3 Strategies to Make Your Next Campaign Go Viral

“Virus” used to be a bad word. The adjectival type of the word “virus” with a high “viral load” is something you definitely don’t need, and “viral meningitis” is something you wish to avoid at all costs.

Of course, “viral” is not only a popular buzzword — is something that marketers, advertisers and social influencers around the world chase as fiercely as Tom Cruise on a motorcycle or Vin Diesel in Fast and furious. Not as elusive as a unicorn, but still a hard goal to hit, coming up with a viral post or a viral public relations campaign has develop into the ultimate goal in the PR space (where I live).

And I have to admit that sometimes it’s just hit and miss. You can seek the advice of with the most talented professionals in the industry, you may brainstorm all day long, and you may test your good idea on the market with everyone you know at your next meeting to thunderous applause. Still, there is not any proven algorithm that may make campaigns grow as quickly as the famous ice bucket challenge or Dove’s “true beauty” message. However, there are strategies you may employ when flying up.

I am unable to guarantee that you’re going to “go viral” – no one can. (Unless you know someone who knows someone who knows Taylor Swift.) But I can promise that if you follow these three steps, your possibilities of generating widespread interest in your PR efforts will increase significantly.

Step 1: Research and reinvent

I know, I know: you have to do it Work? Well, unfortunately; if you are interested in going viral, the first step is to take a deep dive into what’s already going viral in your field, and then – guess what? – DON’T do this. Don’t steal ideas. Don’t copy. Don’t develop into your individual fake.

Instead, analyze what features or features of the campaign were a hit, and then approach those points from a similar but different perspective. Questions to ask:

• Did the campaign use humor?
• Did he use emotions to tug at the heartstrings or, conversely, to arouse anger or encourage motion?
• Did he use shock value or subtlety?
• Did they represent people or things?
• Was it primarily visual, auditory, or written?
• Was the goal to entertain or inform?

When you break down a wildly successful PR effort into its components, you may probably pinpoint what was only for your target market and try to replicate the effect without imitating the content.

Final two-part tip here. Since it’s true that many “best thing since sliced ​​bread” ideas have already been implemented, don’t limit your research to campaigns with the same theme as yours. Instead, (a) take a closer look at industries (same industry as yours, but different topics) and (b) look outside your individual industry and find campaigns you wish to emulate. Just because your product has nothing to do with Budweiser beer doesn’t suggest you may’t evoke the same feelings their Clysedale horses feel during the holidays.

Step 2: Create and Conquer

Putting a novel spin on an already used technique you wish to use is effective – in other words, inspiration somewhat than imitation. But you know what’s even higher? Landing on an original idea specific to your brand. In the field of public relations, creativity is the key that opens every door. It sounds obvious, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

I am unable to let you know how many hours I spent brainstorming with my team, trying to create something latest and exciting for one of my wonderful clients. By doing this, here’s what I learned:

1. Creativity in PR is where science meets art. After all this research, once you have gathered the facts and observations about what works for viral campaigns and what doesn’t work for dud campaigns, it is time to integrate your craft with your statistics.
2. To do this, it is value starting with artificial intelligence. I mean, it’s a fixture on the landscape now, so why not reap the benefits of its views? But – and this is a critical “but” – it might only be used as a place to begin to spark latest ideas; if you are attempting to trigger a viral campaign with ChatGPT at the wheel, you will quickly get a flat tire because the driver is a robot.
3. And the human brain can still outperform the robot. I’m undecided how long it will last, but for now, relying on the creative minds in your camp is still the best way to develop impactful and impactful content. For example, you need to use AI to create a list of keywords or hashtags that are popular in your industry. Stop. Choose one or two words that can develop into the pillar of your campaign, and create the rest yourself.
4. Choosing the right platform to showcase your creativity is extremely essential. Once again, research will show whether Insta, TikTok, TV, Google Ads, or any variety of other outlets are the most strategic decisions for marketing what you have built for your specific market.

Step 3: Be unique with thought-provoking content

What makes your creative efforts the “hook” you wish to attract masses of viewers or followers to? Well, it might mean many things: authenticity (this is very essential at once), empathy (attracting people with a message that actually hits home), or getting a popular influencer to promote your brand (obvious).

Personally, I’m a big supporter of each a well-thought-out visual strategy – using the power of fascinating images – and the power of a clever play on words. Really catchy campaign slogans could also be surprisingly succinct (“Got milk?” and “Just do it” are truly transformative), but they prove that language has power and all the time will. My proofreader initially bristled at Simply Orange’s “100% Not Scammed” slogan… but she’s going to never, ever forget it.

So yes, you may imagine a viral hack. However, most of the time, meeting someone is completely accidental. Completely and completely by accident. The market is just too vast and people are too diverse to accurately predict what they are going to react to in a particular way on any given day.

With this in mind, what should your goal be? You want someone to stop and think. You want to pique public interest with newsworthy content. At the very least, you wish to grab attention for so long as you may by capitalizing on a trend or something ingrained in our cultural environment.

Here’s an example: Some time ago, I represented a builder/designer who was recreating a cottage that appeared in an iconic Christmas movie. We decided to launch the idea of ​​​​using this house as the basis of our campaign and we simply hit a nerve. What can I say? I used to be lucky to have a well-known item in this client’s toolbox, and boy was it fun to watch our work for them gain momentum and expand further and further, making latest connections along the way.

“Being viral” is a game with no hard rules, only guidelines. The above tactic will not be effective. These are not industry secrets, they are not error-proof, and they are definitely difficult. But in over 15 years of running my very own PR companyI’ve learned that this is a surefire way to at least get close to some success. What if you went from 150 followers to 1,500 in one hit? That’s quite a viral success in my book!