I predicted this video would go viral… here’s why it worked


Creative Space

March 25th

I Went Viral (And How You Can Too…)

Eric Thayne

7 min read

👋 We overprinted! If you missed the Create Don’t Capture launch last week, I have good news! I still have a few limited edition copies of my book left to give to some of you. Plus I’m throwing in a couple bonuses if you snag them. These are very limited, and once they’re gone they’re gone. We’re not printing these again. Go here to get yours.

Over the weekend, one of my videos got a million views in 24 hours.

(Here’s the video on Instagram and TikTok)

The best part… I totally called it.

Here’s how I knew this video would go viral.

A couple weeks ago, I showed this exact video to a group of my clients and said:

“Watch this. This video is going to get way more views than my normal videos.”

At the time, I wasn’t expecting this many views.

But sure enough, it did well out of the gate (about 10k views, when I normally get a few thousand).

Then this weekend it exploded.

Hit 1 million views practically overnight.

But it wasn’t an accident.

There’s a specific reason why this video blew up.

And understanding it could be the difference between your next video flopping or taking off.

So in this letter I’m going to break down why this video worked, and how you can steal my formula to do it too.

Let’s do it.

The Content Funnel (Most People Mess This Up)

Making a viral video basically only comes down to one simple principle:

Who is it speaking to?

And no, I’m not talking about your “ideal client” (yet).

I’m talking about the size of the potential audience for each video, and how to use that to your advantage.

Here’s the big mistake I see:

Most creators and entrepreneurs are stuck creating content that only speaks to buyers.

Heavy promotional content. Talking about what you do. About your products and services.

The problem is, your buyers are a tiny, fractional segment of your audience (and the world).

If you’re only creating promotional content—“Buy my thing! Book a call! Sign up here!”—then your audience will be tiny.

Now, that kind of content can drive sales. But it’s not gonna get you views.

That’s why you have to understand The Content Funnel:

  1. Reach → speaks to the whole world. It’s eye-catching, interesting, and universally appealing. If done right, it gets a lot of views.
  2. Trust → speaks to your industry or niche. Builds value and credibility. Doesn’t get as many views, but it really builds connection with your audience.
  3. Conversion → speaks to buyers. It’s promotional, persuasive, and converts leads to sales. Usually gets way less views, but it’s where the conversions happen.

If you only create bottom-of-funnel content, you’ll struggle to grow.

Your content will feel stuck, and you’ll wonder why nobody’s engaging.

So the key to getting more views on your content is broadening the scope and the audience of what you create.

Why My Video Went Viral

This was a video of me walking through the facility where my books are getting printed.

Massive machines, stacks of paper flying through the press, 20,000 books getting churned out per day.

It was mesmerizing and visually entertaining.

But here’s why it worked:

I titled it “How books are printed.”

Why does that matter? Because of who it’s speaking to.

Think about it.

Anyone can watch that video and think, “Huh, that’s interesting.”

It has mass appeal. It’s educational, visual, and novel.

That’s reach content.

Now let’s say I used the same exact footage, but titled it this:

“How writing a book can help you grow your brand.”

That’s trust content.

It’s educational, valuable, and speaks to my target industry.

So it will get LESS views, but will be more narrowly targeted to my ideal audience.

And lastly, let’s say I added this title:

“My book is getting printed! Here’s where to get it.”

That’s conversion. Promotional.

And guess what? That video would’ve gotten maybe a few thousand views.

Same video. Different angle. Drastically different results.

The Key To Virality (Works Every Time)

Going viral = broad reach.

If you want a video to get a lot of views, it has to be appealing to a lot of people.

And people only share content that everyone they know would enjoy.

Otherwise if the scope is too narrow, it can’t spread.

But it all comes down to how you position it.

Broad reach only happens when you speak to a broad audience.

If your content only speaks to a few people (buyers), then it’s capped.

And most people miss this. They’re creating great content—but it’s not built for reach.

Viral content isn’t about the algorithm “liking you.”

It’s about making content people like (and want to share).

Winning The Viral Lottery

Here’s the million-dollar question: Is viral really the goal?

Because here’s the truth about my million-view video…

It only brought in a few hundred followers.

And most of those people are probably not buyers. Not even in my industry.

Just random people who were entertained for a few seconds by watching a book get printed.

Still cool.

But let’s be real—it’s not gonna change my business overnight.

And this is where so many entrepreneurs mess up.

It’s kind of like winning the lottery.

If you don’t have the foundation of knowing how to make money and how to manage money, winning the lottery could be the worst thing that happens to you.

It ruins people’s lives, because they massively increase their lifestyle, but then don’t know how to keep the cash flowing after the money’s all gone.

So they go back to the only way they know how to do it—gambling. And their lives get ruined.

The same is true with going viral.

Believe me, it feels awesome being a celebrity for a day. It’s really cool seeing the comments flying in every minute, and the view count going up every time you refresh.

The problem is when most marketers go viral once… then they start chasing it.

They want the dopamine hit again. They want to feel like a celebrity. And they start optimizing for views… instead of connection.

And that’s where it all falls apart.

If you don’t have a foundation for what you talk about, who you serve, and what you sell, going viral can actually hurt you.

Because you start creating for everyone, and stop creating for the people who matter.

You get followers who don’t care about your business. Your engagement drops. Your brand gets diluted.

And you end up with a bunch of views and… no sales.

How To Go “Viral” And Actually Grow Your Business

Going viral isn’t a bad thing.

In fact, it can help build credibility when you have lots of views and followers. That’s what this video is doing for me.

But virality should serve the strategy—not be the strategy.

Because the real goal is building a business.

That means creating 3 types of content:

→ Reach: Get discovered by new people (like this video did).

→ Trust: Build value and credibility with the right people.

→ Conversion: Drive action and sales.

Here’s the funny part:

The formula I used to make that video go viral is the one I teach inside the book that was getting printed in that video.

Kinda poetic, huh?

And if you want a copy of the book, I still have a few limited edition prints left.

With it, you’ll get:

→ A Signed Hardcover Limited Edition Print of Create Don’t Capture

→ A Hardcover Limited Edition Print of The Creator’s Journal, and…

→ BONUS: My in-depth course 60 Second Authority.

In the course, I teach my full formula for creating videos that go viral AND grow your business.

(Because you can actually hit all 3 levels of the Content Funnel with one video, and in the course I show you how)

So if you want to make viral videos that grow your business, go here to get your limited edition copy of Create Don’t Capture (plus the bonuses!)

There are only a few left.

If the page is still up, then you can still get one.

Let’s help you build a business, and get your message to the masses.

🔥 If you liked this letter…

…and you’re ready to take your brand, your content, and your business to the next level, here’s a few ways I can help you:

1. Join my free Skool community - and get free content, trainings, industry updates, and network with other amazing creators.

2. Join my free workshop to learn how to build your content production system and send a flow of leads to your business.

3. Book a free strategy session - I’m opening a few slots on my calendar to meet with serious entrepreneurs who want to grow their audience and their business. I’ll look at what you’ve got going on and help you develop a winning strategy.

For more daily content, find me on social:

PO Box 356, Meridian, ID 83680
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