Having a tweet, blog post, or article blow up is a nice thing. It results in subscribers and followers and gets your name in front of a lot of people.
Going viral is how you can launch a product or idea into the mainstream.
It’s likely how you ended up discovering me and why you’re reading this email.
But can you intentionally create content that will go viral?
I don’t think so.
But you can learn from things that have proven to work in the past. It’s how songwriters have always done it right? The structure of a hit song, topics, hooks, etc.
You can do the same thing with blog posts and tweets.
Check this out:
I mean honestly, 2.6k likes and hundreds of followers of that?
Apparently so.
Nice and short, catches the eye. Am I trying to be funny? Yeah. Am I being serious? Some people thought so. Triggered lots of engagement.
I definitely write some things with the intent of creating something that will hopefully go fucking wild.
But in most cases, I write to inform and entertain.
And in a few minor cases, I write to sell.
But back to virality.
How?
I read a lot of blog posts and tweets that have gone viral.
On Medium you can search topics and keywords to read the best:
On Twitter, you can search for tweets that have done well by using search operators.
If I want to find tweets on SaaS that have been liked at least 2,000 times, I’d search for:
SaaS min_faves:2000
Inspiration?
There is a lot of buzz in the “creator community” about inspiration. Get inspired by reading things that have done well, and just reading in general.
Inspiration does not mean plagiarizing.
Don’t rip off the work that others have done.
Use it, put your own thoughts on it, and apply your voice and perspective to the idea.
That’s how you create value.
What I’m Reading
I dipped out of the programming world for a few years to spend more time running software projects. That got old and frustrating fast.
There’s nothing quite like creating something to either solve one of your own problems, or a problem for someone else.
So I’m gearing back up.
I jumped on YouTube and went down a few rabbit holes on JavaScript, React, and MongoDB. While there I stumbled onto Brad Traversy’s channel and it’s amazing.
I ended up buying Brad’s 2022-2023 version of Web Dev Guide to get myself up to speed fast on what’s happening in the web development world without having to google myself down rat holes all day. Well worth the $10 I spent.
What I’m Watching
Or in this case: “What I’ve Watched.”
Spent July watching Peaky Blinders on Netflix. It’s like The Sopranos but set in England in the early 1900s. Great cast, a few storylines, something for everyone except the kids.
Where to Find Me
I love to talk to people in my audience about writing, marketing, tech, what we’re working on, or just brainstorming. This isn’t a consulting or sales call, just a chat. Book a time to talk with me on Google Meet.
Thanks!
Thanks for being a subscriber. Email me with questions or requests.
Travis