Over the years, I’ve watched many brands pour energy into trying to “go viral”, chasing trends, hooks, and formats that promise greater reach almost overnight.
But more often than not, the engagement spike vanishes as quickly as it appears, and the business is left with little to show for the attempt beyond a temporary spike in metrics.
“Going viral” is one of the most seductive ideas in content marketing, yet it’s one of the least reliable goals to build a marketing strategy around.
At Manning & Co., we believe the real question for brands is not how to chase going viral, but how to create content that earns lasting attention, builds customer trust, and stays relevant long after the first wave of shares.
Research into social media virality shows that most viral events do not significantly increase engagement and rarely lead to sustained growth. In other words, the spike is real; but the long-term impact on your brand is not.
Virality vs. Influence: what you’re really building for your brand
|
Aspect |
Chasing virality (the myth) |
Building influence (what works) |
|
Goal |
One‑off spike in reach and shares | Sustainable visibility and trust over time |
|
Success metric |
Views, likes, shares |
Engagement depth, time on page, conversions, citations (including by AI) |
|
Content focus |
Emotion, novelty, trend‑hopping |
Real questions, clear point of view, relevance and usefulness |
|
Quality vs. volume |
Often many low‑value posts chasing “viral” formulas |
Fewer but higher‑value pieces backed by research and insight |
|
Audience outcome |
Temporary attention |
Deeper understanding, stronger brand association |
|
Predictability |
Unreliable and unpredictable |
More repeatable, tied to audience research and strategy |
| Role in AI‑driven world | Easy to surface briefly, quick to fade |
More likely to be cited inside AI summaries when content is structured, credible, and consistent |
What the data tells us about virality
If you look at the table above, the pattern is clear: going viral is about surface level reach, while influence is about depth, clarity, and consistency.
Studies of viral marketing campaigns show that content which triggers positive emotions is more likely to be shared. However, that trend alone does not guarantee long-term brand impact.
In short: virality is a strong engine for awareness and engagement, but a weak one for sustained trust and loyalty among your audience, unless it’s grounded in something more substantial.
What works: influence over spikes
If virality is noisy and short-lived, the conditions that build brand influence are more predictable and repeatable. From the research, three patterns stand out:
1. Informativeness, credibility, and usefulness drive attitudes
One of the clearest findings from recent research on viral content is that informativeness, credibility, and usefulness are what truly move the needle on attitudes and purchase intentions, not simply being “viral”.
A 2025 study on Generation Z consumers found that content perceived as informative, credible, and useful had a statistically significant effect on both buyer attitudes and purchase intentions; far more so than content driven purely by emotion or trendiness.
This suggests that:
● Useful content increases engagement depth.
● Credible sources and clear data build trust.
● Informative structures make it easier for AI tools to interpret and cite your work.
2. Authenticity and consistency build lasting equity
At Manning & Co., we know that authenticity and consistency build lasting brand equity far more effectively than virality alone. When brands combine a recognisable voice with genuine, human-centred storytelling, they tend to cultivate more engaged audiences and deeper loyalty, without needing to chase constant viral spikes.
3. Attention ≠ long-term brand equity
Awareness is only the first step in building a powerful brand. Real brand equity is shaped by what happens afterward.
Research on short-form video and social media storytelling shows that while trending content can drive temporary spikes in engagement, much of the attention does not translate directly into purchase decisions.
This gap separates short-term noise from long-term value. Virality may boost visibility, but it rarely builds meaningful brand equity and presence, unless it’s supported by consistency, clarity, and trust over time.
In other words, capturing attention is easy. Turning attention into lasting brand loyalty is not – and it never happens in a single viral moment.
The real goal: influence, not just reach
Virality creates momentary noise, while influence embeds your brand within buying decisions, industry conversations, and AI-generated outputs.
For B2B brands, this means:
● Content that answers real questions, backed by insight and structure.
● Narratives that align with your brand’s voice, not just the latest trend.
● Evidence that builds trust over time, not just brief spikes in attention.
When you combine strong thought leadership, media presence, and content that’s structured and backed by research, virality becomes a by-product rather than, not the objective.
Start a conversation with Manning & Co. to explore what this could look like for your brand.
