What Makes A Reel Go Viral, And Is It Actually Important?

Notice I didn’t title this blog post ‘how to make a reel go viral’, that’s because it shouldn't really be your primary focus. I know we all want to go viral, it could possibly change your life, but it may also not change much at all!

While both options are possible, focusing solely on going viral may lead to disappointment. I advise creating a mix of content with a mix of goals. In this blog post we will discuss what makes a reel go viral, how to create high quality video content, as well as more important issues, like prioritising your community and using content to drive traffic to your website. 

There's no question that process videos have some of the highest viral potential for artists. They're captivating, informative and extremely satisfying to watch! They're also a great way to inspire and connect with your audience, build a personal brand, and promote your latest artwork.

Learning how to create viral worthy content for social media can feel like a game of chance and can be frustrating (trust me, I feel the pain!). BUT I do believe there is a formula to creating high performing videos or reels and it doesn't just come down to luck! 

A good video is a good video and will resonate widely. Often if a reel goes viral on Instagram, the same video will also perform highly on all other platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, and Facebook. 

Each unique account will have its own 'viral video formula' so it will be very important to trial and test along the way.

Here's how I make videos I know my audience will love

I start with a very close shot at an angle showing my brush strokes. I use strong or contrasting paint colours, for example a bright white on a coloured ground. I edit each transition to a maximum of two seconds (I use in-shot) and I show a big reveal at the end.

TikTok has always allowed small accounts to go viral if their video resonates strongly with people, and now Instagram has recently changed its algorithm and its entire feed to allow reels from very small accounts to go hugely viral.

It is a really good time for you to jump on the bandwagon and start experimenting!

Instagram are now promoting more 'suggested content', so viewers are seeing more posts in their home feed from accounts they don't follow. This means we are now discovering new accounts that we are highly likely to enjoy because Instagram is able to curate the content to suit your taste. This is why we are seeing more small accounts going viral on Instagram and growing faster.

Note - This isn't necessarily a welcomed feature for many users who may become overwhelmed. If that's you, you can switch off suggested posts for 30 days at a time by clicking the three dots at the top right of a suggested post, clicking 'manage content preferences' and then toggle on 'snooze suggested posts'. 

You'll often find that most suggested content is going viral at the time, racking up likes and views. This is extremely helpful as that tells Instagram to push that content out even more (pushing it's virality further!) and reaches an even wider audience.

Not every video you create needs to be designed with the intention of going viral, you also want to post your work as you create it and tell a story in the process. Some of those videos will have a very clear purpose but are not for the intention of going viral.

How to turn social viewers into email subscribers?

If you put the effort into creating high quality video content you can convert those viewers or followers into subscribers! A subscriber is worth far more than a follower because email marketing generally converts at a much higher percentage than any other marketing technique (my email marketing accounts for 50% of my overall revenue). You can direct viewers to sign up on your website and enter them into your welcome flow of emails so you can share more about your art.

If all this talk of converting, email marketing and welcome flows is making your head spin, I promise you it can be really simple. I show you exactly how to create a welcome flow of emails, what to put in an email campaign and how to grow your email list in this ebook. 

Related blog post: 7 Ways To Sell Your Art Online 

Curiosity and Hooks

Spark the viewers curiosity! The first two seconds are crucial in capturing your audience's attention....literally, this is the most important thing to pay attention to if you want to go viral.

Show bold contrasting colours, fast transitions, and eye-catching movements. Paint pouring videos and up close shots of blending paint, for example, have done wonders for me because they spark curiosity and create a feeling of calmness and satisfaction for the viewer.

Curiosity can also be created with bold captions overlaid onto the video, like this example below where I instantly let the viewer know that they are about to see my whole process. I didn't just say 'here's my process' I said 'my process from start to finish'.

This means the viewer expects to be taken on a journey with a story, people LOVE to be told stories, this is one of the top marketing techniques used by brands, so have a think about how you could tell more stories with your content. 

Think about what makes your creative process unique and showcase that. The moment your brush first touches the canvas or the first splash of colour can be incredibly captivating.

If you are a screen printer you may want to start your video with a huge dollop of paint dropping onto the screen. If you are an abstract painter you could start with a giant brushstroke swooping across the screen. If you use fabrics you could fling the fabric at the screen and transition instantly into your process. Whatever you try for the first two seconds, make it impactful! 

High-Quality Visuals

Good lighting and a steady tripod are essential when filming your content. You want to ensure the viewer can see your work clearly and the shot is in focus. 

Invest in a ring light, panel light or shoot during the day in natural light. The quality of your visuals will make a big difference in how your audience perceives your work. Remember, you want your colours to pop and your details to be clear. I share more tips about content creation, lighting and editing in my marketing ebook!

Engaging Content

Think of your reel as a visual story with a beginning middle and end. Try to evoke an emotion or thought as you take the viewer on a journey, rather than just telling them what you're doing.

For example, this reel is a high performing video showing my entire process and how I learnt my craft with quick transitions to keep people engaged and following along.

If you want to show your whole process but your early stages aren't very interesting, it can be a great idea to start the reel with the most interesting clip just to grab attention, then proceed to tell the full story.

Experiment with voiceovers, and make sure the audio and visuals complement each other. This balance can create a more captivating narrative and sets the tone for your painting style. I personally love to use calming piano music because it fits my relaxing painting process, making the viewer feel calm. 

Sometimes a good beat drop or a piece of soothing music can make your reel more memorable. The audio is not just a background element; it’s a part of the experience!

