How to Make Your Content Go Viral

If you like my two cents Gini things go viral when they create an emotion, either positive or negative. Things who make you cry, things who make you laugh, or angry and so on. I still remember that wonderful video about the lion who recognized his human friends after a year in the jungle. :)

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It seems like with people that forget that patience and working hard really does pay off that coming up with a formula won't really matter. If your looking for content to be shared across the world wide web then be consistent with your message and try and voice your opinion on multiple communication channels.

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When is something viral? Recently someone insisted to me that a video online had gone viral. It had 1,500 hits and had gone our to a list of people who were likely to at least have a look. Is there a numerical benchmark for truly viral?

Personally? I prefer the 'cute puppies' to an equation any day! Sure you can try and process your way to a successful SM execution, but some things are just organic. But explain 'organic' to a client or a CEO who was raised in the CPG sector? Oy.

Haven't read through the comments yet but SIGH. I can't believe people still ask that question. People are idiots. /rant

This was a great post. I do like an impressive equation.

I became part of something viral on Super Bowl Sunday. A twitter friend, who does not like sport, had just bought my new book, "Two Decades and Counting: The Wins, The Streak, The Hawkeyes Thru the Eyes of Roy Marble", and while we were tweeting back and forth, I noticed he had slipped in a mention of a game called "Minecraft".

I asked him about it and he said it was a low-tech game, built by one guy, that had gone viral. I could do a search on YouTube and see it, if I wanted. I did want! The first video I found was part of a series, 1 of 81 videos. Wow, I thought. It must be some game to have someone make 81 episodes about it. Then I saw the number of people who had viewed episode 1, it was approaching 6 million.

Now, keep in mind, these guys who did the video didn't create the game, they were just playing it in Alpha. The creator was a guy in Sweden. This was at 10:30 am Sunday morning. I watched the first video. The graphics on the game are on the cutting edge of technology...for 1982. The two guys playing the game, who were British (everything is better with a British Accent), were very entertaining. After the 10 minute video, I decided to watch the next one.

I watched close to Eleven hours of someone else playing a video game on Super Bowl Sunday. I missed the commercials, 98% of the game, and was very much entertained. All the videos had over 2 million views and each one ran an ad.

I have no idea how much money one makes from that sort of ad penetration, but with 81 videos (I'm only half way through) it is sizable. Good for the guys from the UK.

The story doesn't end there. I decided to purchase the game from an equally unimpressive web-site. It has a tracker which shows that I was NOT one of the first 4 million people to buy it. The cost, $27.00. Yes, one guy wrote an addictive game, and unless I'm missing something, has already yielded over 100 million in sales.

Now, I've told all of you.

I'm curious, have you heard of the game "Minecraft" before, today?

Or the "Yogcast" videos?

I'm guessing no, but I would like people to answer regardless. I may not respond very quickly, though. I am probably going to play the game until I pass out from exhaustion. It is fun.

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Darn it -- no wonder I can never find the "go viral" button on a post. Shoot!

Completely agree! The term "going viral" seems to have lost all meaning these days. Everyone wants a piece of "going viral" but they try WAY too hard in order to achieve it. When, instead, they could just create awesome, valuable content! :) I've actually stopped working with clients who have the expectation of going viral; because it usually leads to a lot more impatience down the road.

You can't force it. And anyone who thinks there is a formula to it is missing the point. Bingo on the posting great content consistently that speaks to your audience. Going viral is like playing blackjack in the casino. You sit there for hours on the table, and then you get a lucky run. It is funny to see how people are "trying" to go viral but 1. Taking content that has already gone viral and stealing credit from the source and 2. Trying REALLY REALLY hard to be funny. Most of the best viral moments are authentic, simple, and real. You have 1 second to gain a reaction and have someone share the content. Use it wisely and buy some a rabbit's foot too.