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I’ll never forget the morning I woke up and realized something wild had happened overnight: I had gone viral.
It was an ordinary March day in 2018. I opened Instagram to find over 100,000 likes and thousands of comments on a post I had written about being a curvy woman married to my husband. Soon, I’d find out the internet had dubbed him “Mr. Six-Pack.”
While I slept, Yahoo News had picked up the story, and suddenly my post was being shared all over the world. My following exploded, my inbox overflowed, and my little corner of the internet grew into something much bigger than I could’ve imagined.
That moment didn’t just grow my audience. It taught me the power of relatable storytelling. I learned that the kind of content that spreads isn’t necessarily the most polished, but the most human.
Since that day, I’ve spent years studying what makes something go viral, from algorithms and analytics to emotion and storytelling. I’ve tested countless caption styles, hooks, graphics, and video formats to figure out what really works. I forced myself to get creative in ways that push my comfort zone, not simply for the metrics, but because I want to know what packs the biggest punch and delivers the most value to my audience so I can spend less time in the app and go live my life.
Now, I get to share the stage with one of the best in the business when it comes to creating content that spreads: Marisha Lakhiani, Chief of Growth at Mindvalley. She’s driven over $120 million in revenue by mastering the art, science, and technology of social growth.
Together, we’re unpacking the magic formula for virality: the intentional, strategic, and human-centered approach that turns followers into fans and moments into momentum.
How to Be Intentional with Your Social Media Content
If there’s one thing I’ve learned since that first viral post, it’s this: virality without purpose fades fast. In fact, virality can simply lead you nowhere unless you have a plan. That kind of energy needs to channelled somewhere. Just because a lot of people saw your post doesn’t mean they know what to do next with you.
Every time I sit down to create content now, I start with intention. Who is this for? What do I want them to feel? What would I want someone to take away from this if they only saw it once?
That shift changed everything for me. Instead of chasing trends or trying to “hack” the algorithm, I started creating from a place of clarity on what I want to share. And ironically, that’s when my content started performing better, because it was focused and aligned.
Marisha shared a similar approach in this episode. She once went from just 84 views to 40,000 by refining her intention, not her equipment, lighting, or hashtags. The difference came from thinking deeply about why her message mattered and who needed to hear it.
When you create intentionally, you attract the right people, not just more people.
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The Six Key Ingredients That Make Content Go Viral
Over the years, I’ve studied countless viral posts (including my own!), and the same core ingredients show up again and again. In this episode, Marisha broke down her perspective of what ‘virality’ is into six key ingredients:
- A Strong Hook: The first few seconds are everything. I love opening with something unexpected or emotionally true, like a question, a contradiction, or a statement that makes people pause.
- A Relatable Protagonist: People connect with stories, not stats. Whether it’s you, a client, or a real-life moment, give your audience someone to root for.
- Movement: This doesn’t just apply to video; it’s energy. Whether it’s a transition, an emotional beat, or even a change in tone, movement keeps people engaged.
- Edutainment: I’m all about pairing value with relatability. Teach something, but make it fun and human while you do it.
- Dominant Emotion: The content that spreads tends to tap into how people are feeling right now: hope, humor, frustration, or solidarity.
- A Clear Call to Action: I never assume people know what I want them to do. If I want conversation, I invite it. If I want shares, I ask.
Once you start layering these intentionally, your content doesn’t just “look good”; it moves people.
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Know Your Audience: How to Go Viral for the Right Reasons
I’ve seen firsthand how easy it is to get caught up in the numbers game, chasing reach instead of resonance. I mean, some of the trends are actually really fun, but viral moments that don’t attract your people can feel hollow… fast.
After that first viral post, my audience grew rapidly, but not every new follower was my ideal audience. Some loved my message, but others were just there for the moment. It taught me the importance of clarity: I wanted to grow a community, not just a following.
Now, when I create, I picture one person. My Ideal Client Avatar, but let’s call her ‘Sarah’. She’s a woman who’s building her dream, juggling life, and craving real connection online. That’s who I am writing to with everything I create, from social posts to emails to blogs, even my Substack! Every piece of content is an invitation for that person, for Sarah, to feel seen.
Virality that lasts doesn’t come from chasing what’s trending; it comes from aligning what you share with what you stand for.
How to Build Engagement and Connection on Social Media
If I could give every single creator just one piece of advice, it would be this: engagement is earned through empathy.