Just a quick tip, I would strongly suggest using trending audio wherever possible, find this by clicking on your professional dashboard on your Home Screen then scrolling down to 'trending audio'. Or use the suggestions presented to you within the audio editor, if you are wondering how to tell if audio is trending on Instagram, you'll find a little arrow pointing diagonally upwards next to the song name.

Consistency and Branding

Your audience will prefer to see the same kind of content and you will want to be recognisable without them seeing your name.

If you have several elements to your business (like me!) you can still get away with creating various styles of content, but your account may not grow as fast because your unfollow rate may increase, users will unfollow accounts if they do not recognise their content....I'm personally ok with this as I'd rather do what feels right for me, those who love my story will stick around!

If you are just starting out, don't worry, you should still experiment with styles until you find the right one. Once you find something that your audience responds to, then create more of the same! 

We then have to leave it to the algorithm to decide of course, and sometimes there will be factors beyond our control that affect a video's reach. It could be that a large number of users did not open instagram that day, or maybe they didn't scroll enough to view the post.

There is a common misconception that Instagram is cutting reach deliberately, but it isn't the case. It's in Instagrams interest to connect people with content they care about, they want their creators and viewers to be happy, but the challenge is that there are 2.4 billion active users fighting for attention. This is why you need to stand out with high quality video.  

Analysing Your Reels

The quickest way to learn how to make a video go viral is to get to know your audience and what they love most.

Each time you create a video that leads to higher engagement than normal, break it down and analyse why, what was different about it? What happened in the first two seconds of the video?

You should also spend time getting to know your audience. Where are your followers based and what times are they most engaged? For example, I am in the UK and mostly have a UK/US audience so posting after 3pm is a good bet to catch both time zones.  

Each time you'll learn more from your analytics, so keep experimenting until you learn your own magic formula and how to make your videos go viral!

Sometime the best goal is not to focus on going viral, but to aim for high engagement by directing viewers to your caption so they can find your CTA (call to action).

You may go viral and gain thousands of new followers from a single post, but they may not visit your website or engage beyond a like. You may also find that some posts with very low reach lead to high engagement and sales - anything is possible on Instagram!

This recent viral video brought me in a whopping 20,000 (and still going strong!) new followers within two months, look at those views (1.4m!) in comparison to the tiny amount of interaction at just 0.2%. On this occasion they absorbed the content and didn't read the caption.

This is likely due to the content of the caption offering no real benefit to the viewer, there was no question, no helpful information and no strong call to action. I posted this video as part of a fashion collaboration and had no idea it would go viral, sometimes these things happen!

If the caption posed a question, some inspiring or educational content and a call to comment for a free download or for a link to what brush I was using then things could have been very different!

This post did a great job of growing my following, but didn't do the greatest job of directing viewers where I want them....my website and email list.

Let's compare that to this reel, with much lower views and likes but very strong engagement at 37%, bringing awareness of my new launch.

High engagement indicates that your audience is not just watching but also connecting with your content. This is crucial for building a loyal following that's not just invested in your content but they're invested in YOU.

The ultimate goal is to guide viewers from your social media accounts to your website so you can inspire and sell on your own terms, and you can do this by turning engagement into website traffic.

My ultimate favourite way to do this is by using the app ManyChat to instantly DM users who leave a comment with a link to subscribe to your mailing list or even shop your latest product or launch!

Just to let you know, if you join ManyChat using one of the links in this post, I will earn a small commission. This is the first time I’ve ever used an affiliate link and that’s because this app is so incredible I feel compelled to share it far and wide!

Ask viewers to comment a specific word, then your automation will reply to the comment AND send the link to their inbox instantly. You won't need to do a thing yet your engagement and reach will grow and grow - how magical is that! 

Mention the trigger word in your caption or even in the video itself to make it super easy for them to take the next step.

Tip - mention the trigger word near the top AND the bottom of your caption - you don't want anyone to miss it!

Leaving these automations in place means that viewers can still receive an instant link from old posts. If you use your caption to direct viewers to the bio link and the post is a few weeks or months old, the likelihood is the bio link will have changed, which leaves the viewer frustrated and means you may have lost out on a potential conversion or sign up.

This app has been a total game changer for me, it has several different functions but I’m mostly using it to automate the delivery of links to my instagram followers, and to grow my mailing list (which should be your primary focus if selling art online! I share more about that in my ebook).

You can download a list of all the apps and software I use to grow my art business and increase my productivity here!

Reels can go viral weeks or months after being posted, this has happened to me and can happen for you, so don't despair if your first few days aren't looking great!

The lifespan of a viral video can last for months, so think very carefully about what is in the caption, it's not recommended to edit a post in retrospect as this can affect the engagement. 

When creating content and writing captions always think ahead, it's possible that viewers will see your post for months to come, this is why using ManyChat to send a link can come in handy!

Creating engaging content for social media is a learning process, and it took me years of learning to get where I am today. If you want to see my original content, try scrolling back to the beginning of my instagram feed (if have time on your hands!). You'll see how my content has evolved from long, boring and shaky videos, to bright, engaging videos that are helping to sell my art!

Stay consistent, be creative, and most importantly, have fun with it! The more you enjoy creating your content, the more your audience will enjoy it too. 

If you want to know what other apps & software I use to sell my art, I've put together a list that you can download here!

If you liked this article, be sure to sign up for more free art and marketing tips to help you on your artistic journey!