As social sharing has accelerated at an exponential rate over the last several years, so too have a slew of enterprising and innovative new sites that have learned to successfully leverage the full scope of social. Two in particular, BuzzFeed and Upworthy, have had growth so substantial that it’s been hard not to hear about or notice their meteoric growth.
BuzzFeed has tripled its monthly unique visitor counts over the last 24 months, from 4.3 million to 19.3 million. At its current projected trajectory, it’s set to eclipse sites like The New York Times, Huffington Post (also started by a BuzzFeed founder), and CNN over the next few years. Similarly, Upworthy has gone from about 1 million visitors in its first months to more than 20 million unique visitors per month today, making it one of the fastest growing media sites of all time.
Clearly these two sites have tapped into something important that’s fueling their massive growth, but what is it? Even though these two sites are seemingly quite different, there are a few key reasons why they are successful. Their methods are replicable, and you can use them to drive unprecedented engagement and visibility for your blog or brand. Keep on reading to see what they are.
13 Lessons From Upworthy & BuzzFeed: Viral Content’s Secret Sauce
