{"id":65867,"date":"2022-12-13T09:58:34","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T01:58:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.mindvalley.com\/?p=65867"},"modified":"2025-05-22T12:44:40","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T11:44:40","slug":"how-to-go-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindvalley.com\/blog\/how-to-go-viral\/","title":{"rendered":"How to go viral: 7 tips to boost your personal brand online"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cGoing viral\u201d is the equivalent of instantly gaining popularity in high school. Think: Cady Harris of Mean Girls<\/em> when she gained everyone\u2019s attention after sitting with the Plastics at lunch one day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, there\u2019s the dark side of \u201cgoing viral,\u201d where someone does something ill-advised and it suddenly reaches every corner of the internet (Kendall Jenner and Pepsi, for example). So, learning how to go viral<\/strong> properly can be extremely good for you and your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who better to advise on creating content that will hit that \u201ctrending\u201d status than Gerard Adams<\/strong>, The Millenial Mentor\u2122 and trainer of Mindvalley\u2019s The Science of Personal Branding<\/em> Quest? His experience at Elite Daily<\/em>, which he co-founded, helped generate over 100 million views and 80 million unique visitors. He even won an Emmy for one of their short-film documentaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his insights and tips, here\u2019s how to go viral (properly and positively, of course) so you can make your mark on humanity with your personal brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Produce relevant content<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Generating relevant content doesn\u2019t mean fitting in. Rather, it means providing content that is \u201cshareable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reasoning is that the social media algorithms are no longer based on how many \u201clikes\u201d you get. Instead, it\u2019s actually based on engagement and shares. And when people can relate, they\u2019ll share it with their followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou really want to create content that is easily shareable and that people can engage with,<\/em>\u201d Gerard explains. As a result, it can trigger a certain emotion and bolster human connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, the \u201cCharlie Bit My Finger\u201d video on YouTube started off as just an ordinary family clip. However, thanks to the boys\u2019 adorability factor and the humor of it all, it went viral and had more than 900 million views to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granted, that was before the emergence of Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok. But its cycle on the internet made it one of the most viral videos out there, and it ended up being made into an NFT<\/a> and sold for $760,999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerard Adams\u2019 tip on how to go viral:<\/strong> \u201cAt the end of the day, what\u2019s going to help you to grow your audience and attract your tribe is creating content that is shareable<\/em>.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Leverage what\u2019s already trending<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While using your creative intelligence<\/a> to come up with original content is always advisable, it\u2019s not always an easy process. Gerard suggests \u201cleveraging content that\u2019s already out there on the internet that has proven to be shareable.<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, copy-and-pasting or piggybacking off of someone\u2019s content sounds like poor behavior (although let\u2019s be real, this is essentially what social media is all about). However, using a trending formula and adding your own spin to it can help take it to another level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example is actor Penn Badgley\u2019s version of the Taylor Swift-inspired trend. Penn shared a TikTok video of him as his character Joe Goldberg from the Netflix series, You<\/em>, running through his apartment to the tune of Taylor\u2019s \u201cAnti-Hero.\u201d It\u2019s racked up 7.8 million views and 1.7 million likes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerard Adams\u2019 tip on how to go viral:<\/strong> \u201cYou can really leverage at looking what\u2019s already going viral on the internet. And how can you be able to leverage that? Give credit where credit\u2019s due, of course. But be able to reshare that content to your audience and then, maybe, add your own subtitles to it on why it\u2019s meaningful and will connect to your demographic.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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@iampennbadgley<\/a>

#antihero<\/a> <\/p> \u266c Anti-Hero – Taylor Swift<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote>