Viral Marketing Essentials

You see influencers traveling with brands every other month. But Topicals, a skincare brand known for prioritizing inclusivity and skin health, took this to the next level by hosting a brand trip in Bermuda for their 3rd birthday. While the stunning island backdrop may be perfect for Instagram-worthy content, what makes this campaign stand out is its commitment to inclusivity. They became the first beauty brand to host a fully BIPOC-sponsored influencer trip, breaking industry norms and opening doors for smaller, underrepresented creators. Here’s why this campaign has set new standards: → Topicals invited a diverse group of 18 influencers and many of them had never attended a brand trip before, highlighting their commitment to amplifying new voices rather than sticking to the same big names. → The trip generated 3M impressions and to ensure that the campaign wasn’t just about short-lived moments, they used the hashtags “TopicalsTakesBermuda” and “TopicalsTurns3” to track engagement and keep the buzz alive. → Guests posted real-time stories across platforms, creating an honest and relatable experience for their followers. This strategy highlights how important authenticity is to drive trust and engagement. They indirectly motivated several brands to focus on greater inclusivity and genuine connections. This proves that brands can make a statement by creating content that feels real. What do you think of Topicals' approach to influencer marketing? #influencermarketing

$0 - that’s how much your 1M-view post might be worth. I spoke with Richard van der Blom about this. He analyzed 500,000+ LinkedIn posts and tracked 47 that crossed 1M impressions. Out of those 47 creators, only 3 could connect a viral post to actual revenue. Three people out of forty-seven. So while everyone celebrates "going viral", the business impact is often… almost zero. Big reach ≠ big revenue. I loved the example Richard shared: The posts that built his 6-figure consulting pipeline rarely passed 50K views. But they consistently brought 5-10 decision-makers into his inbox within 48 hours. That’s not luck. That’s positioning. LinkedIn rewards authenticity at scale - not scale for the sake of scale. Funny enough, honest posts usually outperform the “perfect” ones because people can feel when it’s actually YOU. That’s the strategy. If your main goal is clients, stop relying on viral posts. Instead, track: • How many decision-makers saw it • How many relevant people engaged • How many real conversations started If your post goes viral but no buyer reaches out - did it really work?

You really can’t beat a LIVE experience.     It only happens once...    And one time only.     Every day, you’re witnessing the story of life unfolding right in front of you. And having proof of that lived experience has now become social currency on social media.     But live events are bigger than clout. People can actually participate and make an impact on history simply by capturing and sharing what they experience on social media. And now we’re seeing the emergence of a new form of live commerce through social, particularly in live shopping. Home Shopping Network Inc. (Shop TV) is now on YouTube Live — Amazon, TikTok, and Meta all now have live shopping channels.     And I think we can learn a lot from Asia in terms of digital behaviors, because Asia has been leading on this for a while. So, over the years as they’ve been developing this form of live commerce, what behaviors and evolutionary patterns do we think will repeat in other parts of the world?     My view on it is, we’re seeing relatable people that know how to entertain, which gives consumers a layer of trust. Through these creators, brands can engage people through a live storytelling of the product. It strikes on that old advertising goal of creating a moment that brings people into an emotional space that triggers a reaction through impulse buying. I think that is driving a lot of it, but also the price point has to be reasonable.     In most cases, people aren’t buying big ticket items on live social media commerce. A lot of the time, they’re buying practical items they can utilize to make their lives easier. Since the price point isn’t so high and people are getting a product that benefits them in some way, the upside to the purchase outweighs the downside.     Add in the exclusivity of being the first in your friend group to get the latest hot product on the TikTok Shop. And when people like your product, each buyer then becomes a brand ambassador who can easily share it with their friends.     Beyond that, it also gives people the opportunity to support small business owners and creators they wouldn’t be able to find otherwise. And on the flip side, these platforms are game-changing tools that help creators and small business owners turn their passion into a profession by reaching new audiences.     If you’re a young business owner hoping to build their community, this is a great way to do it. Think of how big streamers have become in recent years. Start building that community now.    What do you think of live commerce on social media? Have you ever bought anything through TikTok or Instagram?    #SocialMedia #Entrepreneurship #DigitalMarketing #Marketing 

