The Theory of Virality – A misconception of what marketers are thought to be doing vs What they really do.

Every time something goes viral on Instagram or TikTok, people are really quick to assume that maybe the creator just ‘cracked the algorithm.’
As if they had someone on the inside telling them what would click.

This misconception has GOT TO GO!

The truth?
Virality isn’t hacked. It’s a gamble at most.

What people think make content viral is ‘Pick up a trending sound, have a catchy hook to it, post it and go viral!’ That’s not marketing. That’s taking a ticket from the lotto and hoping you win. In simple words? A GAMBLE.

So what do marketers do?

They study human behaviors, emotional triggers, and timing. Its finding the identity of the audience.

Now virality is usually dependent on relevance, relatability and emotion. We are all trying to find the same common ground. But what people don’t realize most times is that doing the same thing as the viral one might create a steer, but wont recreate the virality of the first content that hit the bingo.

Now what’s dangerous about the virality obsession is that brands are ready to post without relevance just to go viral. A good marketer focuses on resonance. He focuses on 10k that could bring in conversion over 1M that just watch and go.

Now I’m not saying there’s anything wrong wanting to go viral, I’m saying chasing it is wasting precious time that you could use to build your brand with its real voice.

For example, people tried to add a tasteful spin to Punch the Japanese monkey with a teddy in hand, with relevance to their brand making it a genius marketing move. But the Apologies for being too good trend (of 2025) was overly done and was not enjoyed by most consumers.

My final thought on this is simple. Content should not be focused on what spreads, but what matters. Because in the end, visibility does not mean anything if it doesn’t convert to sales.