3 Tips to Making Viral Memes (Simple Guide)
How to Actually Go Viral With Memes (After Two Years of Doing This)
One thing I’ve learned after being a meme creator for two years is this: going viral isn’t random. There’s a formula behind it. If you want your first viral meme, here are three tips that actually matter.
1. Timing Beats Everything
Memes have an expiration date. You can’t wait until the trend is dead. The way social media works now, you’ve got about a 72-hour window max for a viral moment.
Take the Tylenol autism thing for example. Two days ago, everyone was posting about it. Today? It’s already slowing down. Tomorrow? It’ll be completely gone.
A good rule of thumb: if you’re seeing it on LinkedIn, you’re way too late.
2. Post Video Memes
If you’re still only posting static image memes, you’re leaving reach on the table. Video memes get 10x more reach than stills — period.
Couple posting tips while we’re here:
Don’t schedule posts. The apps want you active in-platform, not automating.
Post 1–3 times a day. That’s the sweet spot. If you can’t handle that, at least hit one post every weekday.
Consistency > perfection.
3. Stop Explaining the Meme
This one kills so many people. Long taglines, over-explaining, making the joke clunky. Don’t do it.
What actually makes a meme hit is relatability. You don’t need to spell it out. People in your niche will connect the dots.
Example: go to Insider Memes, type in “sales,” and look at the video templates. None of those memes are writing an essay in the tagline. They just point out something that salespeople instantly get — like struggling to close a deal by Friday. You don’t even have to use the word “sales” for people in sales to know what you’re talking about.
That’s how you build a loyal following in your niche. And for the love of God — stay in your niche. Don’t confuse your audience (or the algorithm) by posting random off-topic stuff.
The Key Takeaway: It’s All About the Template
The most important part of the game is the template. That’s what sets you up to win.
You can use my free meme generator to access thousands of video templates. Every day I’m scouring the internet for trending stuff and adding it into the software so you don’t have to.
If you’re trying to do this manually, your best bet is following big meme pages in your niche, watching what templates they’re posting, downloading those, stripping out their edits, and repurposing them with your own tagline.
Wrap-Up
Going viral with memes isn’t luck. It’s timing, format, and relatability — in that order.
Start with the right template, keep your tagline punchy, and hit trends before they die. Do that consistently and you’ll have your first viral meme sooner than you think.
