What makes content go viral, backed by research

What makes content go viral? According to our latest research, the key is to trigger specific emotions, publish at the right time and tell stories that resonate.

By understanding the emotional drivers behind viral content, brands can create campaigns that reach a broader audience and inspire real engagement.

The viral emotions that drive brand engagement

According to Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2024, up to 70% of journalists say PR professionals are important to the success of their work, yet 49% of journalists rarely or never respond to PR pitches.

So where's the break? And how can your business stand out with newsworthy, viral content that drives valuable brand coverage and consumer engagement?

In 2013, Fractl (Disclosure: I co-founded the agency) published a study on viral emotions in the Harvard Business Review that analyzed the emotions activated when respondents viewed the top 100 images on Reddit R/Pics from that year.

Respondents then used Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotion to label the emotions evoked by each image – helping us encode the specific emotional interplay that drives engagement with viral content.

In our study we found the following:

• Positive emotions were more common in viral content than negative ones.
• Viral success ensued, even if negative emotions caused surprise.
• Emotions related to surprise were predominantly present, including:
  • Curiosity.
  • Amazement.
  • Interest.
  • Amazement.
  • Uncertainty.
• Admiration was a common sentiment in viral content.

Ten years later, I set out to retest and expand our research (with Fractl co-founder Kristin Tynski) using AI to improve our understanding of the science behind viral content.

Using the same methodology, we analyzed Reddit's top 100 images on R/Pics for 2024 and (thankfully) uncovered the same viral emotions (above).

Looking deeper, our new study found that marketers can use several other key levers to increase their virality potential:

• Emotional strength (40%): Posts with increased emotional intensity attract more interaction.
• timing (35%): When a post is published plays a crucial role in its performance.
• Topics (25%): Specific narrative archetypes have greater impact.

1. Content with increased emotional intensity can increase engagement scores by up to 24%

Emotional resonance is the single largest driver of engagement, accounting for nearly 40% of total interaction.

Because emotional intensity drives engagement, your team needs to focus on campaign ideas that make your audience say, “Oh, wow, that’s really surprising!” not just “Oh, that’s interesting.”

The stronger the emotion, the greater the commitment.

High-arousal emotions – such as excitement, curiosity and surprise – are particularly powerful, increasing engagement scores by up to 24%.

Additionally, try to use your content to spark either curiosity or laughter – reactions that encourage immediate sharing.

2. Engagement is 24% higher in the evening hours than in the daytime hours

Our data shows that content syndicated on Reddit late at night and on weekends drives significantly more engagement.

Late night posts see 15% higher results, while weekend posts see an 18% increase in comments, highlighting the importance of timing.

This makes sense when you take user behavior into account. During these times, people relax and scroll through their feeds and are more likely to engage deeply with the content.

If you plan your highest-impact content over the weekend, late-night Reddit advertising will help you reach your brand to consumers when they're most likely to engage deeply with content.

Based on our study, Reddit engagement peaked around 10 p.m. and again between 12 p.m. and 4 a.m. EST.

Looking at the major time zones, several markets are affected during this time frame at peak times as people tend to scroll the most on their mobile phones when they wake up and again when they relax for bed.

Find out more about: Why we care about content marketing

3. Leveraging specific story archetypes increases engagement by 20-23%

People connect deeply with relatable, emotional stories that convey resilience, conflict and growth.

Story archetypes like “Triumph Over Adversity” and “Conflict-Driven Narratives” increased engagement scores by 20-23%.

Stories following the Hero's Journey and Redemption Arc create a transformative narrative and increase comment engagement by 17%.

The journey of a character who faces obstacles, experiences growth, and ultimately redeems himself encourages empathy and reflection and encourages further commentary and discussion.

Conflict-related topics garnered 23% more comments, with topics such as “good versus evil” or stories of tragedy garnering the most comments.

These narratives trigger conflicting emotions such as anger and sadness, urging the audience to interact and express their opinions.

Learn more: Reaching Consumers in the Age of AI: What You Need to Know About Search and Social Media

How content marketers can leverage the science behind viral marketing

The best marketers understand that the art and science of creating viral content is understanding your audience's emotions and behaviors related to your services, products, and industry.

• What would surprise them?
• What are they trying to overcome?
• How can your brand connect with them and help them solve problems?

By consistently applying high-arousal emotional triggers, timing insights, and impactful storytelling to your marketing content, you can create campaigns that reach, engage, and convert your target audience.

This small selection of headlines from our agency's earned media shows how brands can create emotional, relatable content that gets viral, authoritative brand coverage, backlinks and engagement.

• Paychex: “Retirees return to work”
  • “How droves of workers are now being forced BACK to work as inflation destroys their savings” – Daily Mail
  • “One in six pensioners is thinking about going back to work” – stupid
  • “This is the biggest mistake we make when it comes to retirement planning” – AARP
  • “Baby Boomers: Your Secret Weapon to the Talent Shortage” – HR Morning
  • “Use tenure: re-integrate pensioners to address the shortage of skilled workers” – HRD Connect
  • “8 in-demand jobs for retirees and seniors” – Go Banking tariffs
• Consumer Affairs: “What is House Poor?”
  • “69% of homeowners feel 'house poor'. Did you buy too much house?” – Motley Fool
  • “Half of Americans consistently struggle to pay their bills on time, survey says” – Fox Business
  • “Most American homeowners are 'house poor' – and 40% of them have taken a second job to afford a mortgage, a survey says” – Business Insider
  • “25% of homeowners rely on emergency savings. Here’s why you need to do some building before you buy” – NASDAQ
• CouponFollow: “Top Cities to Save”
  • “7 Common Myths About Thrift Store Shopping” – Go Banking Rates
  • “Here are the designer items that resell best” – The Street
  • “Home accessories that you should save rather than buy new, experts say” – it’s quite simple
  • “Thrift Shop Like a Pro: Your Guide to Great Secondhand Clothes” – The Penny Hoarder

Viral success isn’t a coincidence – it’s a conscious approach to connecting with audiences on an emotional level.

Try these science-backed tips on your next marketing campaign and see how your engagement metrics respond.

By focusing on the most impactful emotional and thematic drivers, you can create content that is widely seen, shared, and discussed.