Early in my business, I spent too much time talking at my audience: posting, teaching, explaining, talking about my life. But when I started asking questions, responding to comments, and having real conversations in the DMs, everything shifted. My followers turned into friends, because I opened up my ‘channel’ or feed as a two-way street. Other moms who had experienced loss. People struggling in the early or messy middle parts of their business who just needed to vent. My audience became a community.
Marisha said it simply: “Community beats audience, every time.” And she’s right. Engagement isn’t a metric; it’s a mirror of how much people feel you care. A community-focused approach means people will want to continue to invest in the platform they are giving you (remember, you can’t have one without them!)
When you make space for connection, even in small ways, your content becomes more than a post. It becomes a moment that reminds someone they’re not alone.
Experiment and Stay Consistent
There’s this idea that virality only ever happens overnight. It can, but that’s incredibly rare. And it’s not just for the lucky or the random, like winning the lottery. More often, it’s something that has been building for a very long time.
Behind almost all “sudden” success story is someone who’s been showing up quietly, testing ideas, and trying again and again when no one’s watching. I know because that’s been me, tweaking captions, testing formats, and experimenting until something clicks.
The truth is, consistency builds the trust that allows a single post to take off. You can’t predict which one will go viral, but you can create the conditions for it by showing up consistently and treating every post as a learning opportunity. The hard part is being patient with yourself here. You have to get comfortable knowing that there will be a lot of things you create that don’t land or earn you the results you’re looking for.
My mindset? Flip that discomfort on its head and remind myself that this is a creative outlet. It’s social, it’s ephemeral, and heck, it’s supposed to be fun (at least a little bit!) Let the creative process be fun again.
Try trends that excite you, and if none of them do, come up with ideas that reflect your own creativity. If it’s not fun, rethink it. This is your corner of the internet, and like a living room, you deserve to have fun and find connection in it, too!
Understand the Social Media Algorithm (and How to Work with It)
I’ll be the first to admit algorithms can feel mysterious. But over time, I’ve learned that they’re not the enemy. They’re a reflection of how people engage.
On Instagram, shares and saves matter most because they show the platform your post was valuable. On TikTok, completion rate is king; if people watch to the end, the app rewards you. And on LinkedIn, thoughtful, original content tends to outperform polished graphics because authenticity stands out.
The key? Don’t chase the algorithm. (I know that feels counterintuitive since it kind of feels like the controller of your destiny.) Study it just enough to play smart and know the basics of what works. Then refocus on your people. The more you understand what keeps them watching, commenting, and sharing, the more the algorithm will work in your favor naturally.
Best Social Media Platforms to Focus on Right Now
You don’t need to be everywhere to grow; you just need to be strategic about where you show up.
For storytelling and community-building, Instagram remains my go-to. It’s visual, flexible, and still the best platform for creating conversations. Reels might be a new form of creative content making for you, but you can do this!
If you’re looking for reach and momentum, TikTok is the place to experiment. It rewards creativity, speed, and authenticity, and, yes, sometimes a little weirdness. Win-win by posting your videos across Reels and TikTok!
And then there’s LinkedIn, one of my favorite underdogs. It’s become a space where thoughtful, creative entrepreneurs can grow fast simply by showing up consistently with real insights. This space is especially valuable if networking and collaborating with other professionals in and out of your field is a primary focus of yours!
Remember, you don’t need to show up big on all of them. Choose one platform to master first, then expand. Sustainable virality happens when you focus deeply, not when you scatter your energy thin.
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Your Social Strategy Needs Meaning, Not Metrics
Here’s the truth about going viral: it’s not about chasing numbers, it’s about chasing connection.
That day my post went viral in 2018, I didn’t wake up thinking, “Today’s the day I’ll reach a hundred thousand people.” I just shared a piece of my story, honestly, vulnerably, and without overthinking it. And it resonated. Not because it was perfect or polished, but because it was real.
Metrics will always fluctuate and keeping your eyes locked on them will only waste your time (and drain your joy, honestly.) Your views, likes, shares will always rise and fall. But when your content comes from a place of authenticity, it doesn’t just reach people; it moves them.
So, instead of creating for the algorithm, create for the human. Focus less on what will get the most clicks and more on what will make someone stop, breathe, and say, “Me too.”
When you start measuring impact instead of impressions, your entire experience of social media changes. That’s the real secret… not just to going viral, but to building a legacy that outlives the trends.
