Why going 'viral' is overrated

Read Time: 2 min 30 secs

Hey — Ryan here.

In today’s edition we’ll be covering:

• Why going ‘viral’ could be your worst nightmare

• How to NOT build a copy-paste brand

• And the secret to building your dream audience

Is it just me or does every creator and brand only care about going ‘viral’?

We’ve all seen it:

• Generic copy-and-paste TikTok Trends

• Content that has nothing to do with the brand’s long-term goals

• Scattered videos that feel like they’re made by marketing managers crossing their fingers and begging to go viral with every upload

It’s exhausting…but it’s not your fault, it’s the social platforms.

Since many key performance indicators (ie. CTR, ROAs, Conversion Rates) can’t be easily tracked on Instagram and TikTok.

We all lean into impressions (aka views) as our only metric for success.

Well, I’m here to tell you that this is your worst nightmare as a creator or brand:

The “Viral Hamster Wheel”

• Struggling to break 2,000 views, nevermind reaching 10K

• The cruel tease of a "viral" hit once every 3 months

• You're trapped in an endless cycle of chasing trends that don't deliver

Here’s how to fix it:

It’s not just about chasing views, it’s about attracting the right audience and building an intentional relationship with the viewer.

Look at your favorite online brands: Emma Chamberlain, Gary V, Liquid Death

They’ve all carefully crafted an audience archetype

• Emma Chamberlain is the Audience’s Best Friend

• Gary V. is the mentor

• Liquid Death is the cool rebellious uncle

(Read about audience archetypes here)

Content isn’t a one-size-fits all approach

The quirky, overly-online, tone of voice is oversaturated and at this point bland.

Yes, I’m referring to the category of brands that act like your ‘cool friend’…

Think Duolingo, Ryanair, Wendy’s, Microsoft, etc.

So here’s how to NOT build a copy-paste brand in two Phases:

Phase I: Crafting your Brand’s Story

The secret is to search internally for what makes you, ‘you’

1. Define the feeling - if your brand was a ‘feeling’ what would you categorize that as?

   • ie. Inspiring? Relatable? Premium?

   • Let that be your ‘north star’ ★ of every decision you make around your content strategy

2. Establish your ‘why’ - one for your internal team, one that resonates with your audience

3. Establish your mission - what kind of impact are you looking to create that moves people

Once you’ve answered these questions move onto Phase II.

Phase II: Build your Dream Audience

1. Define the role you play in your audience’s lives. Are you their teacher, their ‘hero’ or their peer?

2. Align your content and style with this EXACT archetype.

It’s great that brands are embracing personality, just not when it’s the exact same one…

I’m feeling generous so here’s the 8-page Creator Brand Playbook to get you to your first 100k followers (link here)

Thanks for showing up this week ❤️

Sincerely,

Ryan To