be contacted by media outlets, so make
sure your contact information is also prominently listed in as many places as
possible, including on your About page, on a contact page, on your advertising
page, and on your PR page. Include an actual email address (not just a form)
where people can reach you, and consider setting up a toll-free number for your
company through a service like Grasshopper.com.

7 PROMOTE. Just because your post has taken off doesn’t mean you should stop
promoting it yourself! In fact, knowing that a post has the power to go viral makes
self-promotion even more important. If you haven’t already, start by creating a
few Perfect Pins™ for your post. While your post has clearly fulfilled the content

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 element, make sure your Perfect Pin™ also has eye-catching visuals and a
compelling description. (See Unit 3 for more details.) Once you’ve created your
Perfect Pin™ be sure to also pin it frequently to any appropriate collaborative
boards.

In the case of a viral post it may also be worthwhile to pay to promote your
post on Facebook, particularly if you already made sure that the post is well
monetized. Follow the steps for promoting a product or building an email
list found in the following handout to see how to effectively boost a post on
Facebook.

Depending on the post topic, you may also want to seek out media attention.
Consider writing a press release to send to local and national media outlets using
a service such as PRWeb.com. You never know who might pick up the story!

8 ENJOY. While going viral can be exciting and stressful and a little crazy at times,
the experience doesn’t last forever. Don’t get so caught up in the craziness that
you forget to enjoy the ride! Remind yourself that the traffic boost is temporary,
and while you will definitely try to capture and retain as many new readers as you
can, there is also a point at which you just need to ride the wave while it lasts and
enjoy it while you can.

9 REPEAT. Once a post has gone viral, it has the potential to go viral again and
again and again, and sometimes the second or third waves are even larger
and crazier than the first! After the initial craziness from a viral post has died
down, take a step back and evaluate the situation. What did you learn from
this experience? What could you have done better? What changes do you
still need to make to your site? What changes do you still need to make to your
post? What would you do differently if you could do it again?

Give the post some time to rest, and take that time to make any necessary
changes to the post and your website before doing another big push on
Facebook, Pinterest, or other social media avenues. If it went viral once, chances
are it won’t take much to go viral again (and again and again).

10 DUPLICATE. Carefully evaluate your viral post to figure out exactly what about it
evoked such an extreme reaction. What topic or subject were you writing on?
What was it about this post that made it different from other posts that you’ve
written? How did this post make people feel? What specific elements of this post
did people react to? Once you’ve dissected the post in every way you can,
work on ways to duplicate and repeat that result.

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