Viral Content: Why brand managers must think twice before chasing internet fame As someone who has had to straddle brand management in legacy brands and a content first approach at start ups, this is STILL the uncomfortable truth about marketing in 2024. Viral content ≠ Brand Equity Ideas that are authentic, relevant and generate talkability (ART) make for great content & advertising. In fact good advertising is usually good content. However, Virality for Virality’s sake is usually like a fever, it comes & goes, making everyone giddy for a few days. A brand managers job is to help consumers remember and prefer the product when they are in the position to buy. Great, consistent content that helps educate also does that. But ask yourself this - did any of the brands that did Ganji Chudail inspire you to buy or at least come to mind because of Ganji Chudail when you thought of that category? Likely No. Did it get spoken about a lot in WhatsApp and Linkedin? Yes. Converse to that, the content from The Whole Truth Foods is both entertaining and helps build the brand. Just virality doesn’t build any associations or memory structures that help Brand Equity or Market Share. For emerging content-driven brands, calculated risks can give you legs. In fact you must focus on a content led approach that aims to be share-worthy while helping the brand. But for established players with built equity? The cost of perception might outweigh the momentary spotlight. The real question isn’t “Can we go viral?” but “Should we?”

Welcome to the age of MELTING MARKETING, where the fastest way to grab attention is something that disappears. Forget giant props and high-budget stunts. The new flex? Brands handing out popsicles. Cold, messy, gone in minutes, and impossible to ignore. 🍦 The ice melts before your photo does 🍭 Nostalgia you can hold (and eat) 🥶 Cheap prop, priceless content Why brands are thinking melting: • Built-in urgency (capture before it is gone) • Relatable (everyone has held one) • Perfect for the feed (logo lollies beat neon walls) • More human than polished gimmicks The result? ✨ More posts, faster ✨ Emotional recall (summer in a bite) ✨ A brand moment that feels alive How to crush it: • Tie flavours or colours to your brand • Make it instantly photogenic • Keep it simple. One ice pop beats five props. So next time you plan an activation, ask yourself: Will it last forever, or melt into memory? Brands that nailed it: SKIMS, Lacoste, Glossier, Inc., CHANEL, KITH, Coach, Fendi #MeltingMarketing #GenZCampaigns #BrandActivations #ExperienceEconomy #SensoryMarketing #SummerBranding

Viral marketing sounds like a dream. (Get one post right and boom….Instant fame) But is it real growth or just smoke and mirrors? Most brands chasing virality end up disappointed. They see a spike in engagement. Then? Nothing. No sales. No retention. No brand loyalty. Because virality isn’t a strategy. It’s a gamble. Algorithms reward spectacle, not substance. And most viral content attracts the wrong audience. People who engage for entertainment. Not buying intent. Sure, it feels good in the moment. But when the hype fades, what’s left? A brand that’s famous for nothing. That’s why I teach my clients this: Virality is a side effect, not a strategy. The brands that win don’t chase trends. They build frameworks that create consistent demand. → They solve a real pain point. → They master distribution. → They optimize for retention, not just reach. Want marketing that works? Forget viral hacks. Build obsession. Obsession creates long-term demand. Demand drives revenue. And revenue beats vanity metrics every time. P.S Would you rather have a million views or a million-dollar pipeline?

Virality optimizes for the wrong outcome. A viral post spreads because it's shareable, not because it's valuable. It's designed to make people feel smart for reposting it, not to actually change how they think. Widespread reach often means you've said something simple enough or emotionally charged enough to travel fast. The posts that brought real business? Completely different. A detailed breakdown of my leadership development methodology got 20 likes. 3 of those 20 people became my long-term clients. An article in my newsletter about the messy reality of building trust in teams was read by 500 people. Two CEOs forwarded it to their entire leadership teams, and both companies hired me. These weren't shareable. They were specific. Nuanced. Sometimes uncomfortable. They required people to actually sit with the ideas instead of just nodding along. And here's what I've learned after 6 years of writing here consistently: the people who can commit to work with you on something deep and lasting don't need social proof from strangers. They need evidence that you understand their specific problem deeply. That you've thought about it from angles they haven't considered. That you're not just repeating what's popular, but actually doing the hard thinking. When a CFO is deciding whether to invest in psychological safety work, they don't care that 2 million people watched my video. They care that I understand the difference between performative safety and the real thing. That I can navigate the politics of their organization. That dozens of companies can confirm I deliver. That kind of trust doesn't come from metrics. It comes from body of work. I've poured my heart into this work for years while algorithms changed, trends came and went, and most of my posts disappeared into the void with double-digit engagement. The consistency isn't impressive because of discipline. It's impressive because it signals something else: I'm here because this work matters to me. Your potential clients are watching for that signal too. They're watching to see if you show up when it's not exciting. If you say the complex thing instead of the catchy thing. If you're still here in six months, or if you'll disappear the moment the algorithm stops favoring you. So yes, I'm grateful for those 14 million impressions. They taught me exactly what not to chase. Because virality is a lottery ticket. But trust is a compound interest account that pays dividends for years. P.S.: What's your experience with this? Have you ever had something "perform" that didn't actually move your work forward?

