The Empty Promise of “Going Viral”

Oh my god, we’re going viral!

Every brand, creator, and social media marketing team has fantasized about hearing those words. That magical moment when your social media content creates a spark and spreads like wildfire across social media platforms, and suddenly everyone's talking about you. The dream of going viral is understandably intoxicating, but here's the reality: “social media virality” is an empty promise, and it is one of the most dangerous distractions in all of digital marketing.

If you are a brand looking to elevate your social media presence online, pouring all of your resources into trends, viral or not, is not the best approach. At Baal & Spots, we deliver tailored social media strategies to our clients that blend authentic, evergreen content with trend-based content with the aim of accomplishing your business goals — not attracting disinterested eyeballs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

Going viral is not a social media strategy.
The meaning of "gone viral" can vary across different platforms.
Going viral can have serious drawbacks to your organic growth as a business.
Social media strategies should blend evergreen content with trends to achieve a balance of authenticity and visibility.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Baal & Spots (@baalspots)

What does it mean to go viral?

Young woman with braids looking excitedly at her phone while pushing up glasses

The meaning of “gone viral” has changed a lot since the early internet days. Originally, viral content was defined by exponential sharing — think of those grainy videos or chain letters that everyone forwarded via email in the early 2000s. Another example is viral videos on early YouTube. Think “Crazy Frog,” “Chocolate Rain,” and the “Numa Numa Dance Kid.”

Today, social media virality is a bit more nuanced, but is every bit as unpredictable. Viral content is media that spreads rapidly across platforms through shares, comments, saves, and ends up on everyone’s feeds — usually in the form of videos or memes.

But here's where it gets tricky — the metrics that define "viral" are constantly shifting, and the benefits of “going viral” are debatable at best.

How many views are considered going viral?

Most people deem something has gone viral once it reaches a significant amount of views. However, that number depends entirely on context, platform, and timing. For example, a TikTok video — today’s main source for viral content — might be considered viral at 100,000 views, while a YouTube video might need millions. An Instagram post could go viral with 50,000 likes, but that same number might be just another Tuesday for a major brand or celebrity. In short, it’s kind of hard to tell.

The problem isn't just the uncertainty and lack of a definition; it's that these numbers don't translate to meaningful business outcomes. Views without context are just vanity metrics in disguise.

“Sure, virality is nice for exposure, but it doesn't really build awareness, understanding, or real connection. What's more important is having consistent, quality content that actually resonates with your audience.”

Ann Vuong | Social Media Associate

The pros and cons of viral video trends on social media

When social media first emerged, video content was primarily popular on YouTube, as platforms like Facebook and Instagram were image-based, and Twitter (now X) was text-based. Whether you’re a marketer, a creator, or a casual lurker, you know that TikTok changed the social media world forever as it gained global popularity in 2019.

Viral video trends on social media quickly became the blueprint for all social channels, with each platform prioritizing video in its algorithms.

Jumping onto viral trends in your brand’s content can offer several benefits, including increased visibility, attracting new followers, and enhancing brand awareness. Additionally, in the case of some of our clients, putting your brand’s unique spin on a trend can be a fun way to make viral trends more applicable to your niche.

Unfortunately, the list of cons can be much longer.

What are the negatives of going viral? The dark side of social media virality

July 15, 2025: When Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was caught on the jumbotron at a Coldplay concert with the head of his HR department, he probably didn’t think his entire world would come crashing down days later. What seemed to be a funny moment on the big screen quickly turned into a scandal — all because someone recorded it and put it online.

Now, while this example isn’t about a brand posting content themselves, it’s a great example of how virality can damage your business’s reputation. It has become the butt of many a joke on social media with some brands hopping on the bandwagon to capitalize on the situation. While it might work for some, it may not work for you.

While this is an extreme example, it definitely illustrates the dark side to viral popularity. There are also more mundane reasons why brands might not want to go viral, and why going viral is definitely not a viable social strategy.

