Decoding virality: unravelling the success behind our Facebook lion video

On 6 November 2023, we posted a video of a lion roaring on the Africa on Foot Facebook page. It was a simple, yet fantastic close-up of a healthy lion belting out his best contact call roar. One of our guides captured the clip, intending to highlight the power of one of the dominant leaders within their local lion pride. We shared the video with the hopes of bringing attention to this legend of a lion. To our surprise, the video quickly gained widespread popularity, accumulating 4.3 million reach, 85.5k reactions, 5.6 shares, and 2.5k comments. Remarkably, this occurred organically in just a matter of days, without any marketing budget allocated for boosts and promotion.

Precise statistics elude social media experts when it comes to something going viral. Virality occurs when a post naturally reaches a vast audience, with engagements and shares skyrocketing in a brief period, often within hours. While there’s no exact science to achieving this fame-status, there are strategies to enhance the likelihood of your posts gaining widespread recognition.

Vuyela Lion Africa On Foot

Before the video went viral, we observed a consistent increase in views across the four videos we had previously shared. The substantial viewership, shares, and engagement on those videos served as a precursor to the eventual viral success of the latest video. For instance, we garnered 80.2k views for a lion video featuring contact calling, 415k views for buffalo swimming in a dam, and 527.4k views for lions lazing around a waterhole.

These earlier successes paved the way for a video to potentially go viral. Similar to the unpredictability of golf, where expertise doesn’t guarantee outcomes, the viral trajectory is uncertain. Nevertheless, taking strategic steps and laying the groundwork increases the likelihood. If it happens, best of luck with managing the influx of comments!

In today’s blog, we delve into the reasons behind our unexpected viral success, sharing our theories, offering advice, and providing insights on how to effectively manage a viral video.

The Video: Know your audience

We really spent a lot of time unpacking why this video did better than the others. We do understand that it was shared on a strong platform with well-performing videos and an established fan base, but there was still research to be done. Why this one and not the others?
Here are the answers:
  • Lions: Lions as a subject matter do well in videos. According to Google Ads, “lions safari” performs 63% better than “bird safari”.
  • Targetted audience: We have an in-depth understanding of our audience, and delivered a video about a topic they typically engage with. The Africa on Foot Facebook page attracts a wealth of lion fans who follow the many prides in the area.
  • Clarity: The video is crisp and clear, without looking over edited and is captured in fantastic natural lighting.
  • Sound: The action happens the moment you play the video – it’s loud, booming and showcases the sound of the wild. The roar SOUNDS like Africa!
  • Authenticity: This is not an over-edited or professional video. There’s nothing curated about it – it comes across as being authentic and real-time.
  • Proximity: This is a case of “man vs beast”, where we see part of the vehicle close to one of Africa’s top predators. You feel CLOSE to this lion.
  • Length: Facebook users don’t like lengthy videos. This video is exactly 36 seconds long, which is the ideal length for viewer retention. According to our stats, most people viewed the video for 12 seconds, which is higher than usual.
The video was good and captivated attention because it got to the action, quickly.

The Content: Craft compelling headings and short descriptions

Write ups for social media should be to the point and attention grabbing. Make your audience feel that anticipation. You may not apply this to every post, but if your goal is to make one go viral, adhere to this rule.
Here’s how we did it.

We used a simple, attention grabbing headline with few words with bold call to action, scattered with just enough emoticons to break up the text: 📣 SOUND UP 📣 A King and his call 🦁. Keep it simple and use a powerful word (king) and make it sound action-orientated. 

The description was short and sensationalist—really focusing on the power of lions. We created engagement by asking a question, gave detail about the sighting and added the web address to drive traffic to the camp’s website. Fluff and filler descriptions were avoided.
This is the text:
One of the Vuyela male lions was spotted relaxing on the entrance road, contact calling to the rest of his pride. We managed to enjoy the most remarkable close up, and listen to his earth shuddering roar that reverberated through the entire vehicle! Thanks to our camp manager for this amazing clip.

Ever been close to a LION KING contact calling?

🌎 Spotted at www.africaonfoot.com in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

Optimal Times: Is there a right time to post?

Facebook’s algorithm determines when your audience is most active and engaging—listen to the advice. We scheduled this video when Facebook recommended. Generally, audiences are most active during these times: 7:00 – 9:00 am; 13:00 – 15:00 pm; and 19:00 – 21:00 pm. However, it’s best to look at your niche audience and consider their location.

Page History: Laying the groundwork

It goes without saying that were were at an advantage when we posted the viral lion video. Given that our page has a 32,000 followers and 4.8 k average content interactions, the groundwork was already done. Established in 2009, this Facebook page has a longstanding presence in search engines. While not all viral videos originate from “established” pages, it’s an additional factor in the social dynamics that can contribute to success.

Managing a Viral Video: Engage with your community

Because the comments and likes escalated, we set aside time to deal with the comments. It’s impossible to get on top of each comment, but it’s crucial to engage for the first few hours. A quick engagement rate is great for even higher visibility. It shows that you value opinions and dialogue. The rule is simple. Create boundaries by blocking and deleting negative, unnecessary comments. Engage with those who offer value in the comments section and check in with your comments section for the first few days of going viral.
Remember, don’t feed the trolls and fuel any negativity. Block and delete during your viral management phase is paramount to the success of your post.
Results of Going Viral: Dealing with post-viral fame!
We don’t have much to report on when it comes to fame. Some viral videos get picked up by the likes of DailyMail and other media institutions, but we have yet to get there! We observed a moderate rise in engagement and shares following the video, although not significantly. On the other hand, the click-through rate and website traffic have experienced a notable increase, potentially translating to more direct inquiries. While the video still garners views and engagement, the situation is now more manageable. One thing is certain – a viral video is beneficial for both business and bragging rights!

Our viral video was a combination of solid groundwork, strategy and luck. Algorithms are forever changing!

 

Vuyela Male Lion Africa on Foot