To go viral, you have to think about what the consumer sees, not just you the creator.

Determine what is *unique* about the platform.

Here’s what you can do instead to increase your viral potential through timeliness:<ul><li>Go to Facebook</li><li>Look for the “Trending” panel</li><li>Make a post about any of those things.</li></ul>

Be timely

If you address a consistent problem of human nature, you have the ability to stick around a LONG time.The book “How to Win Friends and Influence People” was published over 80 years ago, yet it is still relevant today. Many of the things which happen year by year are timely solutions to timely problems. They are very popular for a while, but then forgotten (not necessarily a bad thing).Carnegie went above the everyday and came up with a timeless idea, a timeless title, and a timeless book.

Be timeLESS

Going viral is NOT the hardest thing in the world. The hardest thing in the world is figuring out what to do next.The whiplash from obscurity to unexpected fame and back to obscurity will kill you if you aren’t ready for it.At the end of the day, there is only one choice: Keep coming up with ideas.

Anyone can go viral once

Every platform offers you multiple chances to stand out, but you typically only have a millisecond to hook a new person.

Address the whole viewing area, not just your post

<h2>Proof</h2><ul><li>Show what you’ve done.</li><li>Answer the question “Why should I trust you?”</li></ul><h2>Preview</h2><ul><li>Tease how your audience might be able to do the same.</li><li>Answer the question “What makes this work worth my precious time?”</li></ul><h2>Payout</h2><ul><li>Give them the goods.</li><li>Answer the question “What can I learn that I don’t already know?”</li></ul>

Try this formula: “Proof -> Preview -> Payout”

Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, possibly the most viral book of all time, is still selling copies today is because he cultivates and frustrates deep curiosity right from the start of the book:<blockquote>“The secret which I refer to has been mentioned no fewer than 100 times throughout this book… those who are ready and searching for it may pick it up.”</blockquote>In fact, Hill, uses the word “secret” 31 TIMES before chapter one even begins.

Cultivate curiosity at every turn

When you include quotes by recognized names, you give your post reputation by association.

Quote smart people

If you feel shy about asking for shares or recommends (like I did), ask yourself two questions:<ul><li>“Do I believe this is quality work?”</li><li>“Do I believe a single other person on the planet could benefit from it?”</li></ul>If the answer to both these questions is “yes,” how could you possibly be embarrassed to ask for a share?

ASK for shares

How do you figure out what makes a good headline?<ul><li>Step 1: Go to the platform in question.</li><li>Step 2: Click “top stories” or “trending” or whatever channel highlights the best stuff.</li><li>Step 3: Copy the crap out of those headlines.</li></ul>

Use tested headlines

The attention you get online (or lack thereof) is not necessarily a result of how good you are but how many eyeballs find your work. After that rush, I had to know more. What makes the internet tick…