How to Create Viral Campaigns by Partnering With Influencers

Are you dreaming of running social media viral campaigns? You know, the kind that gets everyone talking, sharing, and engaging? Well, that’s where partnering with influencers can make a huge difference.

If you have spent some time on social media, you know that influencers dominate the space. From gaming gurus to fitness coaches, they have become a go-to resource for consumers looking for genuine recommendations.

According to eMarketer, 33% of US Gen Z consumers have purchased a product from an influencer-founded brand in 2022, followed by millennials (29%). In other words, partnering with influencers or influencer marketing agency can give your social media campaigns the traction they deserve.

Let’s dive into how to create viral campaigns for influencer marketing that resonate

1. Start with Clear Goals for Viral Campaigns

Before you even think about calling influencers, nail down what you want to achieve with your viral social media campaigns. Are you looking to:

• Drive sales of a specific product or service?
• Build or boost your brand awareness?
• Grow your social media following?
• Encourage app downloads?
• Get more newsletter subscribers?

Keep your goals SMART—specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. This will make your decision a lot easier, whether you want to choose influencers or measure the success of your viral social media campaigns.

2. Find the Right Influencers for Viral Campaigns

Not all influencers are created equal. Partnering with the wrong one can sink your campaign faster than a poorly timed meme. So, when vetting potential influencers, think about:

• Relevance: Does their niche align with your brand and campaign goals? For example, if you are a skincare brand, partnering with lifestyle influencers or skincare gurus can help you create viral social media campaigns.

• Engagement: Are their followers genuinely engaging with their content, or are their comments filled with bots? Hire someone with real followers who can turn into your paying customers.

• Authenticity: Are they overly polished and sales or genuine? Parenting with genuine influencers offers more bang for every buck you spend on your campaigns.

• Reach: How big is their audience, and does it match your target demographic? If you are planning viral marketing strategies to capture the local market, you might benefit from working with micro-influencers, who often have a smaller but highly convertible following.

Likewise, don’t ignore nano-influencers, who probably have the highest engagement rate in the industry. For example, Instagram nano-influencers with fewer than 10,000 followers boast a staggering engagement rate of 6.23%.

Whether you are looking for mega, micro, or nano-influencers, you can start with old-fashioned Instagram or Facebook searches. Alternatively, you can work with an agency partner who can hook you up with the right influencers.

3. Create Shareable Content for Viral Campaigns

Viral social media campaigns live and die by their content. Today’s customers are savvy and don’t trust overly promotional or ad-like content.

Cooking recipes (51%) are the most popular form of influencer-created content, followed by lifestyle content (42%), tutorials (42%), and product reviews (41%). But even if you go for a popular form of content, it has to offer value.

If you want your brand to stand out, your content must be:

• Emotionally Engaging: Whether it’s hilarious, heartwarming, or jaw-dropping, content that tugs at emotions gets shared.

• Visually Stunning: Bland content won’t cut it. Invest in high-quality visuals, whether it’s a quirky TikTok dance or a cinematic Instagram Reel.

• Relatable: People share content that resonates with their lives or aspirations.

Brainstorm with your influencers to leverage their creativity and create successful influencer campaigns. After all, they know their audience best. But being experts, they know how to ride the wave of what’s currently hot on the platform.

4. Encourage Collaboration, Not Control

Influencers are creatives, not your personal advertising agency. Instead of dictating every detail, give them a framework and let them work their magic.

Here’s what you can do:

• Share your campaign goals and key messaging.

• Discuss your influencer content strategy.

• Highlight any must-have elements (e.g., hashtags, product mentions).

• Let them adapt the content to their voice and style.

Remember, authenticity drives results, and audiences can spot a forced post a mile away. So, avoid overloading your posts with too many brand mentions or strict scripts.

5. Leverage Multiple Platforms

Different platforms serve different purposes, so a multichannel approach increases your chances of creating viral social media campaigns. Instagram is ideal for visually driven campaigns, Stories, and Reels. On the other hand, YouTube is excellent for in-depth reviews, tutorials, or challenges.

Choose a platform that best aligns with your marketing goals and where your target audience hangs out. For instance, if you are targeting Gen Z customers, TikTok is the best place to promote your brand. It’s perfect for trend-based, fast-paced, and entertaining content and is loved by Gen Z users.

Cross-platform promotion can certainly boost your influencer marketing campaigns. However, be consistent with your branding and messaging across all platforms, without making every post identical.

6. Use Hashtags Wisely in Viral Campaigns

Hashtags are the glue that holds your viral social media campaigns together. They make your content discoverable and help you track its performance. A strong hashtag should be:

• Unique: Avoid generic hashtags like #Love or #Inspo.

• Memorable: Make it easy to spell and fun to use.

• Relevant: Tie it back to your brand or campaign theme.

However, before finalizing a hashtag, search for it to ensure it’s not already being used for unrelated content. You don’t want to end up promoting someone else’s products or services. Additionally, use a mix of relevant, popular, and niche hashtags to maximize your reach.

7. Measure and Optimize Viral Campaigns in Real-Time

Successful influencer campaigns don’t run on autopilot. Track the performance regularly to understand what’s working and what’s not. Keep an eye on metrics, such as:

• Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares).

• Reach and impressions.

• Website traffic and conversions.

• User-generated content participation.

Use social media management tools like Google Analytics, Hootsuite, and Buffer to track your social media campaigns and collect actionable insights. Be ready to update your viral marketing strategies if you notice some aspects of your campaigns aren’t working as intended.

8. Follow Up and Build Relationships After Viral Campaigns

Your campaign may end, but your relationship with influencers shouldn’t. Building long-term partnerships creates trust and loyalty, which can lead to even more impactful influencer marketing campaigns in the future. Plus, audiences love seeing ongoing collaborations as it reinforces authenticity.

The Bottom Line

Creating viral social media campaigns with influencer partnerships isn’t about luck. It’s about strategy, creativity, and collaboration. If you want your campaigns to succeed, you will need to set clear goals, choose the right influencers, and craft shareable content. This simple yet effective approach will help maximize your chances of creating a campaign that reaches far and wide.