Five Somewhat-Guaranteed Methods for Going Viral
Look, it’s nearly impossible to purposefully make a video or any piece of content go viral … or is it?
I made a big deal in my previous article about making things go viral called “Tell Me to Make Something Go Viral One More Time!” which was a tongue-in-cheek diatribe about how ridiculous it is to require that content go viral without being willing to straight up make a snuff film.
However, in my vast experience throwing tons of content out into the internet and seeing what sticks, I’ve found a few approaches that really do help.
1. “This (idea or concept utilizing a conventional story trope) is just like me!”
I don’t have a good name for this approach, but at least I can describe it. The idea is that there needs to be a basis for your content that recognizes and repeats a known insight that your audience believes in.
There’s nothing more important when you’re advertising on social media than basing all of your creative ideas on a known audience insight. We have so many ways to monitor what people are interested in these days, we’d be fools not to use that as a basis for concepts.
Gone are the days of throwing two clever creatives in a room and telling them to come out with something funny. It’s way easier now.
You just have to match the audience insight to the creative concept, and then execute.
For example:
Insight: People wear pajamas all day on the days between Christmas and New Years and talk about how lazy they are.
Execution: Declare that week “Jammy Jams” week and fine-tune your content around sloth, binge-watching, and eating ice cream straight from the container.
2. Even Better, “That’s so like you!”
This is something I discovered when I made a video on Facebook for a client and it ended up getting something like 20k unintended organic “shares.”
I can’t go into the details, but if you visit my portfolio and scroll down a bit, it’s the guy with wings.
At first, I was like “how did that happen?” and then I realized there was a reason. We had set up a scenario that was realistic and nearly everyone could relate to. At some point, nearly everyone had watched a friend exhibit this exact behavior. It wasn’t making fun of the initial viewer’s behavior, but their friends’, and in a lighthearted way, so it was easy for them to tag said friend.
When you create a video that elicits a response from your audience that is, “Wait, this reminds me of something my FRIEND would do!” it gets shared.
That, my friends, is free organic awareness. Why not let the audience do the heavy lifting for spreading your message?
3. Hit Current Trends Hard and Fast
Internet trends change day-to-day. You’ve literally got to be on top of it, or your messaging will sound dated, in a bad way. In a terrible way. In a way that makes you look like the most out-of-touch brand ever. There’s literally a subreddit about this called FellowKids. The internet knows when you’re “sleeping” on past trends, even if they’re from last week, which leads us to …
4. Also, KNOW What You’re Talking About
Are you currently (as of mid-year 2017) “woke?” You shouldn’t be, because that concept and terminology is played-out. Right now (and this will change in a matter of months) you should consider something like “Bougie,” because that’s way hotter.
Look, I can’t tell you how to personally stay on top of the ever-churning terminology ferris wheel that the internet and social media has brought us. I can only tell you to hire smart consultants who do.
5. Keep the Conversation Going (For a Brief Moment)
This is simply etiquette. When someone comments on something you posted? Do them the service of commenting back. This sounds complex to incorporate, but it’s not.
Have a “war room” approach. When your online messaging is freshly launched and hot off the presses, make sure you have a hotshot young writer (supervised by you and a creative-director type) rattling off correspondence. The wittier the better.
Include someone else from you company that can guide that crazy kid to say the right/allowed things about your brand. Because, after all, this fresh-faced go-getter is your communications rep at all of these thousands of moments.
This level of correspondence doesn’t have to last more than like three days (unless the press picks it up) because this is the internet and your audience will quickly move on.
Ross Morrison is a social media communications/advertising/writing/viral video (whatever you want to call it) consultant for smart, up-and-coming brands that know what they’re doing. If you’re looking for this type of consulting, don’t “Sneak into his DM’s,” (that term is so mid-2016) simply email him at rossmorrison@gmail.com or send him a message on Twitter.
