I agree with you on just about everything you’ve written here, but while “Good stuff sells itself” was a rhetorical question, I think we can also agree that great content on its own isn’t enough to sell. Malcolm Gladwell is the best indication of that, and the Tipping Point should be required reading for anyone trying to go viral.

Stirring strong emotions, in my mind, is part of what makes something remarkable. Moderation is a great philosophy in life, but in going viral, moderation will not get you anywhere. It’s the extremes that stir emotions, and that create viral phenoms. Remarkable is never vanilla. Remarkable is extreme.

Veronica, thanks for your excellent comment.

1) Although Im into the whole “remarkable” philosophy, we should agree that remarkable and new doesnt necessarily makes it easier to go viral. Many viral things (from apps to videos to fashion) have been remakes or redo’s and not necesarily remarkable ones.

2) Yes, there’s no magic formula…however…as Malcolm Gladwell states in Tiping Point, there are ways to start/spread an epidemic by choosing the cultural “sneezers” and making them start the job for you.

Good stuff sells by itself, right? Content is always king…and you can replace content with “Xapp/Xvideo/Xproduct”…

For me then, what makes X go viral? Something that conveys and appeals to extreme emotions of the user: love, hatred, repulsiveness, social acceptance, laughs, tears…u name it. Nothing mild will ever get people to share. Anything!

So the question when creating something to go viral is…which emotions will it stirr? how hardcore will it be? Different, fun, scary, weird, hilarious…?

Good luck to doing remarkable things in the future!