How to make a post shareable on Facebook (and go viral)

Benefits of making your Facebook post shareable 

Making your Facebook post shareable can significantly boost your visibility and help you stay current with trends. Here are three key benefits:

1. Better brand awareness

Shareable content helps more people discover your brand. When users find your posts interesting or entertaining, they’ll share them, expanding your reach organically.

Tips to build brand awareness:

• Define your brand’s mission, values, and target audience.
• Use consistent visuals like your logo, colors, and fonts.
• Collaborate with influencers who align with your brand.

2. Increased engagement

Posts that invite interaction and offer value stand out. When users engage, Facebook shows your content to more people.

How to boost engagement:

• Understand your audience using analytics.
• Post during peak times.
• Encourage interaction through lives, Q&As, and quick replies.

3. Boosted reach

The more your content is shared, the wider your reach. Shareable posts have viral potential and help attract new audiences.

Reach-boosting strategies:

• Run targeted Facebook ads.
• Use relevant hashtags.
• Share user-generated content to build trust and encourage sharing.

How to make your Facebook post go viral

We’ve gone through the first steps to make a post shareable on Facebook. Now, let’s make sure your content is worth sharing.

Here are five ways to make your Facebook post go viral:

1. Use formats like lists, infographics, or quote cards that people can quickly share
2. Phrase your captions in ways that naturally invite people to tag friends
3. Make posts that highlight a specific group, interest, or personality trait
4. Present strong numbers or facts visually so it feels credible and easy to repost
5. Use memes and humor to spark easy shares
6. Share inspirational stories or acts of kindness
7. Stay up-to-date with relevant trends for your niche
8. Include polls, quizzes, and giveaways in your posts to encourage interaction
9. Research your audience and exchange shares with your competitors

1. Use formats like lists, infographics, or quote cards that people can quickly share

Not every Facebook post needs to be long or complex. In fact, some of the most shareable content is designed to be quick, visual, and easy to pass along. Post formats like lists, infographics, or quote cards work especially well because they give people something they can grasp at a glance and repost without hesitation.

FitBit created a great list post for Mother’s Day that you can take as an example:

Think of an infographic that turns a complicated industry process into a one-minute visual summary. A marketing agency could post “5 steps to run a winning ad campaign” as a graphic that clients or peers would quickly repost to their own networks. 

Even short-form video can play a role. A boutique could post a 20-second clip showing a “before-and-after” outfit transformation. Clips like these are quick to consume, easy to reshare, and often drive more reach than static posts.

2. Phrase your captions in ways that naturally invite people to tag friends

Sometimes the difference between a post that just gets likes and one that spreads widely is a simple nudge in the caption. When you write in a way that encourages people to think of someone specific, you make it natural for them to tag a friend and extend your reach.

For instance, a local gym could post a picture of a tough workout with the caption, “Tag the friend who would quit halfway through this set.” A restaurant might share a dessert photo with, “Who in your group always orders two slices of cake? Tag them here.” These captions spark a reaction and give people an easy reason to share the post with their circle.

Take this caption as an example:

The key is subtlety. You don’t want every post to feel like a call-to-action, but sprinkling in captions that invite tagging can boost visibility without sounding pushy. Over time, this habit can help your posts travel beyond your immediate followers and into entirely new audiences.

3. Make posts that highlight a specific group, interest, or personality trait

When you try to create for everyone, you dilute your message. When you speak to a tribe, you spark recognition, and recognition drives shares.

People are more likely to share content that reflects who they are. This isn’t only about demographics; it is about identity. When your posts highlight a specific group, interest, or trait, you give your audience a chance to say, “This is me” or “This is my people.” Sharing becomes a form of self-expression.

To use this strategically, start by mapping out the communities or characteristics most central to your audience. Are they small business owners who value independence? Fitness enthusiasts chasing personal bests? Parents who relate to daily family chaos? The clearer you define these identity markers, the easier it is to create content that resonates deeply enough to be shared.

For example, a post that begins with “Only freelancers will understand this…” works because it filters in the right audience and gives them something they are proud to repost.

