10 Ways to Go Viral
1. Start With a Thumb-Stopping Hook
Your content has less than three seconds to earn attention. If your opening doesn’t slap people out of scrolling autopilot, nothing else matters.
Hooks that go viral usually do one of three things in the first line or frame:- Make a bold promise: “I tried the world’s hardest diet for 30 days. Here’s what happened.”
- Trigger curiosity: “Everyone does this wrong—and it’s costing you thousands.”
- Create tension: “This will probably get me canceled, but…”
For videos, your first frame should be visually unusual:
- A weird object close to the camera
- An unexpected setting (filming from a supermarket aisle, rooftop, or bathroom mirror)
- An action mid-moment (water spilling, a jump cut, a door slamming)
If your first line doesn’t make someone think “wait, what?”, re-write it.
2. Make It Stupidly Shareable (Not Just Watchable)
Going viral isn’t about views. It’s about shares. Ask yourself: Would someone send this to a friend and say, “This is so you”?
People share when content helps them:
- Look smart (insightful threads, breakdowns, hacks)
- Feel seen (relatable memes, niche struggles)
- Signal identity (content aligned with their tribe, beliefs, fandom)
Add built-in share triggers:
- A line that people will screenshot
- A quote that feels tattoo-level iconic
- A mini “test” or challenge at the end: “Send this to the friend who always does this.”
Make your audience look good for sharing you, and they’ll do your distribution for free.
3. Ride Waves, Don’t Chase Trends
You don’t have to invent the wave—you just need to surf it earlier than everyone else.
Wave = a bigger conversation people are already having.- A movie release
- A viral meme format
- A controversial news story
- A niche TikTok sound that’s blowing up
The trick is to add a twist that fits your brand:
- Fitness creator? Turn a trending sound into a “gym version.”
- Finance creator? Explain the financial angle of a trending drama.
- Comedy creator? Parody the trend in the most exaggerated way possible.
Viral Story #1: The Ocean Spray Skateboarder
In 2020, Nathan Apodaca posted a TikTok of himself skateboarding to Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” while drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice. No crazy edits. No script. Just pure vibe.
- He rode a nostalgic song and the laid-back mood of quarantine culture.
- The video exploded to tens of millions of views.
- Fleetwood Mac streams surged, and Ocean Spray literally bought him a truck.
He didn’t create the wave. He simply captured it in a way nobody else had.
4. Weaponize Emotion (Ethically)
Viral content is emotional content. If no feeling is triggered, no one cares.
The strongest viral emotions:
- Awe: wild transformations, insane talent, crazy views, hidden worlds
- Anger: injustice, unfairness, people breaking unspoken rules
- Laughter: unexpected twists, sharp memes, perfectly timed edits
- Relief / Recognition: “Oh my god, someone finally said this.”
Pick one primary emotion and crank it up. Don’t try to be funny, heartwarming, and educational all at once. That’s how content turns into lukewarm soup.
5. Tell Snackable Stories, Not Random Moments
Stories travel further than “content.” Even in 30 seconds, you can build a mini-movie:
A simple viral structure:
- Setup – who you are / what’s happening
- Conflict – the problem, challenge, or risk
- Payoff – the twist, reveal, or lesson
Viral Story #2: The $1 Coffee Shop Rebrand
A small café owner posted a TikTok saying, “My business is dying. I have $1,000 left. I’m spending all of it to rebrand in one day. Follow along.”
- Setup: a struggling business
- Conflict: one risky decision
- Payoff: the reveal of the new brand, menu, and the line out the door
Viewers weren’t just watching content; they were rooting for a character. The series pulled millions of views and revived the café.
6. Use the Rule of One
One idea. One promise. One clear payoff.Most creators go micro-viral once and then stall because their content is muddy:
- Too many tips in one post
- Too many topics on one page
- Too many audiences they’re trying to please
Instead, define:
- One niche (e.g., “dating advice for men in their 20s”)
- One outcome (e.g., “help you stop overthinking and actually approach people”)
- One format you show up with consistently (e.g., 30s street interviews)
Viral content is easy to explain in a sentence. If your audience can’t summarize you, they can’t recommend you.
7. Design for Rewatching and Looping
Platforms reward watch time and completion rate. Viral content is often content people watch twice.
Ways to engineer rewatching:
- Add text that’s slightly too fast to read in one go
- Hide an Easter egg in the background
- Start and end with nearly the same frame so it loops seamlessly
- Cut out every unnecessary second—fast pacing forces attention
Viral Story #3: The Infinite Omelet Loop
A creator filmed himself tossing an omelet in a pan. He edited the clip so that the omelet perfectly re-entered the first frame, looping endlessly.
Viewers stared, trying to find the cut. The video silently racked up millions of views because people watched it over and over without even realizing.
Your goal: make your audience think, “Wait, I need to see that again.”
8. Flip a Familiar Script
Viral posts often take something people know—and break the expectation.
Examples:
- A lawyer reacting to crime documentaries
- A doctor rating medical scenes in movies
- A grandma doing modern TikTok dances
- An introvert explaining networking in pure meme formats
Viral Story #4: The Grandma Gamer
A 90-year-old grandmother started streaming herself playing video games while giving life advice. The contrast—her age vs. her hobby—was irresistible.
She wasn’t “just a gamer.” She was:
- A wholesome voice in a chaotic space
- A reminder that joy & hobbies don’t expire
The internet fell in love. Millions of views, brand deals, and a global community later, she proved: being different beats being perfect.
Ask: What’s the thing people would never expect someone like me to do on camera? That’s your gold.
9. Invite the Audience In (Make It Participatory)
Algorithms boost what audiences engage with. Don’t just talk at people—pull them into the content.
Try:
- Duet / stitch prompts: “Show me your version of this.”
- Polls and dilemmas: “Which is worse: being left on read or being ghosted after three dates?”
- Fill-in-the-blank hooks: “The most underrated city I’ve ever visited is .”
- Comment-bait that feels natural: “Bookmark this for the next time you feel like quitting.”
Viral Story #5: The Comment-Built Song
A music creator asked followers to comment random lyrics, then turned the top comments into a full song. Each step (beat, chorus, music video) was a new post.
Because people felt ownership, they:
- Commented more
- Shared more
- Tagged friends to “get their line in”
The final track went viral across multiple platforms—built entirely by audience participation.
10. Iterate Like a Scientist, Not an Artist
Viral success is rarely a single magical post. It’s usually a pattern you discover.
Treat your content like experiments:
- Post small variations of the same idea (different hooks, lengths, angles)
- Study your analytics weekly: watch time, saves, shares, rewatches
- Double down on what spikes, kill what dies—even if you “love” it
Ask yourself:
- Which hooks got people past the first 3 seconds?
- Which topics drove the most shares and saves?
- What series could I build from my best-performing post?
Your first viral hit shows you the door. Your second and third make it a hallway. Consistency turns a one-time moment into a recognizable brand.
Final Thought: Virality Is a Skill, Not Luck
The biggest myth: “Going viral is random.”
In reality, virality happens where human psychology, platform dynamics, and relentless experimentation collide.
If you:
- Hook fast
- Target one clear emotion
- Ride existing waves with your unique twist
- Design for sharing and interaction
- And iterate like a scientist
You won’t just go viral once—you’ll know how to do it on purpose.
