A few months ago, I went viral on Facebook.
I made a random video about an experience I had at Chipotle – it caught fire (1 million+ views).
Here’s what it taught me about content creation…
🔹Storytelling is 🔑 :
Storytelling videos crush on social media.
My viral video proves it. I told a story about how I was accused of stealing soda at Chipotle.
I used 2 classic storytelling techniques…
• Intention
• Obstacle
I set my intention by explaining how I was craving chipotle and then in a twist of fate, an obstacle changed everything.
People love a good story.
But they love the drama even more…
🔹 Be Controversial:
I had no idea that my story would fire people up – but it did.
And that’s because it was polarizing…
I filled up a water cup with carbonated water.
People were TRIGGERED…
It sparked arguments in my comments (1k+).
This is the primary reason I think the video performed so well.
So, if you want to increase your likelihood of virality, BE CONTROVERSIAL.
This next one is a little technical…
🔹Utilize Quick Cuts:
People have short attention spans.
Something needs to happen in your video every few seconds. You should:
• Cut out dead air in between words, and
• Change the frame with every cut.
In my viral video, I used a ton of quick cuts which probably helped keep the viewers attention.
Speaking of attention…
🔹 Have A Good Hook:
I started my video with…
“Here’s why I don’t eat at Chipotle anymore.”
It sets up the drama. A viewer may hear that and think…
“Chipotle is delicious – what the hell could’ve happened?”
And boom, they’re hooked!
🔹Get Lucky:
Social media success is sometimes dependent on the mysterious “algorithm.”
You either hit it or you don’t. I got lucky here, there’s no doubt about it.
My video caught fire on Facebook. Within a few hours it had over 20k views. Today it has 838k.
In order to test the merits of my video, I posted it on TikTok. It caught fire again. Today it has 176k views.
So yes, getting lucky with the algorithm is a thing, but merit is still important.
Brendan Bald 