What would it be like to have the ability to make a product, book, video, or advertisement go viral?
Why do some of the seemingly dumbest things become such a craze and other better ideas and quality products or media go largely unnoticed?
There are several reasons something can go viral.
In the book “Contagious”, Jonah Berger breaks all the reasons down based on years of researching trends and fads.
I highly recommend you buy his book for the whole story Click Here
However, I’m going to give you some tips you can start thinking about and using today if you are in the process of trying to get something going.
There are about six major reasons that people share something:
First, is social currency.
If you feel like something is interesting and other people will find it interesting, then you are more likely to share it in order to show that you are interesting, fashionable, etc.
For example, did you know that Oranges are not a naturally occurring fruit?
They are actually a hybrid of a pomelo (Chinese grapefruit) and tangerine.
Also, dolphins have names for each other.
They make different sounds for different members of their pods.
Now you will be the life of the next party.
You’re welcome.
Harnessing this means you get people to feel the benefits of social currency when they share your media or product.
Second, is what’s called Triggers.
This means that when someone thinks of one thing that they do regularly, they think of something else (you or your product).
Cheerios commercials are ran in the morning hours, while late at night are the late fast food and pizza delivery commercials.
7-11 always has fresh doughnuts in the morning near the coffee.
Create a link to your product and something people do regularly.
Timing is important here.
If they cannot access your product or media when they are triggered, it may not matter much.
Sometimes the trigger comes too late (I get to the grocery store and I’m walking in when I realize I forgot my reusable bags at home).
Third, is emotion.
People are likely to share something that gets them emotionally charged.
Emotions that cause high arousal are the ones you are trying to make them feel.
This means awe, excitement, amusement or humor, anger, and anxiety.
Leave sadness and contentment out of it.
People do not share those.
Think about the videos and memes that you share.
They are amazing, funny, or get you angry.
This is the first page in the news media playbook.
Every headline is supposed to get you riled up before you watch or read the story.
It’s the same reason that political posts get passed around for days and that male pictures with kittens on Tinder get more views and swipe-rights.
Fourth, is the public or social proof.
This concept is so impactful that Steve Jobs had them flip the Apple Logo on MacBooks the other way so that other people watching people on MacBooks would see the logo the correct way and buy more computers.
People in unfamiliar environments will look around to see what the normal behavior is so they can follow suit.
This is why neighborhoods all buy new cars around the same time.
This is seen very prominently on college campuses where many underage students drink alcohol to excess.
When they are asked about it, they claim that they do not binge drink and are bothered by the binge drinking of their peers.
However, they see the drinking going on all around them and so they tend to drink more.
What they think and what they see are different.
Most underage drinkers are disturbed by binge drinking and yet most of them participate in it regardless to not be the weird ones.
Fifth, is Practical Value.
This one is different than the others and is probably the easiest to produce.
If information or a product is useful, people will pass it on.
Pinterest’s most sought after topic is travel.
People want useful information on where to stay and how to get the best deals.
There is a huge psychological boost for people to save money.
If they feel like they are really getting a deal, they take action.
This boosts sales with retailers even if the customer is not getting that great of a deal, but perceives that it is.
Useful information gets passed around and is searched for on Google.
Trust me on this.
This blog is proof of it.
Sixth, is the power of stories.
A great storyteller is captivating and we listen intently on every single word.
Plus, stories are almost hypnotic to the human brain.
We let in information that we might normally guard against.
Many old stories and fables were used to teach lessons and the story made it easier to remember (The three little pigs).
Think about Subway and Jared Fogle (before he got into trouble).
Jared weighed 425 pounds and was on a quick and serious collision course with health problems and an early death.
He lost 245 pounds eating Subway sandwiches for lunch and dinner.
The story was amazing and made people turn to Subway fast food as a healthy meal option.
Stories need to be true or at least make sure your audience knows if it isn’t.
Also, the story needs to relate to your product or people will only remember the story.
If you use some or all of these concepts effectively in your advertising or media, you have all the components of a viral campaign.
Get creative and push the boundaries.
Also, please be safe.
If you would like to learn the psychology of online marketing and create an income that you can scale indefinitely using the power and automation of the internet, then see my #1 recommendation to make money online.
It is the same system I used to make an income online working part time using my laptop that allowed me to quit my full-time job.
Since then, I have been able to travel and spend more time with my family doing what I love.
Thank you for reading.
Phillip Adams