40. How can we make something go viral?
Ans. There’s no guaranteed formula. But no matter the industry, you can increase your chances if your content (1) presents a unique story, idea, or dataset (2) in a way that directly addresses a pain point or creates an emotional response in your core audience and (3) in an engaging format. And that’s not enough. You have to promote the heck out of it. Leslie Carruthers, The Search Guru Inc. “I can make this go viral for you.” This one has caused many a PR pro to smack his or her forehead in frustration. Going viral became a thing back in the 2000s. Quora says the term to “describe rapid and widespread social proliferation of a meme or product” started picking up steam in 2008. I imagine it’s been causing public relations folks headaches ever since. Truth is, it rarely happens. “If you are a client and a PR firm guarantees they can create a viral video or post for you, end the meeting immediately. This is a promise they cannot make,” says Rob Wynne of Wynne Communications. The only way to earn media coverage is to work hard at it by honing your message, choosing the right media targets, and being persistent
