Experts and industry leaders have been grappling with the question of what makes a Facebook post go viral for years. It seems to be an especially elusive science and controlled lab experiments often lead to inconclusive results. It’s the undeniable dream of every company, celebrity or social media professional to create viral Facebook posts that are shared exponentially, reach huge audiences and generate long-term positive sentiment about the post’s author.

The one large question mark remains: What makes a post go viral? The truth is, that there is no formula that guarantees “shareability”, but we can get closer to understanding the features of hugely successful posts by checking out 10 types of popular posts and analysing their secrets.