Going viral can be a fluky process.
Once in awhile, you write a piece that seems so-so, which ends up popular with readers. But more often, you think an article is going to be a hit, only for it to be a dud. You pour hours of work into something you think is brilliant. And yet it goes by unnoticed and unappreciated.
All that wasted time and effort feels disappointing.
Why does it happen? How can something that seems promising end up going nowhere? Is there a way to keep that from happening?
Let’s dive in.
Why Articles Don’t Perform Well
Think of a system that runs on cogs, like an old-fashioned clock.
All the cogs are interlinked so that when one rotates, the next cog turns. When all the cogs turn properly, the system operates smoothly. But if one cog is malfunctioning or misplaced, the entire system breaks down.
Articles work in a similar way. When a published article isn’t performing well, it can be from any one reason, or a combination of reasons.
Sometimes, the article isn’t promoted right. The headline doesn’t grab readers’ attention. The article isn’t shared with readers in the first place. Putting up an article usually isn’t enough by itself.
The audience might not be the right fit. Article topic matters here. One audience may be interested in a certain topic or relate to a viewpoint, while another may not care at all. Or, a site might lack readers in the first place.
The article itself might be lacking. The article topic is neither interesting nor beneficial, so people don’t read it. Style could be an issue. The article is too difficult for readers to bother combing through.
If any one of these areas is lacking — article, audience, fit — then the system collapses. In the end, your article flops.
But let’s look at what you hope to achieve from publishing an article in the first place.
What Do You Want?
First, what are you trying to achieve? When you publish an article, what is your primary goal? You’re likely trying to do one of the following:
