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Hey friends!
Last month, I was invited to give a talk at CyberMarketingCon ‘23 in Austin, Texas — the annual conference for cybersecurity marketers.
The topic? Going viral. I looked closely at 250+ viral campaigns and figured out what made them explode. What I found were 5 straightforward secrets.
Here’s the deal:
Serious ≠ boring. Even cybersecurity can be a viral hit.
👾 The challenge: Standing out when everyone is using ChatGPT.
🚀 The solution: Understanding human psychology to spark virality.
So I gave a 30-minute masterclass on the 5 common secrets I found for going viral, all by leveraging psychological hacks.
Watch it at the top of the page.
A quick TL;DR summary of the 5 secrets:
🎈 Humor: People are driven by things that amuse them. The key is not just to be funny, but to connect with the audience on a level that creates the feeling of “they get me.” What to do? Find a common insight that everyone secretly agrees on → then make it public.
🎁 Surprise: People respond well to positive and unexpected things. A good surprise is a mix of expected + unexpected. Balance is key. What to do? Take a usual expected thing → then change *one* element only (don't overcomplicate your twist!)
🧩 Participation: People value things more significantly when they help create them. Involving them in the creation or evolution of a feature/event/campaign can boost engagement. What to do? Encourage user-generated content or interactive elements where the audience contributes to the campaign.
🫵🏻 Status: We have a natural tendency to seek ways to improve how others perceive us. Content that enhances the audience's status or identity can be 10x more effective compared to content that’s not. What to do? Create campaigns that make the audience feel more knowledgeable, ahead of the curve, or part of an elite group.
🌊 Existing Resources: Leveraging existing resources like employees, users, data, and product features is key to going viral. It’s the only way to get the snowball rolling fast. What to do? Utilize all of your in-house networks and platforms (that are already available in the company) to maximize impact.
Why watch the video?
It’s a practical, 30-minute guide filled with useful tactics and examples. This isn't just theory; it's a tested blueprint for sparking interest in the most serious of topics. Want to apply it tomorrow? Watch the recording :)
P.S. It’s NOT only for cybersecurity marketers—these principles can be applied to any kind of content.
See you next week ✌️
Tom
—If you enjoyed this free masterclass, please tap the Like button below ♥️ Thank you!
How to transform 'boring' content into viral hits (in 30 minutes) ✨