PR AGENCY DIARIES: GONE VIRAL? HERE’S HOW TO TURN 15 MINS INTO FOREVER
Whether you’ve made a savage comment on Twitter (we refuse to call it “X”) that’s been retweeted more times than Trump has been impeached, your random TikTok ended up with a million views, have a brand with a new product that has just blown up (not literally), or you just stepped off the set of a reality TV show - how do you ensure your limelight lasts longer than 15 minutes?
In social media, “going viral” means you’re suddenly everywhere - like gastro, but (usually) in a good way. This means a few of your followers liked what you did, shared it, and their friends shared it - and the likes, comments, views and shares started ticking over exponentially (like the cozzie livs right now).
Sometimes virality happens by accident; other times, it’s result of a long hard slog towards internet fame. The question is, what do you do once you’ve gone viral? Spoiler alert: it’s not time to kick back poolside with a cocktail and bask in your newfound spotlight. It can be just as hard – if not harder – to maintain the momentum you’ve gained after a flood of views and engagement as it was to get them in the first place.
Like Jordan (AKA “How To Dad”) Watson told the NZ Herald recently, “As soon as you have a video go viral, your inbox fills up with random things. Ninety-nine per cent of it is crap. But there are also cool opportunities for travel and working with brands. You can make money. The hardest thing is figuring it out because there’s no manual to becoming an overnight internet sensation.”
Since we know a thing or two about keeping business and brands centre-stage, here are our top tips on how to leverage going viral…
Enter the chat
So you wake up one morning and your notifications are maxed out; you have 34,869 new followers and your in-box is jammed. That shady Tinder date who ghosted you in 2018 has slid back into your DMs and your mum and Aunty Brenda have left you 27 voicemails. Looks like you’ve Gone Viral. Congratulations!
First thing’s first: react with interaction – reply to the comments, re-post the good feedback, reach out to any high-profile peeps who are talking about what you just did – open up the lines and start chatting. Then put the content in your highlights and buckle up!
2. It’s not you…yet (or the difference between content and creator)
Trying to nail down why your content hit the big time can be more puzzling than Britney’s knife dance. The alchemy of virality is often hard to distil (otherwise everyone would be doing it). But one thing it’s crucial to understand is that your content went viral because you just so happened to tap into a magical zeitgeist.
Right now, people are connecting with your content - something you did or said one time in a single, viral post. The next step is to turn that into a deeper, ongoing connection with you, yourself - or your brand.
Legions of dedicated followers in their thousands, long term engagement, unadulterated adoration, your face on a T-shirt etc is what happens when an audience connects with the creator.
As you plot your next move, take a moment to map out your values, and what you want to represent authentically on your platform.
Now is the time for consistency – staying on-brand and on-theme, and not making a major pivot on your content topic. If you went viral talking about Girl Dinner, it does not follow that your next post should be your musings on the disadvantages of first-generation biofuels.
3. It’s cuffing season, not a one-night stand
Going viral is like bringing your A-game to a first date. Your banter was dazzling; wit and charm on-point; you didn’t spill wine on your top, and you’re pretty sure they’re waiting by the phone for you to text. But what’s your next move? How cool do you play it?
It’s on you to keep the conversation going, but you also don’t wanna give off stalker or desperado vibes. You need to have something cool to say, and time it just right.
Now there are a bunch of new connections on your doorstep, you need to nurture them with valuable content so you don’t end up ghosted. It’s time for a strategy, so you can lock that sh*t down.
Map out your posting schedule a month or so at a time, so your content is timely and relevant to what’s going on IRL. For each post, think about why your followers are listening to you, how you can contribute something new to the conversation.
As we’ve said before, good content is thoughtful content. Your posts should be well-written, have high-quality imagery/video and provide value to your audience.
Frequency – for Instagram and TikTok, around three to five times a week is the golden rule. Traction on Twitter (fine, “X”) is best gained at about two – three times a day. Experiment with a posting schedule that works best for you and your followers and be aware that social media platforms are constantly changing their algorithms and the rules of engagement, so you’ll need to stay on top of these shifting sands.
Explore various content formats such as videos, live streams, stories and blog posts to cater to a broader audience and keep things spicy. And what about a glow-up - why not take a course to improve your photography, filming or editing skills?
4. Staying so hot right now
When all eyes are on you, there’s no better time to maximise your visibility. This is the moment to approach potential partners about collabs - joining forces with other influencers or brands can introduce you to new audiences and provide fresh content ideas. Choose partnerships that align with your brand and values to further connect with your audience.
Seek out relevant media opportunities. Based on your area of expertise, can you pen a regular column or guest blog, front a TV segment or apply for speaking opportunities?
For businesses: consider hiring a public relations agency (we know a sensational one) to help you build a strategic PR and social media campaign – they will get a strategy in place for your brand that will capitalise on your overnight success and ensure its longevity.
Where you can afford it, amplify your own or collaborative content with paid promotion on social media – this will increase its reach to relevant audiences even further.
5. Don’t feed the trolls
Going viral isn’t all rainbows and unicorns – usually there are also trolls. You’re not going to be everyone’s oat milk flat white, and that’s OK. Putting yourself out there on a grand scale can invite criticism, and NZ has its fair share of Tall Poppy Syndrome.
If you find keyboard warriors coming for you in the comments, have a plan in place – if the feedback is reasonably constructive, you can consider responding neutrally to show you’re open to other’s opinions. If they are simply coming for you to tear you down, intimidate or scare you, it’s block and delete time.
Avoid engaging in controversy that might polarise your following and remember these things do blow over eventually.
6 #GritLyf
Another pearl of How To Dad wisdom; “You can’t plan it. I’m just really lucky…every time I make a video I think is gonna go big, it bombs. And the ones I think are pretty bad go big. You never ever know. It’s so hard.”
Maintaining momentum of virality is an ongoing process – so keep going. It requires dedication, adaptability and a genuine connection with your audience. Limelight longevity is not just about going viral, it’s about sustaining that success over time. So if you just woke up to 34,869 new followers this morning and don’t know what to do next – get in touch, we’ve got a few ideas.