4. Present strong numbers or facts visually so it feels credible and easy to repost

Numbers have weight. A well-chosen statistic can make your content feel instantly trustworthy and worth sharing. The key is not just presenting the data but packaging it visually so it is easy for your audience to absorb and pass along. This way, you position your brand as a credible source of information, and your audience becomes the messenger who spreads that credibility on your behalf.

Think about what numbers matter most to your community. Industry benchmarks, customer success stats, or even surprising comparisons can all work. Instead of hiding these in a long caption, turn them into a simple chart, bar graph, or bold text overlay. A clean visual makes the fact memorable and increases the likelihood of reposts.

For example, a food brand could highlight research showing that 65% of consumers are more likely to try a product if they see nutritional benefits clearly labeled. Turning that number into a bold graphic or infographic would not only educate but also give followers something credible to share with friends who care about healthy choices.

5. Use memes and humor to spark easy shares

Humor is one of the fastest ways to earn shares. People love passing along content that makes them laugh because it gives them social currency: sharing something funny makes them look witty or relatable to their friends.

The trick is to use memes or jokes in a way that feels authentic to your brand. If you run a coffee shop, a lighthearted meme about “mornings before caffeine” will resonate with your customers. The humor works best when it is rooted in your audience’s everyday experiences.

Keep memes simple, current, and easy to understand. A joke that requires too much context will fall flat. When done right, a funny post can travel further than any sales message, carrying your brand along with it in a way that feels natural and enjoyable to your audience.

6. Share inspirational stories or acts of kindness

Think about the last time you came across a post that genuinely warmed your heart. Maybe it was a short video of neighbors helping each other during a storm or a story about a local business raising funds for charity. Chances are, you did more than just like it. You shared it so others could feel the same.

That is the kind of emotional pull brands can tap into. Inspirational content works not because it is polished but because it feels human. A restaurant showing how it provides meals to a shelter or a retailer spotlighting a customer who overcame challenges gives people something bigger than the product to connect with.

When your posts make people feel proud, hopeful, or simply smile, they become something your audience wants to share. And each share extends your reach to new audiences in a way that feels natural and authentic.

7. Stay up-to-date with relevant trends for your niche

Trends come and go, but staying on top of them is an art. Trending topics, videos, or songs are all a great start to come up with viral content. But how do you figure out what is trending at the moment? What might’ve worked in the previous weeks will probably not work in the following weeks. 

Videos seem to hold the crown in terms of virality, no matter what year we’re talking about. Your job is to stay informed about what is gaining traction at the moment, whether it’s a trending audio or a funny template, and learn to adapt it to your brand.

Here are some Facebook trends in 2025:

• Post Reels 3–5 times a week to drive higher engagement and stay visible in the algorithm.
• Use AI-generated tools to create content faster, improve captions, and maintain consistency.
• Start or actively engage in Facebook Groups to build a strong, loyal community around your brand.
• Get Meta Verified to boost brand credibility and unlock enhanced support and visibility features.
• Use in-app shopping features to streamline product discovery and make purchasing easier for your audience.

8. Include polls, quizzes, and giveaways in your posts to encourage interaction

Knowing what content makes your audience want to interact with your brand is another great way to go viral. There is no right or wrong here in terms of content types. What works for some pages might not work at all for other pages and vice versa.

Here are some examples of interactive content:

• Quizzes – You can always create quizzes that relate to your brand or industry. This can be a fun way to test your audience’s knowledge on certain topics of interest.

• Contests – Initiate contests that feature clear rules and offer a desirable prize, such as a product or service provided by your brand. You can also use paid advertising to increase your contest’s visibility.
• Giveaways – Encourage followers to join your exciting giveaways. First, make sure that your promotion respects Facebook’s policies and guidelines 

9. Research your audience and exchange shares with your competitors

By learning what other brands your target market interacts with and connecting with them, you can get better exposure through mentions. Sharing one another’s posts can be a great way to bring more visibility and engage consumers. 

You should also leverage Facebook analytics to learn your followers’ preferences. Apart from the preliminary research into who your audience is and what interests they have, also monitor the performance of your social media strategy as you run it. 

This way, you can learn what works and what doesn’t, and make adjustments along the way that will increase the likelihood of your Facebook content getting shared.