The internet dwellers of today’s society (which includes pretty much every person in the country) can’t resist a good ole’ personality quiz. Yes, even the ones from Buzzfeed. For some of us, it’s especially the Buzzfeed quizzes lurking in the sidebar of our computer or our cellphone which are so irresistible. Others insist that Buzzfeed is a dumping ground of IQ-killing content whilst they sip on their Chem-Ex made coffee from a clay mug crafted in someone’s garage. Neither of these views are necessarily wrong or right, unless, of course, you act as if you don’t like personality quizzes. In that case, you sit on a throne of lies. I’ll admit, I’ve disparaged Buzzfeed in the past, but my eyes have since been opened to its wonderful world of unpaid content creation.
Did you know that literally anyone can publish on Buzzfeed? Yeah, that includes you, you coffee snob. I myself discovered this last summer when I walked into work and said to my coworkers, “If your hair was pasta, what type of pasta do you think it would be?”
- Your Weirdest Ideas Can Be Your Best Ideas
After asking that question aloud, my thoughts somehow traipsed to, “Hm, that would be a funny Buzzfeed quiz.” It was that very afternoon when I made the discovery that, with a quick resignation of my email privacy (creating an account) I could make this odd idea come to fruition. It didn’t take long to create, and I had a blast learning how to navigate the user-friendly platform. I created the quiz and delighted in watching my coworkers discover the no-longer-hazy-pasta status of their hair. To this day, that quiz remains my most popular one, and it was featured on the Buzzfeed home page, garnering almost 500,000 views in just one week. I think there are a few reasons for that, and I continue to stick by them when creating content.
- Unique Identity Quizzes Really Sell
As mentioned, it’s no secret that everyone likes personality quizzes, because, well, for most people, their favorite subject is themselves! It may or may not be a bad thing, but it’s the truth. At the same time, so many personality quizzes and in-depth tests have been made and taken that at this point, people are hard-pressed to find one that they haven’t taken yet. Two years ago, it was all the rage to find out “What Type of Disney Princess You Are,” but in today’s personality quiz market (a phrase that I never thought would be relevant) it takes something more unique to stand out. Although my idea came out of nowhere, it had the essential element of incorporating a personal feature. There’s honestly a formula to the successful personality quiz, and the first variable is to include a human attribute into the title, whether that’s hair, eye color, pet peeve, etc.
- Marry the Trait with Something That Fits
There’s honestly a formula to the successful personality quiz, and the first half of the equation is in my previous point. The next variable is that the other part of the quiz must pertain to a familiar object, obsession, fandom, TV show, or celebrity. For example, some of my other quizzes that trended are titled, “Make the Perfect Krabby Patty and We’ll Reveal Which Spongebob Character You’re Destined To Marry,” as well as, “Tell Us How You Drink Your Coffee and We’ll Reveal Which Profession Is Perfect For You.” With these quizzes, the second variable was met by relating the quizzes to coffee and Spongebob, two widely-known and supremely-beloved things. (I’m destined to marry Sqiudward; who knew?)
And there you have it! The secret formula for inciting Millennial procrastination and distraction from whatever it is they should be doing. Folks will say what they will about our generation, but there are none better than us at making stellar Buzzfeed content. Plus, if you’re looking into a field which involves content creation, it can actually impress some employers that you’re able to come up with creative ideas and garner significant views with it. So go forth, my well-equipped quiz creators, and make something that would be too tantalizing not to take. Also follow my account hee hee.
Written by Karoline