But how can we go viral? has probably been a question you’ve heard at least once if you work in social media marketing. Without a question, the majority of marketers desire the audience expansion and attention that come with creating a social media viral video. In reality, it’s what many social media managers want to achieve. However, they are also aware that there is no one method for attaining viral success. And remember: becoming popular online is a bonus, not a plan, and certainly not an effective way to fix sluggish channels. Both the virality of a video and the advantage it brings are transient phenomena.

How is being ‘viral’ defined?

Let’s begin with the fundamentals. What do we mean when we talk about a viral video on social media? When a piece of content takes off on social media and rapidly expands its audience through an unusually high number of shares and exposures, this phenomenon is known as “going viral.” Many types of material, whether a tweet or an Instagram Reel, may become viral. There isn’t a certain threshold of views that indicates a video has gone viral. And the definition of “viral” has evolved over time. For instance, according to Animoto, a video with one million views was deemed viral in 2015. But today that more people are using social media, and one million are on the low end. The Digital Marketing Institute defines mild viral as 250,000 views, medium viral as 1 million views, and TikTok specifically, TikTok viral as 5 million views in 3 to 7 days.

Emotion and social connection are major themes throughout. The top three reasons individuals share stuff online are to entertain and appreciate others, to better identify themselves, and to strengthen connections, according to a study on why people share content online. Ask yourself why you watch videos and share them. In the same way, as the “It’s Corn” viral fad, did it make you grin or laugh? Were you motivated? Did a video shock or outraged you?