We know what makes posts go viral. It's not actually a secret. It's not a weird trick. And yes, it will absolutely work for your organization.
You just might not want it to.
And I'm going to explain why--with real-world examples from an actual Winnipeg organization--over a series of two posts.
But first: what's the secret behind getting your content in front of as many people as possible?
The Top Reason Content Goes Viral
Here’s the truth: there is one factor, above all others, that contributes to content going viral: relatability.
Relatability = I, as a viewer, see myself in this content.
There are a lot of ways we ‘see’ ourselves:
It could articulate a problem we have ("Easy dinners for busy weeknights when you just can’t," or "Are your reels stuck at 200 views? Here’s how to fix it.")
It could name-drop a role or quality we identify with ("What every musical theatre kid is thinking about the Wicked movie," or "POV: teachers on the first day of class.")
It could offer a glimpse of how we want our life to be ("Stylish capsule wardrobe for fall," or "5 places you have to travel in 2025.")
It could play on nostalgia and remind us of our past ("Millennial tracks that still hit different," or "Me, dancing to Spice Girls in my bedroom c. 1999")
Whether it’s something we did, something we’re failing to do, or something we wish we could—relatability always puts us at the centre.
The funny thing is, good marketers have been preaching this concept forever: Marketing should never be about you. It should always, always be about the customer.
The most successful brands throughout history have been the ones that put their audiences at the centre of the story.
Social media just supercharged the situation.
Social Media Supercharged Relatability
One of the best (and worst) things about social media is how measurable it is.
Pre-internet marketing was often a money pit. You threw cash at ads and hoped for the best. There were no real-time updates or clear indicators of how content performed. Sales told part of the story, but the numbers came in slowly and it was harder to draw a direct line.
Now? We see the truth in real-time. Views, likes, shares—all measurable, second by second.
Algorithms really drive this home. They only amplify content that people respond to, which means more and more organizations are having to stare the hard truth in the face: their messaging is all focused on them and doesn't catch our attention in an already oversaturated content market.
Their posts aren't isn't resonating, and therefore they're not reaching anyone.
To be honest, most organizations were already failing at this. Social media just makes them face the fact that they're struggling immediately, in stark black and white.
Beyond Relatability: Extra Ingredients for Social Success
While the specifics of any social algorithm are tightly guarded (and ever-changing) relatability wins, and always will. Social media's purpose is to keep people online and scrolling, and the more they resonate with the content they're seeing, the more they stay connected.
That said, there are a few factors that can give relatable content an extra boost (and, in rare cases, carry a post to success even without relatability):
Collaboration
On Instagram especially, collaborative posts allow you to pull views from two networks instead of one. If both collaborators have decent-sized followings (or you're the smaller profile) this can give your content a significant boost.
A strong story gap
A 'story gap' is the narrative distance between a character and what they want. Our brains are wired to crave resolution when we see tension.
As soon as we hear Ariel sing about being "Part of Your World" a gap is created in the narrative--and we want to stick around to see if she'll succeed or fail in getting what she wants.
Story gaps are hard-wired into our brains. They create tension we want to have resolved. And in short-form content, story gaps (often referred to as "hooks") are everywhere:
If you've ever stopped on a video because someone was setting up an insane stunt and couldn't help but watch to see if they made it, you've succumbed to a story gap
"Get ready with me" videos are story gaps. We hang around to watch the makeup, hair and outfit come together (you might have noticed people have started pairing the "get ready with me" visuals with just talking to the camera about something unrelated. The final look isn't explicitly the point, but we'll stick around to see it anyway)
Any reel where someone walks out a door to point to words on the screen and then waits before giving you the conclusion (or hides it in the caption) is a mini story gap
Pair a story gap with relatability, and it’s as close to a surefire win as you can get.
Memes and Trending Audio
It's true jumping on trends can boost your reach. There are a few ways this plays out:
One is tied to relatability--just like how a good tune suddenly coming on the radio is way better than choosing the same tune on Spotify, when your audience sees or hears something they recognize it creates a sense of connection, and they're more likely to pause, giving you a few more nanoseconds to grab their attention.
Another is story gap (again). This is often the case for memes. Think of a meme like the joke setup "a guy walks into a bar..." We know how things start, but we stick around for the punchline.
Intermittent Variable Rewards
Stay with me here—this one sounds boring, but it's the key to making a lot of what you see on social make sense.
Humans (and animals) will stick with an action much, much longer when the rewards are unpredictable. As the animal trainer Karen Pryor notes in Don't Shoot The Dog! (relayed here via Oliver Burkeman): "a dolphin rewarded with a fishy treat every six jumps will soon become lackadaisical about the five in-between ones; reward it at random, however, and it'll jump vigorously, never knowing which jump will bring fish."
This is why slot machines are so addictive. Not because we know we'll win, but because we might.
Social media uses this principle on you as a creator. Sometimes, they’ll randomly make one of your posts perform incredibly well—not because it’s better, but just to keep you posting.
(Yep, while you're working hard to connect with people on social media and keep them engaged with your content, the social media companies are working at convincing you to spend more time creating content and engaging with their networks).
Don't believe it? The best proof can be found in accounts that post the exact same content every day. I hate these types of accounts. They are bottom feeders contributing to the overwhelming white noise of the internet. BUT...they're the best evidence of this idea.
Check it out:
Same video, every day. Beyond the fact that it's disturbing a fart compilation is ever getting this many views, check out the range: 100K, 300K, 1.7M!
It's not the follower number. It's not the content. There's no pattern. Nothing is changing in the 24 hours between these posts. It's a random reward.
If one of your posts suddenly blows up? Chances are, you just got randomly rewarded too. It’s not replicable. It doesn’t mean anything. And it’s not a strategy you can build on (though you'll be far from the first to fall down a rabbit hole trying).
So, Should You Always try to Go Viral?
So let's go back. We know what makes posts go viral. There's a few extra tactics we can loop in, but at the heart, posts need to be relatable, to resonate. So we should make every post as relatable as possible, right?
Sort of.
Yes, you should absolutely position your content from your audience’s perspective. You should create posts that resonate with them and speak to their experiences.
That's how your audience feels seen, and how you start to build connections and loyalty.
But, it's only useful insofar as it really represents what you're all about.
Out now: Check out Part Two of this post, where I talk about how focusing on maximum relatability can steer you wrong, and how a simple grid can make you plan more effective content, reach a wider audience, and stay aligned with your message.
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