Virality Should Not Be a Content Creator’s Goal
People think going viral will solve all their problems. This is not the case.
The idea of going viral makes companies, brands, and creators alike start salivating.
It’s seen as the antidote to all their problems, the golden standard for an online presence. Go viral, and *poof* — all your worries will melt away.
We associate virality with wealth and fame, as it supposedly cements you as a “legitimate” creator forever. Creators — Youtubers, online writers, artists alike — are confident their lives would be forever altered (and much easier) if they just hit 1,000,000 views.
We’re here to shake you back to reality and tell you the cold hard truth: going viral is not the goal for content creators.
Sure, virality can boost a creator’s status…especially if they seize the opportunity. But if you think virality will do all the heavy lifting, you’re living in another world.
Going viral is only a part of the equation. It’s up to the creators to set up paywalled products behind gates, build a library of content, and are prepared if virality knocks on their door.
Why Going Viral is Not the Goal
Alright, listen up. Here’s why going viral is not the goal. Take notes.
1. It’s Unpredictable.
No one knows the exact formula for going viral. And if anyone tells you they do know, they’re a liar. If it were the case, everyone would have gone viral by now.
There are scummy agencies that offer “viral content” as one of their services. But again: no one knows how it’s done. The most we know about what it takes to go viral is that it’s a combination of sheer luck, timing, value, and a dash of serendipity.
If you concentrate your content strategy entirely on going viral, you’re wasting your time. Not to mention, planning in advance for your big moment of fame appears inauthentic. It actually hurts your chances of virality even more.
2. It’s Short-Term Traffic.
You can go viral on a Friday night, and go back to a nobody by Monday morning. We mean…do you remember the first and last names of a dozen people who recently went viral? We thought so.
As a creator or brand, you want to prioritize high-quality traffic over short-term, low-quality traffic.
High-quality traffic is traffic that resonates with the buyer persona of the customer you’re trying to attract. For instance, if you’re a Youtuber who posts videos on nail care, high-quality traffic would be people obsessed with the beauty world, ages 13–25 years old.
Low-quality traffic would be the exact opposite. Users who come to your site aren’t likely to convert, because you’re not targeting them. For our nail example, this would be sports fanatics who are ages 25–50. Doesn’t work.
Going viral means you’ll be inundated with all kinds of traffic. It’ll be a mixture of both types of traffic, but it’ll primarily consist of low-quality traffic.
3. Create Something for Everyone, And You Reach No One.
People think that to go viral, it must create something that is appealing to the widest net of audience members possible. After all, if it’s too niche, not everyone will get it…right?
Nope.
When you try to reach everyone, you actually end up reaching no one. Being broad is general, boring, and a big snooze.
Being a content creator stresses the importance of niche audiences.
Niche audiences are how a creator will stand out and people will begin to recognize them as an authority in that space. A narrow audience also equals increased engagement and makes it easy to target content.
4. It’s Not The Endgame.
Repeat after us: going viral is not the finish line.
A creator hasn’t “made it” once they’ve gone viral. Being a content creator isn’t a kind of game — it’s a new career, as recognized by the creator economy.
The creator economy is now a class of business. More than 50 million people globally consider themselves content creators and 2 million pursue it as a full-time career.
Going viral isn’t your pension and ticket to a luxurious retirement. It’s actually just a bonus.
After cashing in the check, creators get right back to work and keep on creating whatever it is they’re passionate about.
Instead of Viral Marketing, Do This
If you’re creating content with the sole intention of “going viral,” you’re gonna want to stop in your tracks and do a complete 180.
Here’s what to do instead.
1. Build a Library of Knowledge
As a content creator, imagine yourself as a kind of librarian.
Your goal is to build the biggest, most beautiful, stunning coliseum of books galore. It’s chock-full of resourceful content and valuable information. Every Tweet, article, or Youtube video you put out adds on to this content library of yours.
With each asset you produce, aim to:
- Make it evergreen. This type of content remains relevant over time and doesn’t have an expiration date. It’s how what you create today, remains relevant years down the line and continues to garner attention.
