To figure out how to go viral on Instagram, follow these seven tips. Hint: You can directly reach out to social media news outlets for a chance to be featured.

Going viral on Instagram can be a frustrating game. You’re creating high-quality content on the platform, but you’re still not seeing the results you want. 

With over 123 million monthly active users in the U.S. alone, it is harder than ever to grow your brand because of the rising competition. To help your content get more attention fast, we’ve found several strategies that may actually make a difference. 

In this article, we will show you how to go viral on Instagram. You'll learn content marketing strategies to practice in your Instagram content plan to get better chances at social media virality. 

How to Go Viral on Instagram

To go viral on Instagram, the Instagram algorithm has to pick up your content and promote it to interested Instagram users. If you’re strategic about the process and not making it an end goal, a viral Instagram post can lead to conversions, brand exposure, Instagram followers' growth spike, and even income opportunities.

By applying these strategies, you'll learn how to go viral on Instagram and deliver on your content goals, whether the plan is to sell affiliate products or get email sign-ups.

1. Get Featured on Instagram’s Official Page

You don’t have to be famous to be featured on Instagram’s official page. Instagram has featured many creators who create meaningful content for their communities. 

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for Instagram to reach out to you. You can pitch yourself and the work you’re doing. That way, you can get their attention and have them decide whether to feature your profile. 

To make an impression and make your content more appealing, ensure you’re doing at least one of the three things:

• Entertaining the audience (creating relatable or funny content)
• Inspiring the audience (posting hopeful or motivational content)
• Educating the audience (sharing personal, niche, or industry knowledge)

Your content is more likely to be pushed by the algorithm if it has lots of engagement. Whatever kind of content you’re creating, be authentic and creative in your approach. 

2. Get Featured on a Top Social Media News Outlet

Getting featured in social media news outlets can feel intimidating, but it’s not as scary as you think. In fact, you're doing them a favor — they want to promote high-quality content to their viewers, and you're delivering that content directly to them.

To increase your reach, find what popular news outlets your target audience turns to. Always study the type of content an outlet posts to be sure your content is a right fit for their audience. Tag them in posts they may be interested in or send them a message showing why your Instagram post will be of value to them. 

3. Collaborate With Other Creators

Don’t approach content creation on Instagram as a competition. Instead, research other creators in your niche or with a similar audience and pitch a collaboration with them. 

In your pitch or message, let them know they stand to gain from the collaboration and how valuable the content you’re sharing will be for their audience.

There are a few ways you can collaborate:

1. You can switch content styles by having each creator feature the other in a post. 
2. You can create a piece of content together and have each of you feature separate parts of that content. Then, each of you can redirect your audience to the other creator’s page for the complete message.
3. You can co-host Instagram Live videos to have direct interactions with one another’s audiences. Promote the event a few days in advance, and explain why the audience should tune in.

4. Run User Generated Content (UGC) Campaigns

User generated content involves setting up campaigns that incentivize Instagram users to create brand content for you. Host contests or giveaways and ask Instagram users to participate for the chance to win a price. 

The beauty of these types of campaigns is that they allow brands to reach new audiences without having to hire expensive public relations firms or digital agencies.

To create a successful UGC content campaign, you might have to incorporate influencer marketing to help drive initial traffic and promote the competition/trend to other Instagram users. 

Other important tips to run a successful UGC campaign are:

1. Define your goal for running a UGC campaign.
2. Use hashtags to boost discoverability.
3. Take advantage of the Instagram analytics tools to track metrics, such as profile visits, accounts reached, accounts engaged, and new follows. 

5. Recreate Viral Content

Why reinvent the wheel when you can just use a proven strategy? The saying “good artists borrow, great artists steal” holds true. 

Now, you can’t simply copy viral content. Instead, study their structure and format and replicate the techniques behind them. Start by looking at the popular posts in your niche on the Explore page. 

• What hook did they use? 
• How long was the video?
• What hashtags or descriptions did they use?
• How did the music relate to the content?

Pro tip: Instagram makes it really easy for you to replicate viral Instagram videos and Reels. Its Instagram Reels Template feature allows you to do so by capturing the timings and transitions. All you have to do is insert your images and videos in the right slots.

6. Post Consistently on Reels 

This list would be incomplete without a mention of Instagram Reels. Since TikTok became popular, other major social media platforms have been trying to keep up, adding similar features with tweaks to make them better. 

Instagram has long since shifted its attention to videos and if you’ve noticed, Reels occupy a good portion of the Explore page. So if you really want to go viral on Instagram, you must post consistently on Instagram Reels. 

It’s the only feature that allows you to reach your audiences without having to pay to boost engagement. You can connect with an audience just by creating engaging content. 

Follow the recommendation guidelines when you post Reels to allow the Instagram Reels algorithm to pick up your content for distribution. Some guidelines include:

• Shooting with the right aspect ratio (9:16)
• Using trending sounds
• Using original content and not reposting from other platforms like TikTok

If you’re wondering where to start, scroll through viral Reels on the Reels tab and bookmark compelling videos gaining popularity. Keep in mind, a viral video doesn't necessarily rake in millions of views. It could be a post with thousands or tens of thousands of likes. 

7. Get Direct Access to Your Followers

It’s important to ensure your content reaches your audience when you want it to. Moving your audience to a self-managed platform can make this possible. You can achieve this with a comprehensive link-in-bio tool like Hype Link. This tool allows content creators, influencers, and bloggers to build fully customized landing pages to capture visitors' email addresses and other contact information.

With email marketing integrations like MailChimp, ConvertKit, and ActiveCampaign, you can connect with your audience in a variety of ways. That way, you can notify your contacts/subscribers of your latest post or upcoming Lives. 

By keeping your audience in the loop, you can encourage them to keep engaging with your posts. The more engagement your post has initially, the more incentive for the algorithm to push your content to viewers with similar interests.

Get Ready to Go Viral

It’s harder than it was a couple of years ago to go viral, but it’s still possible. To work around the stiff competition and improve your chances of going viral on Instagram, you can:

1. Create wholesome, positive content to get featured on Instagram’s official page and other top media outlets.
2. Create a UGC campaign to drive word-of-mouth marketing and have other Instagram users promote your brand to their audiences.
3. Replicate what works by reverse-engineering viral content in your niche.
4. Post more content on Instagram Reels to get noticed by the Instagram algorithm. 
5. Own your audience so you can easily drive traffic to specific posts.

If you found this helpful, visit the Hype blog for more social media marketing insights and tips to grow your brand.