Since some brands are having trouble recognizing when you should and shouldn’t hop on a trend… If the trend touches on real-world issues that are distressing to others…please don’t. If the trend’s punchline is built on someone else’s misfortune or downfall...please don’t. If the trend involves copyrighted content or IP you don’t have rights to…please don’t. If you haven’t considered how this trend will be received globally, especially amongst your social audience…please don’t. Now on the flipside, If the trend aligns with your brand’s personality and values, got for it. If you can add your own unique, original twist to it, go for it. If it’s an opportunity to educate and entertain (edutainment), go for it. Use this as your baseline the next time your brand is figuring out whether a trend is worth exploring or not 👍

We are solving for Loneliness, not just Sales. Marketers often assume people watch TikTok Lives solely for the discounts. We assume the motivation is purely transactional. The research paints a different picture. I've been reading studies on "Key Reasons Viewers Tune In", and the top drivers are deeply human: 𝟏. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 & 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 People crave belonging. In a digital world that often feels isolating, a Live Stream offers immediate, real-time companionship. The viewer is hanging out with their community united by a liking for the host, the brand or just being part of the livestream. 𝟐. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 "𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝" We have reached "Peak Polish" on social media. Everything is edited, filtered, and curated. Live Streaming offers the antidote: Spontaneity. Viewers tune in specifically because anything can happen. They value the mistakes, the pauses, and the raw moments more than the script. 𝟑. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐩 The platform is engineered for interaction. When a host reads a comment or acknowledges a gift, the viewer gets a hit of dopamine. It transforms "Passive Consumption" (watching TV) into "Active Participation" (playing a game). 𝟒. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 "𝐀𝐈 𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐩" In 2026, we are drowning in AI generated content. Live Streaming has become the "Human Verification" layer of the internet. When a host stutters, drops a product, or laughs at a bad joke, it proves they aren't a bot. The "messiness" of Live is proof that it is authentic and run by a real person. If you treat your Live Stream like a TV commercial, you will fail. You must treat it like a conversation. Success comes when you stop "broadcasting" to an audience and start "building" a community. When you watch a Live Stream, do you stay for the Product or the Host? #ConsumerPsychology #DigitalMarketing #CommunityBuilding #TikTokLive #MarketingInsights #LiveSelling

A question more brands should be asking: How do we create moments that allow other people (not the brand account itself) to go viral? It's a question that Anthony Po has the answer to. You might know him from stunts like Kid With Crocs, Timothée Chalamet Lookalike Competition, John Chungus, and Bunch of Friends. His internet performance art has likely racked up billions of views, but the most impressive part to me is that he gets people to participate. In today's newsletter, I interviewed him and his former MrBeast colleague Talia Schulhof about their marketing agency Pufferfish. I wanted to know how they optimize for that participation. Talia told me, "We want to create moments where people feel like they can film something, report on it, maybe go viral themselves. A lot of people have their very first experience with virality providing coverage on something else, whether it’s filming a concert, clipping a YouTube video, or posting a reaction to a clever marketing campaign." For a recent campaign the agency worked on at Uconn, that meant planting UGC, working with students as PAs who posted on Yik Yak, putting up flyers, and sending three fairy godmothers to campus to hand out iPads. Talia says, "For brand work to succeed, it has to be an exchange between brand and audience. Getting people to participate is a matter of integrating it into the idea from the get-go and making sure it gives way to digital or IRL participation, or both, depending on the concept."  It also doesn't hurt that we're living in an algorithmic moment where an account with 300 followers can get 3M views. The discussion about the thing can reach similar heights of visibility as the source material itself.