- Make it hyper-specific. Create content for a specific type of individual. Because of the niche paradox, making unique content means you’ll attract a bigger audience over time. As the saying goes:
“Don’t be a wandering generality. Be a meaningful specific.” — Zig Ziglar
If a creator builds content with these premises in mind, they’ll build their library of content into a stunning collection.
2. Forge Authentic, Genuine Connections With Your Audience and Community.
We’re going to let you in on a secret.
Virality isn’t going to bring you money on a silver platter. It won’t suddenly give you higher status, or bestow the fame you crave.
But, audience and community will.
The difference between audience and community is how the chairs are facing. When the chairs face the stage, it’s an audience. When the chairs face each other, it’s a community. A single person engages an audience. Communities thrive on their own.
Building up an audience over time on a horizontal social media platform, such as Twitter, gives creators perceived credibility. It cements them as a creator and is how they eventually become a brand.
On the other hand, if a creator has a community, they’re able to monetize and engage with their targeted buyer persona. For instance, a creator could upload exclusive content within their community, or gate-wall the community itself to make it intimate.
One-hit wonders can’t do any of these things.
How You Respond to Virality is Everything
Here’s the thing.
We’re not advocating for creators and brands to not ever go viral. On the contrary. Going viral is a wonderful opportunity…if you seize it. Emphasis: seizing the opportunity.
An exceptional example of a brand not seizing the opportunity would be Gamestop. And we mean really….how could we not bring up Gamestop given the dumpster fire it caused in January?
As we’re sure you know, Gamestop caused quite the ruckus when retail investors began purchasing the stock like mad to screw over the billionaire hedge fund owners.
In short: Gamestop was a face of a movement.
And you want to know how they responded?
With this tone-deaf, scheduled marketing Tweet. And with that, they completely missed the opportunity to capitalize on their virality.
Even their followers noticed, asking them what on Earth was going on.
So, what can creators do to avoid missing out on such an insane opportunity? To, you know, not end up like Gamestop?
1. Be Able to Guide Your Visitors
You know when a Tweet goes viral, and in the comments section, the creator says something along the lines of…
“Hey…I don’t really have anything to promote, but here’s my Instagram.”
This is a clear example of not being prepared to guide the influx of visitors on your profile. You’ll want to have multiple options for monetization, so you can appeal to the diverse influx of visitors.
To do this, you’ll need to build a content directory. It can either be a Linktree, a pinned Tweet with all your content attached, a link to your private community, or your website. Something that captures you, and what you do and create in its entirety.
Don’t forget to include a call to action so people know exactly what to do once they’ve landed on your page.
2. Have A Bedrock of Valuable, Specific, and Evergreen Content
Earlier, we mentioned the importance of having a library of knowledge. Here’s why.
Imagine going viral like you’re on a date with a supermodel.
Your goal on this date is to keep the conversation going and convince them you’re an intriguing fellow.
And how do you do that?
You show them interesting things you’ve worked on, what you’re passionate about, and how you help others. Hopefully, you’ll be able to score their number/follow by the end.
Having a bedrock of valuable, relevant content is the equivalent of having something interesting to say and establishing credibility. If virality happens to you, and users come flocking, you’ll have something worthwhile to show off.
Virality is Never The End Game…But It Doesn’t Hurt to Prepare
Your viral post may soon be forgotten, but if you play your cards right, you and your content won’t be.
Creators and brands must prepare themselves for virality, but never make it into their end goal. Instead, to recap, they must focus on…
- Creating valuable, specific, and evergreen content that will continue to garner attention over the years.
- Building their audience on horizontal, social networks to establish credibility and attract like-minded individuals.
- Nurturing their community, and learning from their target buyer persona.
- Productizing themselves and creating content that can be easily monetized.
Our platform, Officeparty, helps brands and creators tick all these things off their to-do list.
A platform for creators and brands to build communities, Officeparty has it all. Within these communities, creators can post curated content, streamline marketing campaigns, and get to know their members better.
That’s how, if virality winds up knocking at your door, you’ll be fully prepared to take advantage.
CTA: If you’re a creator who would like to hop aboard, you can join us for free here :)
