Writing Viral Content to Gain Visibility for Your Business (And Why Your Scariest Post Might Be Your Most Profitable)

Posting something online and having it go viral, or semi-viral, or even micro-viral, is undeniably thrilling. The flashing hearts and “Send this to me!” bot comments stacking, usually accompanied by an influx of followers and maybe – if our systems are set up right–website traffic, inquiries, and bookings.  

The stakes are high and so are the mental roadblocks that come with it. 

Perfection paralysis keeps us stuck fine-tuning details until the topic feels irrelevant and we don’t post.
Or we see someone else nailing the idea and so we don’t offer our take.
Or we fear having our delivery land wrong, resulting in our post going viral for the wrong reasons. 

The mental gymnastics of promoting your businesses is real. 

We’ve got two dragons. 

1. How to create viral content in the first place. 
2. How to slay the inner dialogue that convinces us NOT to post once we’ve written it. 

I’m going to break down both and hopefully get you thinking about viral writing and hitting send with more confidence, less emotional attachment, and cleaner strategy. 

The Key to Viral Writing: Emotion First

Viral writing allows you to spend less time creating content for your business while gaining more traction. Instead of constantly churning out content, a few well-crafted pieces can generate massive engagement and shares. We achieve this through evoking emotion – any emotion – and compelling storytelling. 

Before writing anything, ask yourself: What reaction do I want to create?

If your content doesn’t evoke emotion, it won’t spread. People share, comment, and engage when they feel something strongly. Think about:

• Surprise: “The truth will shock you.”
• Validation: “Finally, someone said it.”
• Controversy: “Everyone believes this, but they’re wrong.”
• Curiosity: “Here’s what no one tells you about X.”

Think about any time a post has genuinely made you stop in your scroll and read it in its entirety. It probably caught you in the feels–inspired you, made you feel seen, motivated you, or even, made you mad.

This is where being clear on the purpose of what you want to go viral for is most important. Because if your post takes off, you have to be prepared for the reaction. If you’re sharing a polarizing take, send it and be ready to have discussions around your positioning.

A helpful reframe for if (and when) someone disagrees with you:

Arguments or healthy opposing discussions online are opportunities to root further in your positioning and your values, demonstrating to everyone who sees the interaction, where you stand. So whether or not the person you’re debating with ends up being a future client or not, is irrelevant. Don’t discredit the eyes that will silently take in that interaction and plan their next move accordingly. 

Using Headlines Stop the Scroll and Increase your Chances of Going Viral 

Since 80% of attention is on the headline, spend extra time refining it. Your first words hook people, and your last words leave the lasting impression. Shaan Puri––founder, investor, and creator of My First Million podcast (and an absolute master at creating viral content) breaks down five of his go-to formulas for creating viral headlines in this Ship 30 for 30 Youtube Episode.  I’ve broken them down for you here: 

1. The Myth-Buster Approach

• Everyone believes X, but the truth is Y.
• Example: “You’ve Been Writing Headlines All Wrong—Here’s the Simple Fix.”

2. The “Finally, Someone Said It” Approach

• Your audience believes something but rarely sees it vocalized.
• Example: “No One Wants to Talk About This, But It’s the Truth About Online Business.”

3. The Underdog Story (David vs. Goliath)

• A relatable figure beats the odds and wins.
• Example: “How a Broke Freelancer Took Down Big Agencies—and Won.”

4. The “Out of the Loop?” Hook

• Makes the reader feel like they need to catch up.
• Example: “Missed This? Here’s Why Everyone is Talking About It.”

5. Promise of Entertainment

• Set up an engaging story or unexpected reveal.
• Example: “Buckle Up—This Story Will Make You Rethink Everything About Marketing.”

When writing a headline, you want it to be complete in nature.
Ask and answer:

Who is this for?
What does it address?
Why does it matter?

And be honest. Don’t use a rage-bait headline about marketing and then share a muffin recipe in the content. Don’t be that guy. Clickbait content is only unethical if it’s dishonest. 

Got a juicy tip? A never-before-disclosed secret? Iconic and I love that for you. Spill, maintain integrity with your content, and don’t lie to your audience. They’ll catch on quickly and it will destroy your credibility. 

Now to Structure Your Next Viral Piece: 

Once you have the right headline, your content should follow a strong structure:

1. Start with Emotion – Hook the reader immediately.
2. Leverage a scroll-stopping headline – Eg.: Challenge a common belief.
3. Dive Into Juicy Details – Give specific, compelling insights.
4. Make a Promise – Clearly state what the reader will gain.
5. End with a Takeaway – Give them an action step.

Just like with any piece of content you’re going to put out there for your business, your audience wants to be guided through the information:
Catch their attention, give them the goods, let them know what that means, and then tell them their next step.

Any time you step on that marketing stage, you are tour guide Barbie.
(If you haven’t watched Toy Story 2 and don’t get the reference, I don’t know what to tell you. Go watch it.) 

TIP:
When planning your next statement piece, consider what’s relevant in the world currently. Leverage trending ideas, polarizing themes, important people, etc. to appeal to top of mind topics. The nature of creation is ever-evolving. And going viral is very much a product of doing your research and then assembling that information into the above framework. 

How to Combat Perfection Paralysis and Hit “Publish”

Having something go viral can stir up mixed emotions. On one hand, the validation is gratifying and the influx of aforementioned additional perks (followers, inquiries, bookings) deepens that sense of feeling you’ve spent your time well.

On the other hand if your content is received with negative kickback, you feel like you’ve taken 5 steps backwards.

I’m going to hit you with something that’s either going to lift the veil, make you angry, or a bit of both:
All virality serves the same purpose– to gain visibility.
Think: all publicity is good publicity. 

I know, I know. But stick with me.

A post that goes viral and receives warm, encouraging feedback is obviously ideal. It makes you feel good. And it gets eyes on your business.

A post that goes viral and wakes the trolls, or generates kickback, or your Grandma finding your account and scolding you for using the f-word can make you retreat inwards, questioning if you’ve pushed it too far. And it gets eyes on your business.

The goal of virality is to gain visibility. Period.
It’s inevitable your message isn’t going to resonate for everyone. Frankly, if your content doesn’t piss someone off at some point, you’re probably playing it too safe. 

If you want to create something that goes viral, you have to acknowledge and accept that not everyone is going to like it. And that’s okay.

Take it and run:

As an entrepreneur and service provider, the juggling of all the things can be cumbersome. Leveraging viral content as part of your long-term strategy can lead to less content creation time, quicker results, and more traction for your business. Let’s recap the above information:

• Spend extra time on headlines. They determine if people engage.
• Always work backward from emotion. What do you want the reader to feel?
• Keep your promises. A strong hook means nothing if your content doesn’t deliver.
• Virality leads to visibility. Remember: all publicity is good publicity when your goal is gaining more visibility. 

Not everything is going to go viral. And your relevance as a business owner isn’t determined by your ability to have a post gain instant traction. These tips are meant to guide your next piece of content and hopefully help you crush some of those negative intrusive thoughts around hitting send. 

Happy writing! 

P.s. I offer copy audits for service providers and entrepreneurs who want a second set of eyes on their words–pinpointing missed meaning, vague phrasing, and opportunities to make your message sharper and more compelling.