If it doesn’t spread, it’s dead: 3 smart strategies to replace ‘Going Viral’

When I first started practicing PR over a decade ago going viral meant, in the mind of almost every client, getting their product on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Then in 2011 Oprah went off air ending her reign as queen of daytime Talk. I barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief – maybe clients will want to diversify their media goals now! – before affordable digital cameras made it possible for the masses to take a stab at creating videos with the sole purpose of going viral. The more brands saw these speedily produced videos gaining views, the more they wanted to replicate that success. “Can you get us on Oprah?” was replaced by “Can you make sure our  {corporate ad} video gets five million views minimum? We want to go viral!” (for those of you out there doubting the stressfulness of working in PR, imagine trying to force a pair of shoelaces go viral.)

There are some in the industry who argue virality is passive — a virus spreads or infects by its own means, whereas content people choose to pass on is an active choice. As interesting as this concept is, the point I want to make is there are better ways to talk about earning extensive media reach. I’ve outlined my top three tactics below:

Porous-Platform Storytelling – a phrase created by Remark to emphasize the value of  structuring social media campaigns so that each medium does what it does best; for example, a cookbook recipe might be introduced on Youtube as a how-to video, expanded through Instagram as a series of visual steps, pinned as a board on Pinterest linking to the cookbook shopping cart, and then on Facebook as video with an expanded description. Each social stream needs to be self-contained so you don’t need to have seen the Youtube video to enjoy the images, and vice versa. Any given platform is a point of entry into the cookbook as a whole.

Spreadability – This idea comes from the book Spreadable Media Co-authored by Henry Jenkins. Now that the power of sharing has caught up to the power of content, spreadability, or the ease in which news moves across media landscapes, should be given as much thought as content creation itself. Spreadability focuses on driving robust engagement across platforms through empowering consumers to share the gift of content subjectively.

Consistency and relevancy – good old-fashioned consistency and relevancy are crucial to building consumer trust in a brand’s message. This strategy is so simple we often forget it’s importance. Post as often as makes sense for the brand and share content that makes sense for its audience and social platform. Once a post or two resonates, consumers will often become repeat customers; that is, they’ll begin seeking out relevant content posted by the company, interacting with the content and sharing it.

Next time a client requests you or your firm to make sure their video, image or campaign goes viral, try using the three tactics to frame your response and strategy.