Going Viral Makes No Sense; Just Ask Marcus

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By: Jeannine Wheeler

Marcus Lepage overslept. Twitter noticed. In fact, more than 53,000 (and counting) Twitter users retweeted when Marcus said he was going to sleep on April 26, 2009; and again SEVEN YEARS LATER when he announced he had just woken up. One of the world’s longest played jokes illustrated just how arbitrary it is to go viral on any kind of social media.

In fact, a look at today’s Twitter Trends shows how timely, newsworthy, and esoteric going viral can be:

James Cameron
#LFCBVB
Vince Velasquez
#FightFor15
Rosslyn
Kobe
#ItsOnUs
#HootChat
Liverpool
#LetMeCheerYouUpBy

Many PRs and brand marketers would kill to get their hands on the "secret formula" for going viral. Countless books and articles have been written about it, with experts claiming to know how it’s done. In reality, most of the time, it happens by accident.

However, there are some things you can do to achieve the viral miracle, according to Elise Moreau, a trends expert.

Read her top tips here.

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About the Author

Jeannine Wheeler is a PR Director who has worked in three countries, including Russia, the US and the UK. She is currently Sr. Vice President of Pure Energy PR, a full-service boutique communications firm with a focus on the energy, healthcare, technology, construction, real estate & land development, tourism & hospitality and food & beverage industries. Jeannine is in the firm's Austin, Texas office.

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