Explore our Social Media Marketing Toolkit

What can you learn from the most viral Facebook posts of 2017?

Author's avatar By Somya Mehta 10 Jan, 2018
Essential Essential topic

Chart of the day: Most shared Facebook content 2017 

Even though there isn’t one single formula for what makes content go viral on social media, it’s crucial for content creators to understand which type of content tends to work well online and therefore, should be pushed across their social channels.

Recently, BuzzSumo analyzed two billion articles and posts that were published on Facebook in 2017, and established the top content over the year. Although these viral posts can hardly ever be replicated, such analyses provide insights into viral content creation, through gaining as much positive attention, as quickly as possible, while also engaging with your audience.

In the analysis, experts at BuzzSumo found out most of the top posts that went viral were videos, with the exception of only 3 out of 20 top post. The most popular topics in video were:

  • Practical hacks
  • Awesome and inspiring content
  • Food and recipes
  • Cute animals
  • Music videos

Interestingly, a “State of Video Marketing 2017” study also reported over 90% of participants said that that video is becoming more and more important as a form of marketing content, for the fourth consecutive year. Music videos remain on top of the list for most shared content on Facebook, even if the videos aren’t hosted on Facebook itself.

The most shared content on Facebook was the YouTube music video of ‘Despacito‘ by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi featuring Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee.

Examining the most viral Facebook posts of 2017 shows that users are more inclined towards sharing entertaining and inspiring content. ‘Breaking’ news and exclusive content, travel stories and heart-warming narratives that evoke emotion also tend to drive engagement on social platforms such as Facebook.

It's vital for content creators use these insights while creating content for their social media channels, to boost the brand's online presence. BuzzSumo’s Facebook Analyzer allows you to analyze public posts on any topic or published by any page, to help maximize your engagement on Facebook.

Author's avatar

By Somya Mehta

This blog post has been tagged with:

Viral content

Recommended Blog Posts