In today’s crowded publishing marketplace, an author who wants to get noticed has to do more than just sit at a desk and write. You need to be active on social media in order to build your fan base. But the experts at Web Design Relief have noticed that recent algorithm changes on the major social media platforms have made it harder than ever to connect with all of your followers. So how can you reach more people with your social media posts?

The answer: Create posts that could go viral—get shared by a lot of people way beyond your initial list of followers. And while getting a post to go viral isn’t easy (they’re more the exception than the rule), we have some ideas that may tip the odds in your favor.

3 Tips To Help Your Social Media Posts Go Viral

Bring The Funny

If there’s one thing that’s going to make your followers hit “share,” it’s laughter. Readers will enjoy discovering that you’re not just a “writer” but also a real person with a funny bone. If you can inject your sense of humor into your social media presence, you’ll increase your odds of building your following faster. Better yet, you’ll be gaining new fans who will be more likely to keep coming back for more.

Show Your Sincerity

Remember the Ice Bucket Challenge? It combined something fun and surprising with supporting a good cause. Create content that touches your readers’ hearts, and they’ll be more likely to share your posts with friends and family. Inspirational quotes and images that make you go “awwww” translate into strong posts that can grow in popularity through active engagement and “likes.”

Sharing intriguing facts and trends that your audience will be interested in can also help boost the share-power of your social media. Just be careful about stating overly controversial opinions. While these types of posts may get a lot of traction, they can also attract trolls and negative feedback. Unless you write political pieces designed to ruffle feathers and that’s what your readers expect from you, it may be best to steer clear of topics that might alienate some followers.

Shine With Some Star Power

It’s no secret that celebrity and social media go together like peanut butter and jelly. If you’re Stephen King—thanks for reading this article, Mr. King—almost any of your tweets or posts have a much greater chance of going viral than those of less famous writers.

If you’re friends with someone who has more Internet influence than you, be sure to include their Twitter or Instagram handle, Facebook link, etc. when you’re referring to them. And if you have a photo of you and your celebrity pal chowing down at the local hamburger joint, be sure to post it! Having an image in your post makes it even more likely to be shared.

Not rubbing shoulders with anyone famous? A celebrity quote or birthday shout-out to a literary icon might still wow your readers.

Putting It All Together

Even if your social media never goes viral, using these tips will help your posts and tweets pack more punch and appeal to more of your followers.

And if you’re feeling a little lost in this brave new world of promoting your writing online, you’re not alone. Managing the marketing side of writing doesn’t come naturally to many writers. The good news is that we can help you with your online presence, from building an author website to even managing your social media accounts.

Question: Have you ever had a social media post go viral? What technique did you use?