What happens when a private equity investor, a dating coach, and a spiritual life coach go viral on TikTok?

You ask the question, “HOW?” and hope you get an answer.

In today’s episode, I am reverse engineering just HOW three of my clients went viral on TikTok (3 Million+ Combined views) within a few months of each other. The results will surprise you in the best way possible.

SPOILER ALERT: Luck was not involved…and that’s GREAT NEWS for everyone!

In this episode of the podcast, I talk about:

  • Why you can’t predict if you will go viral
  • Why all online attention isn’t created equal (and learn what’s best for you)
  • How TikTok set the new standard for discoverability
  • Why you shouldn’t expect your Instagram feed to be your great viral hope
  • How Connected Storytelling can ignite your viral moment
  • Using The Fly-On-The-Wall approach to go viral
  • This X-Factor in Viral Storytelling
  • Why you may not go viral as fast as you want (and why that’s okay)
  • Why I STILL preach the TikTok Sermon
  • The technical side of going viral
  • The perfect time to make the ASK
  • Why going viral may not be the best thing for you and your business

This Episode Was Made Possible By:

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Memorable Quotes:

  • “Virality only happens because other people are paying attention to you. You can't control what other people do. Virality happens because the currency is attention, and you can't fully buy attention. You can buy maybe one second.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “I swear, I clicked through three or four ads before we got to the video, and I was like, this is awful. Those people are trying to buy my attention. And my instant thought is, I don't want this.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “So when you think about going viral, you want to use a placement that is geared towards discovery. So posting kind of naturally on platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter or in your Instagram feed may not get you that viral moment. It is possible, but it may not happen as quickly or as efficiently as using those discoverability placements.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “Her stories that she tells in that video feel like you're just sitting down with her, having a drink, having a good time…It feels very organic, even though she's creating the content. I think she's sitting on her porch in a video, she's just talking to the camera very casually. There's a storytelling element that feels natural.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “When you're recording a video for the first time, it feels awkward…and then watching it back, you look awkward, right? …If you've ever gone to hear someone speak and it's their first time speaking or teaching and you're like, oh, I can feel their awkwardness.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “So think about that. As you're trying to go viral, I think a lot of times the algorithms reward for using those in-app features, and it's why when we're working with our clients, we do add in sounds. We do encourage them to stitch. We do encourage them to use trends.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “There's a power in this generosity. And I do feel like on the internet, everything is behind a paywall these days. And I've been thinking about this a lot for my own business as well. I talk a lot about community and how I want to show up very generously. It's why I share podcast episodes like these.” –– Andréa Jones
  • “I'm happy with the number of followers that I have. I'm happy with the community that I have. I don't need that viral moment to support my business. In fact, I think it would bring a lot of the wrong people…I'd rather attract the right people. So know that going viral isn't for everyone.” –– Andréa Jones

Resources Mentioned:

Episode 201 – 3 Easy Ways to Create Micro Video Content
Graham Weaver's viral video
Lily Womble's viral video
Dr. Karin's viral video (based on a trending sound)
Episode 216 – Authenticity vs. Transparency on Social Media

About onlinedrea

Andréa Jones is a social media strategist who works with lifestyle brands to build their online presence through targeted social media and content marketing solutions. She's also the founder of SavvySocialSchool.com - a membership community with everything you need to achieve visibility, growth, and engagement on social media.