How My Debut Huffington Post Article Went Viral

The first article I wrote and published on The Huffington Post has been "liked" as of this moment by 14,753 readers. It has been shared on Facebook 3,605 times and tweeted 225 times. In addition, the unauthorized (but very much appreciated) translation of the article into Bulgarian has been read in that language by 10,717 people.

I can't believe that my debut Huffington Post went viral!

My article was titled "10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About Bulgaria" and the response was overwhelming. Fellow authors asked me how I managed to get published at the Huffington Post. Bulgarians praised my positive insights about their country. And others, including myself, were astounded at how viral this article became.

How did all this come about?

I had been thinking about blogging on The Huffington Post for some time. In addition to posting book reviews on The Times of Israel and writing articles offering advice to other aspiring authors, I enjoy writing about my travels, both in Israel and abroad. I felt that blogging on The Huffington Post would be a good outlet for my writing, as well as help establish my platform as an author.

The unauthorized Bulgarian translation of my article also went viral.

If you're interested in writing a blog at The Huffington Post you must pitch your idea to them. There is a link on the website, but before you send off your proposal, make sure that you are familiar with the way posts appear there. The first step is having quality content, and then it should be presented in an easy-to-read fashion, complete with appealing images. And, most important of all, you must have a catchy title for the story.

As soon as my article was published, I began to tweet about it, as well as share it with my contacts in Bulgaria. But then, the article began to take on a life of its own. Before I knew it, the number of "likes" on the page had skyrocketed. Readers shared the article with their friends. It appeared on numerous news feeds before I even had a chance to share it myself on Facebook.

The article generated interest in the highest echelons of European politics. Among others, my article was tweeted by:

* The president of the European Chess Union
* The former Vice Prime Minister / Defense Minister of Bulgaria
* The European Union's Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response

In addition, hundreds of ordinary Bulgarians read the article, in English as well as in their native language. Many of them contacted me and thanked me for writing a positive review of their country.

I was quite shocked by the success of this article. It certainly gives me the motivation to begin writing my next travel blog article, although, I doubt it will see as much social media sharing.

If you haven't yet read my article, click now to "10 Amazing Things You Didn't Know About Bulgaria". As I finish writing these lines, the number of "likes" has reached 14,800. But by the time you click through, it might be higher still.