To trend online, the most crucial element is creating content that resonates widely with people.
Creating content that goes viral and trends across online platforms hinges on its ability to connect with a large audience.
The Power of Relatability in Trending
According to insights on creating viral content, the most important part is making sure that many people relate to it. When your content touches upon shared experiences, emotions, or ideas that a broad audience can instantly understand and identify with, it significantly increases its potential to spread.
Why is this so effective? The reference states, "The more people that relate to and understand your trend, the more people will share it and pass it on." Relatability sparks recognition, prompting viewers or readers to think, "That's so true!" or "I feel that way too!" This immediate connection drives them to share the content with their own networks, multiplying its reach exponentially.
Balancing Specificity and Broad Appeal
While the goal is broad relatability, the subject matter shouldn't be entirely generic. The advice is to "Make sure the subject matter is specific, but don't make the focus too narrow."
This means:
- Be Specific: Focus on a particular moment, feeling, observation, or idea. Content like "that specific way you peel a banana" or "the exact feeling of finding a matching sock" is more engaging than just "peeling fruit" or "doing laundry."
- Avoid Narrowness: Ensure the specific subject, while distinct, taps into a common or universal human experience. The banana-peeling method might be specific, but the act of peeling fruit or having quirky habits is widely understood. The sock example taps into the universal frustration of lost socks.
Content that hits this sweet spot feels unique and personal to the creator but universally true to the audience.
Practical Tips for Creating Relatable Content
Based on the principle of relatability, here are some ways to develop content with trending potential:
- Tap into Shared Experiences: Create content about everyday moments, common struggles (like Monday mornings or technical difficulties), or simple joys (like the first sip of coffee).
- Address Universal Emotions: Humour, frustration, nostalgia, small victories, and minor annoyances are felt by almost everyone.
- Use Simple Language & Concepts: Avoid overly complicated ideas or jargon unless it's central to the niche of your audience (but remember the "not too narrow" rule).
- Observe Existing Conversations: Pay attention to what people are already talking, complaining, or laughing about online and offline.
- Be Authentic: Often, content based on genuine, personal observations resonates because others have similar, unarticulated feelings.
The Sharing Effect
Ultimately, trending online is a result of mass sharing. Relatable content acts as social currency – people share it because it helps them express something about themselves, entertains their friends, or feels relevant to their community. By focusing on creating content that many people can connect with and understand, you build the foundation for organic sharing and viral growth.
Here's a quick summary based on the core principle:
| Key to Trending Online | How to Achieve It | Avoid This Pitfall |
|---|---|---|
| Relatability is Paramount | Create content many people identify with | Content only a few understand |
| Drives Sharing | Make it easy to understand & relate to | Making it obscure or niche |
| Subject Focus | Be specific, but not too narrow | Being too general or too niche |
By prioritizing the creation of content that deeply resonates with a broad audience, you significantly increase your chances of being shared widely and trending online.
