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The Pillars of Epic Content

Epic content doesn’t have to embody all the "pillars" described below. In fact, very few epic pieces will cover more than four or five of them. However, it only takes one pillar, done well, to launch content into viral momentum. Naturally, the more you do cover the better your chances are of creating epic content. And yet, trying to include too many will slow down your content creation. Fewer pieces made can mean fewer chances of striking viral gold.

And Now - (drum roll please) - the Pillars

1. Purposeful Storytelling

At the core of epic content lies the art of purposeful storytelling. Craft a compelling narrative that engages your audience right from the start. Whether it's a personal anecdote, an inspiring journey, or a relatable scenario, a well-told story hooks your audience and keeps them invested until the end.

2. Authenticity

Authenticity is the backbone of epic content. Be true to your voice, values, and vision. Avoid gimmicks or misleading tactics that may erode trust. Audiences appreciate genuine content that resonates with their own experiences, so be yourself and let your unique perspective shine through.

3. Emotional Resonance

Stirring emotions within your audience is a powerful way to make your content go viral. Whether it's joy, awe, empathy, or inspiration, aim to create an emotional connection that leaves a lasting impact. Craft content that taps into universal emotions and strikes a chord with people's hearts.

4. Visual Brilliance

In the digital realm, visual appeal plays a pivotal role. Invest in high-quality visuals that enhance your content's impact. "Investing" doesn't mean expensive. You can make your own images (tutorials here), find quality public domain images that fit your narrative, or utilize AI generated art. All those are free options. The point is, utilizing captivating images, stunning videos, and visually engaging designs can capture attention and make your content visually memorable.

5. Value and Utility

Providing genuine value to your audience is a crucial pillar of epic content. Identify their needs, desires, or pain points, and offer practical solutions, helpful insights, or actionable advice. By empowering your audience with valuable information, you position yourself as a trusted resource and encourage sharing.

6. Timeliness and Relevance

To increase the chances of your content going viral, one option is to stay in tune with current trends and timely events. Craft content that address topics relevant to your niche, taps into popular conversations, or reflects the zeitgeist. By aligning your content with what's happening in the world, you can maximize its shareability and reach. The peaks can be very high, but information is always on the move, so the peaks can level out as quickly as they rise.

7. Surprise and Delight

Aim to surprise and delight your audience with unexpected twists, unique perspectives, or moments of pure joy. Be innovative, think outside the box, and create content that breaks conventions or challenges expectations. The element of surprise can generate excitement and intrigue, encouraging people to share your content.

8. Social Currency

Content that offers social currency has a higher likelihood of going viral. When people share content that makes them look good, knowledgeable, or entertaining to their social circles, they are more likely to spread the word. Craft content that provides valuable insights or exclusive access, making people eager to share it to enhance their own image. Humor can be a valuable asset socially. Self-deprecating humor seems to work well for me.

9. Interactivity and Participation

Engage your audience by creating interactive content that encourages participation. Quizzes, polls, challenges, or interactive videos can make your content more immersive and enjoyable. When people actively engage with your content, they become more invested and are more likely to share it with others.

10. Simplicity and Clarity

In a world saturated with information, simplicity and clarity stand out. Craft your content in a way that is easy to understand and digest. Avoid unnecessary complexity or convoluted messaging. By presenting your ideas or concepts in a clear and concise manner, you make it easier for your audience to comprehend and share your content.

11. Cross-platform Optimization

To maximize the reach and potential virality of your content, optimize it for various platforms and formats. Adapt your content to suit different social media platforms, mobile devices, or multimedia formats. By ensuring your content is easily accessible and shareable across multiple platforms, you can reach a broader audience and increase its chances of going viral.

12. Call-to-Action

Including a clear and compelling call-to-action in your content can drive engagement and encourage sharing. Whether it's asking your audience to comment, like, share, or tag others, a well-placed call-to-action prompts people to take action and spread your content to their networks.

13. Vast in Scope

Example Studies

According to a study by QuickSprout, if a post is longer than 1,500 words it gets almost 70% more Tweets and nearly 23% more Facebook likes” than shorter posts.

SerpIQ analyzed the top 10 search results for over 20,000 keywords. They found the average length of a webpage in the top ten search results was over 2,000 words. Generally speaking, the higher the page ranked, the more words there were on the page.

SEOmoz analyzed whether their long content pieces or short content pieces received more backlinks. A chart showing the number of words and a chart showing the number of links almost mirrored each other.

Viral content doesn't have to be great in length to go viral, but with textual content, it can improve your chances. Several studies have shown long content pieces get more social shares and more backlinks, and enjoy better search engine positioning than short pieces. Length for the sake of length will do you no good, though. Content should have length because it's thorough and filled with value.

14. Community Engagement

Building a community around your content fosters a sense of belonging and encourages organic sharing. Engage with your audience by responding to comments, starting conversations, and creating a space where people can connect with each other. A vibrant community can amplify the reach of your content through word-of-mouth and shared enthusiasm.

Creating epic content usually requires a little thought and effort, and a little luck never hurts. This list of epic pillars isn't an exhaustive list, and the effectiveness of each may vary depending on your specific content, target audience, and objectives. Adapt and tailor these principles to suit your unique content creation goals and audience.

Bonus Elucidation

The ants were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summer. A grasshopper, perishing from famine, passed by and begged for a little food. The ants asked him, "Why didn’t you gather and store food during the summer?" The grasshopper replied, "I passed the days by singing." The ants then said in derision, "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must go to bed without food in the winter."

Moral: It is wise to prepare today for the needs of tomorrow.

Thousands of copies of Aesop’s Fables are sold every year even though you can read or listen to them online for free. People still enjoy them because the stories are timeless. Most folks can relate to a good many of them even though we live in a world centuries removed from the days of Aesop.

To give your content a chance to become a great asset to you over time, even if it doesn't go viral, focus some of your efforts on content that is timeless (topics that will interest readers now and into the foreseeable future).

In marketing circles this is referred to as evergreen content. You don’t have to invent morality fables to create evergreen content, though. Topics like:

• weight loss
• relationships
• love and romance
• family life and parenting
• health and beauty
• earning or saving money
• pets and pet care
• food and cooking
• jobs and careers

...and many other topics will stand the test of time. If those aren't in your niche, focus on solving a problem that will be around for a long time that is in your niche. A little creativity, research, and imagination can help you discover evergreen ideas for your niche.

For evergreen content you want to avoid mentioning things that will date the content unless it ties into your content in such a way that doesn't make your reader realize the content is old or getting old. I'm referring to things like:

• Seasonal references (holidays, blizzards, spring, etc.)
• Yearly events (Superbowl, World Series, Academy Awards, etc.)
• People who hold temporary positions (elected officials, honorary positions, etc.)
• Actual dates

You get the idea.

Some of the most popular formats for evergreen content include:

• lists
• top tips
• tutorials
• encyclopedic style entries
• product reviews (if you’re willing to update it when the product is updated)
• videos
• resource roundups

Creating content along those lines doesn’t guarantee your piece will be epic or evergreen, but they are popular content formats to consider. Really, anything very well done has a chance to create a viral exposion. It still needs to get in front of a lot of eyeballs. The best content in the world won't go viral if there aren't enough people to see it and give it that push.

That's why we have to do our own promotion, not just for a specific content piece, but for our whole website presence in general. I did plenty of that back when I was growing my business. Now, I'm retired, so whatever. It's all in what your goals are, and since you're reading this, I'm guessing you're not in the "whatever" mode.

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