Not-So-Obvious Evidence
Hey all you cool cats & kittens!
(I'm so, so sorry. I truly could not pass up on the opportunity to start this blog with that 😂)
Unless you've locked yourself out of social media the past few weeks, I'm willing to bet you've at least heard bits and pieces about Coronavirus Quarantine's biggest stars: Carole Baskin & Joe Exotic.
I'm talking about Tiger King, the Netflix documentary featuring big cats, gay zookeepers, cult-like zoo operations, and a lot more.
On the surface, it's a pretty weird thing. It's really blown up all over the internet and yet the content seems so… random?
In this episode of the Courage & Clarity Podcast, I'm going to talk to you about what it takes to go viral.
Here's a sneak peek of what's inside this week's episode:
What is the recipe for viral content? [5:09]
What can you control about going viral? [9:01]
An Instagram case study [12:13]
What you should be aiming for [20:40]
What is the recipe for viral content?
The answer is a bit of a twist… ready for it?
Turns out, there is no formula for going viral.
I know, kind of a trick. But let's dig in, because I think it's REALLY important that we iron a few things out here.
You see, when you run a business, many elements are out of your control. SO many elements are out of your control. And, I'd wager a lot of things you're tempted to believe are in your control, actually aren't.
Let's think about all the moving pieces that had to come together in a magically unforeseen way in order for this whole Tiger King cult to form:
A global pandemic and thus, millions of people stuck in quarantine
That quarantine seems to have fallen during a bit of a lull time in terms of television & movies -- doesn't feel like there's a ton of good, new stuff out right now
People happen to be looking to escape from reality even more than usual -- and are therefore arguably more receptive to the outrageous storyline than we would normally be
People are on social media more than normal right now, making this meme-worthy story spread like wildfire
I haven't interviewed Tiger King's creators myself, but I'm willing to bet they had zero clue their show would absolutely crush it on Netflix -- much less, that it would become a weird thematic icon for a global pandemic.
Clearly we can't follow a framework and simply decide to go viral.
There are a whole lot of things you just CAN'T predict:
When an unprecedented crisis will grind our go-go-go world to a halt and get more butts in front of Netflix
When more people are on social media than normal
If someone Insta-famous decides to share your story
If the Today Show calls you tomorrow and asks you to talk about your idea
Apparently I'm watching a lot of television lately, but here's another example.
If you haven't started watching Schitt's Creek yet, I highly recommend it. It's laugh out loud funny, light & airy -- perfect for quarantine. It's also coming to an end soon, and has been airing for years with little to no mainstream recognition.
According to a NY times article: "'Schitt’s Creek' premiered in 2015 on CBC in Canada and Pop TV in America, but it wasn’t until it landed on Netflix in 2017 that American viewers began to catch on."
That's two years of hard work, creating their asses off and repeatedly putting it all out there with very little external validation -- and I'd even argue that most of us wouldn't hear of this show for two MORE years in 2019.
What can you control about going viral?
So what can we do?
There's really only one thing within our control (luckily, it's a powerful thing.)
We can show up and create.
I want you to imagine that each time you create something, big or small, you get to pick up a new lottery ticket. You might pick up 10, 100, 1 million before you win -- and the harsh reality is, you may never actually "hit it big".
But then again, maybe you will.
Imagine if someone told you it was possible to keep drawing more & more lottery tickets for the next Powerball. You'd probably be pretty eager to hear more about these extra drawings! Showing up and making stuff is like that. Each attempt, a brand new ticket. You won't know unless you try -- and each time you put yourself out there, you get another crack at it.
"There's really one thing, and only one thing that's truly within our control. And luckily, it's a very powerful thing. Are you ready for it? We can show up and create."
And even if you never do "go viral" or become some internet sensation, think about all the ways you might be winning each time you create without even knowing it.
An Instagram case study
Here's my favorite recent example of this from my own life. I was starting to feel really frustrated and in my head with Instagram and how my posts perform. It seemed to me that sometimes I'd hit it out of the park -- 150, 200, even 250 "likes". That feels great, thanks to the instant hit of dopamine and external validation that comes from seeing those "hearts" on the 'gram. But sometimes, inexplicably, I'd put something out there and get a measly 20 or 30 likes. What gives? I thought. Do people only like posts that feature cute babies?But then I decided to look a little more deeply at my "poor performing posts." Let's start with this post. No matter what measuring stick I use, this was a "good" post:
Then there's this one. Just 34 measly likes:
Truthfully, I almost felt dumb after I shared this. "I guess people don't like this kind of post," I thought. But then I looked more closely.
That little paper airplane number indicates how many times someone thought enough of this post to Direct Message it straight to a friend's inbox. And that little ribbon icon shows me how many times someone bookmarked this post.
Now let's look back at that first photo's insights as a comparison:
Even though this photo had more than 3x as many likes -- No shares, no bookmarks, and not even close to 3x the number of people reached.
What you should be aiming for
Here comes the punchline.
When you only trust what you can see with your eyes, you gravely underestimate all kinds of magic that's happening beneath the surface. As Price Pritchett says in his book You Squared (one of my faves), "You don't need to understand how electricity works to flip a light switch and flood a room with light."
"Fight the very human, very natural temptation to go hide in your hole if no one gives you any feedback on your most recent podcast episode. Instead, proceed with your plan to publish next week's episode. Get comfortable with the idea that you might go weeks, months, dare I say years, without the kind of recognition that you would love to get. Remember that any one data point by itself is just that -- it's one data point. It's one Instagram post. It's one podcast episode. And we are going for incremental progress over time."
You very well might be creating, posting, promoting, making, trying and pushing without getting the immediate feedback.
Are you up for that?
Now back to you and your journey.
I know you want instant gratification and immediate feedback every time you create something. I know that because I want it too. Maybe you're thinking to yourself, "I don't want to get famous or go viral. I just want to earn a living to support my family!" Cool, but the same logic still applies.
Stop assuming you did something wrong if your Facebook Live doesn't get a ton of comments. Instead, outline your next topic and hit "Go Live" again.
Fight the (very human, very natural) temptation to go hide in your hole if no one gives you any feedback on your most recent podcast episode. Instead, proceed with your plan to publish next week's episode.
Remember that any one data point by itself is just that -- one data point.
We're going for incremental progress over time.
And if you happen to hit it big like Tiger King on your path to incremental growth? Well, more power to ya!
Keep creating things that make you come alive and help other people.
Look for the not-so-obvious evidence of traction -- the paper airplanes & ribbon bookmarks on my Instagram examples -- to show you that you're making progress, no matter how small, no matter how slow.
And remember that sometimes, you actually can't see progress at all -- even though it's very much happening. The podcast listener, email reader of FB Live viewer who always tunes in and never watches -- it still counts.
Don't make the mistake of only trusting what you can see.
Believe that there's magic working in your favor, like the electricity coursing through the room you're sitting in right now.
You can't see it, but it's there, supporting you, keeping you comfortable, and changing your life.
Links & Resources
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