Tips to Make Food Content Go Viral – In this age of technology and social media, going viral happens in a matter of seconds. You’ve seen the posts on Buzzfeed, the videos on TikTok, and other social media sites–going viral can happen overnight.
Whether it’s a funny dog video or popular dance, any type of content can go viral on social media. As a chef or restaurant owner, you can leverage this to draw attention to your business.
That means using carefully chosen hashtags, colorful foods, creating viral food videos, or tagging content creators or foodies. Whether your goal is a feature on the New York times, a mention on the food network, or simply to amass a large social media following, the tips below could help you create viral food content.
1. Create Colorful Dishes
One element of creating viral content is understanding consumer behavior in your target audience. Colorful dishes draw people in. Studies show that certain colors, like red and yellow, stir the senses of sight and smell. Incidentally, the presence and intensity of the color can affect how a person perceives food.
The prettier and more colorful the food, the higher the chances someone will post it. After that, let the social media platform algorithms do the rest. Sometimes all it takes is for that one influencer with a love for unique dishes to try out your dish and help make it go viral.
2. Add a Unique Element
No one wants to share pictures of an ordinary or bland meal. Take ice cream, for example; it’s supposed to melt. But what if it smoked instead? Now THAT would create a buzz. Or perhaps a drink that changed colors? What is that wow factor or that extra oomph that you can give to a dish?
Pancake cereal is a weird-sounding dish, but it is surprisingly tasty. Pancakes and cereal are both common foods found in the kitchen. However, combining them to make pancake cereal created a whole new delicious and unique dish.
Feta pasta is another example of TikTok food that went viral. Many social media users hopped onto this food trend and attempted to create their own versions of the dish. Some of the dishes were a bust, while others turned out surprisingly well. Again, someone thought to combine pasta and feta cheese to create something new.
3. Have Photogenic Presentations
Food brands realized long ago that a professional photographer is likely to enhance the appearance of an ordinary-looking meal. They add a splash of color and creativity with positioning the meal, increasing the chances of the dish going viral. Social media users want to add photos and video content that will look good on their feed.
You can even use the food photos to improve your restaurant. Set up several screens around the restaurant, showcasing unique and appealing dishes.
This will draw people in and encourage customers to order the same dishes they see on the screens. In turn, they’ll share photos and videos of the dishes within their social networks, increasing your chances of having viral recipes.
4. Stir-up Emotions
You don’t have to go as extreme as making fried spiders from Cambodia or winged termites from Nigeria. However, you do want to create dishes that stir up some emotions. Is it shock? Excitement? Wonder? What surprise element can you add to a dish that evokes certain emotions?
Find ways to create recipes using unconventional ingredients or cooking methods. For example, everybody knows what a taco looks like and how to make one. But no one thought to create a taco casserole until someone did. And, as weird as it sounds, it’s now an acceptable dish.
Another example is an elote. No one would have thought to add mayo and creamy cheese to a grilled corn cob. But those who’ve tried it swear by it. So, use your knowledge as a chef or restaurant owner to study what flavors go well together and work to create a new dish.
This doesn’t mean that you should throw together a concoction of ingredients hoping to create a new meal by chance. Your recipes must be thought-provoking, tasty, and different.
Another hack is to make relatable new recipes. Even though the goal is to create viral recipes, you’d be encouraging home cooking since everyone will likely jump on the bandwagon to try out the new dish.
5. Use Quirky Names for Dishes
No one wants to share a meatball or a chocolate cake. Those are too common names, but death by chocolate or slam dunk meatballs sound more interesting than their common names. Give your dishes quirky names that spike the interest of social media users.
Final Word – Viral Food Content
Use the tips mentioned above to increase the chances of your restaurant going viral. Some tips that increase your chances of creating viral food content include stirring up emotions, using quirky dish names, and creating photographic catalogs of the meals.