Viral content rarely aligns with your brand strategy

The content that goes viral is often off-brand, controversial, or completely unrelated to your core business. We've seen companies go viral for all the wrong reasons — a customer service fail, an accidental offensive post, or a tone-deaf campaign that sparked outrage instead of engagement. We all remember the Kendall Jenner Pepsi commercial from 2017, and we likely will never forget it.

It can feel impossible to keep up

Keeping up with viral video trends on social media feels like a full-time job because it literally is. These trends viral in nature shift faster and faster as time goes on; by the time you've identified one, filmed and edited content, and gotten it posted, three new ones have already taken their place.

Here's what we see brands doing wrong: they spot a trend (usually weeks after it peaked), scramble to create their own version, and wonder why their content falls flat. The answer is simple: authentic virality can't be manufactured. When you're chasing trends you're always playing catch-up, never leading the movement or conversation.

Viral success is impossible to sustain

No one really talks about how overwhelming virality can be for businesses. That massive spike in followers? Most will never engage with your content again. The influx of new audience members often doesn't convert to customers because they followed for the viral moment, not for your brand value.

Small businesses who are lucky enough to experience large increases in sales or conversions due to going viral likely don’t have the proper systems in place to handle that volume. This can result in customers or clients becoming frustrated with the services, and the negativity is what ends up sticking around, not the viral moment. It’s simply not scalable growth.

Going viral can impact your organic growth long-term

When one post significantly outperforms everything else, it skews your analytics and makes it harder for future content to reach your actual audience. Social media algorithms expect you to maintain that level of engagement, and when you inevitably don't, your regular content gets buried.

“Sustainable growth doesn’t come from a viral fluke — it comes from consistent, intentional action.”

Jillian Godfrey | Social Media Specialist

Virality is a moment — strategy is momentum. We build the latter.

Is going viral a social media strategy? No. It's a lottery ticket masquerading as a business plan. Real social media strategy is built on consistency, authentic engagement, and aligned business objectives. It's about understanding your audience, creating valuable content, and building relationships over time. Viral moments might happen as a byproduct of good strategy, but they should never be the goal.

If you're working with a marketing agency, here are some serious agency red flags to watch out for:

They guarantee viral success: Any agency promising to make your content go viral is either lying or delusional. Virality can't be guaranteed, and agencies making these promises are usually trying to distract from their lack of strategic thinking.
They focus only on follower growth: While follower count matters, agencies obsessed with vanity metrics miss the bigger picture. Growth without engagement and conversion is meaningless in the digital world.
They chase every trend: Agencies that constantly pivot to the latest viral format show they lack a coherent strategy when they should be building something sustainable. Oftentimes, marketers think appealing to Gen Z with viral content is the move even if that is not your business’s target audience. And if your audience does skew young, you still need to find ways to keep them engaged long-term.
They can't explain their strategy: If your agency can't clearly articulate why they're recommending specific content or how it serves your business goals, they're probably just hoping something sticks.

At Baal & Spots, our social media services focus on developing comprehensive strategies that focus on sustainable growth, not short-lived, luck-based moments. This means understanding when to use Reels vs post Instagram images to the feed, creating social media content that serves your audience's needs, and building systems that work whether you go viral or not.

Baal & Spots builds content strategies that actually work

Going viral is not a social media strategy — it is simply an empty promise. While viral content focuses on volume metrics (views, shares, and reach), sustainable social media strategy tracks meaningful business outcomes. These include lead generation, customer retention, the lifetime value of social media customers, and brand sentiment over time (i.e., the aspects that truly matter).

Don’t get us wrong, implementing viral video trends on social media can be a really fun and creative way to market your brand online — but you’ve got to do it right. It takes a strategic team like the one at Baal & Spots to decipher which trends can actually boost you up and which ones will let you down.

For social media content that is engaging, authentic, and actionable, hire a full-service social agency like Baal & Spots to manage your digital presence online. From Reel production to customer engagement, we do it all so you don’t have to.

The Empty Promise of “Going Viral” & Why Virality is Not a Social Media Strategy