Ever wonder what the secret to creating viral content is? Researchers have long pondered what makes a piece worthy of getting thousand upon thousands of shares, and after much consideration, they concluded the following. When it comes to creating viral content, the key is this: a strong social media presence, paired with a stunning website, and last but not least… the biggest secret to viral success is… cats. Or babies.
Don’t believe us? Take Wix user Kitty Lee* for example. She had the genius idea of having a newborn photo shoot for her daughter’s baby kitten, Luna. Only 7 days after posting the aww-inducing images on her business’s Facebook page, the photo series spread like wildfire and got the attention of some of the biggest news publications in the world!
Read on to learn more about how Kitty and her now famous cat became a viral sensation!
Wix: How did you get the idea of doing a newborn shoot with a kitten?
Kitty: When we brought home a new kitten for my 5-year-old daughter, she was just so cute I couldn’t stop taking photos of her. I do a lot of newborn baby shoots so I had a ton of adorable props and costumes to choose from.
Wix: Actor W.C Fields once said, “never work with children or animals.” From your experience, who’s harder to work with?
Kitty: Luna was super easy to work with. She is a sweet sleepy kitten, it was easier than any human I’ve photographed! A typical newborn shoot can last between two to four hours, this shoot was only five minutes! She was much less squirmy than a newborn baby as well.
Wix: Did you intend for these images to go viral?
Kitty: Not at all – it was a complete surprise! I first posted the photos on my business’s Facebook page and the next day I woke up and was amazed by how many likes and shares the photos accumulated! After a few days, smaller publications started to take notice and before I knew it, bigger names like House Beautiful, Mashable and Bored Panda had featured the shoot!
Wix: You’ve since turned your photos into a kitten calendar, how did that idea come about?
Kitty: I guess you could say that I got the idea for creating a kitten calendar from market research. I noticed that more than a few people commented on the Facebook post that they’d love to have a calendar with the photos, so I figured, why not?! This was also a great opportunity for me to give back to Save a Stray, a local animal shelter where all of the profits from the calendar go to.
Wix: Did you make any changes to your website when your photo series gained notoriety?
Kitty: I did – I added a page to sell the kitten calendar, and I also added the calendar to my existing online shop.
Wix: Did you instantly know you’d sell the calendar on your website?
Kitty: I already had an online store to sell photo shoots and packages, so it was natural for me to sell the Kitten Calendar on my Wix website. Aside from e-Commerce, I also use a schedule software to book clients and the Wix Pro Gallery to show off my photos in high resolution.
Wix: How do you differentiate yourself from other photographers?
Kitty: What sets me apart from other photographers is that I’m an artist first. I studied art history in college, so I tend to look at photography from a painter’s perspective.
Looking to give your photos the viral treatment? It all starts with creating a stunning photography website!