During a Brainzooming extraordinary storytelling workshop, an attendee asked an intriguing question: "How do you create viral videos?"
My response was straightforward: it's virtually impossible to predict viral success with certainty. Virality is all about audience reactions, which can be unpredictable and vary widely.
What’s fascinating, though, was that the attendee asking the question had already been part of a viral story herself. She and her husband had stumbled upon a 50-year-old message in a bottle while exploring a state park. This discovery alone was intriguing, but what followed was even more remarkable. When news organizations caught wind of their find, one TV station tracked down the original family that had created the note. This led to an emotional reunion with the note’s originators. The story's heartwarming nature and the element of time travel captured the attention of national news sources, resulting in widespread coverage.
Her story of instigating a viral story signaled an important insight: the audience's initial reactions matter significantly in determining whether a story will go viral. That prompted developing the list of typical reactions people might have to viral videos. This list is a tool for storytellers to help assess the viral potential of their narratives. If you, as the storyteller, aren't experiencing these types of reactions at the start, it's unlikely that any other audience member will either.
Never Seen Before: Revelation of Novelty - These reactions in express amazement at a story’s unique quality and amazement at the newfound discovery.
Inspired to Act (Even If That’s Continuing to Watch): Engagement and Action - All these reactions signal a strong desire to take action, whether by sharing, participating, or being inspired to learn more.
Extreme Reaction: Shock and Awe - The common theme is creating a sense of awe, even being overwhelmed, by the story and/or visuals.
Disbelief: Skepticism and Amazement - Skepticism and amazement are intertwined in these reactions, suggesting that viewers are torn between questioning a story’s authenticity and being astounded by it.
With potentially viral content, understanding audience reactions is vital. The message in a bottle serves as a powerful reminder that compelling stories evoke strong emotions and leave lasting impressions.
Storytellers must create narratives that both resonate and elicit strong emotions if there’s any chance of developing and sharing must-see stories. While there's no guaranteed formula for virality, these reactions provide a solid starting point for assessing the viral potential of your stories. – Mike Brown