Viral Dust

People have a misconception about achieving “virality.” They think that you can just plan to go viral, at the push of a button.

If this is your current or future marketing strategy, let me save you some time: that will not work.

Virality is not something you can spontaneously plan. Products do not catch fire by coincidence.

Rather, it is by a matter of careful planning and procured development — starting from Day 1.

Virality can be achieved in two ways:

• The product has built in HSM
• Manufactured Virality

Holy Shit Moments

I’ve written about this before — but briefly: Holy shit moments are what make you tell your friend about a product. The best holy shit moments can be explained succinctly and cause an immediate reaction.

These moments feel organic, almost unique coincidences. But the reality is that they are so carefully built into the product that you would never have known.

They are the little things, but the inflection points. And they are crucial to achieving a state of virality.

Manufactured Virality

Manufactured virality occurs when a product prompts a user to share the moment with his or her friends. Though not as native, this method can work very effectively.

While many referral programs are well overdone, there is still room for creativity to shine.

Summary: Plan Early, Always

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twitter — @itsjordangonen

email — jordangonen@wustl.edu