Why did this blog post get 28 million views?

interesting im in for answers

Sometimes... "viral" content is not something to be reasoned.

Some of the most sillest, mind boggling stuff is never understood.


Are you trying to get viral?

a perfect headline and just one big name site syndicating your article is all it takes for content to go viral....its like dominoes.

hmmm. Well, I guess beyond the clickbait curiosity peaking title, i think it has to do with the fact that the title seems to be "selling" (validating) what millions of people are thinking.

If you just read the title and know that our divorce rates are sky high and that most of the populations of the civilized world are marrying much older in life, then its easy to see why many would be predisposed to identifying with the idea of "why marriage is not right for you".

Along the same lines, much of the informational media most of us take in is more about affirming our pre-existing beliefs rather than actually getting informed about a subject.

Thats why fox news and msnbc have been so highly successful. On any given night they run mostly the same stories with almost exact opposite views and commentary. The facts of the story are the same, but the spin is the exact opposite. Their audiences are both growing faster than most other main stream less polarizing news sources.

Basically, conservatives just want their ideas and world view to be validates so they watch fox and liberals feel the same way about msnbc. For the most part, the masses of people that tune into those news sources regularly are not really seeking the truth or the real news. But rather they are seeking validation of their opinion.

in my opinion, the title to this article elicited much of the same response. From the title alone, many people felt they were about to have their opinions on a major life event validated.

Predictably, people like to feel validated, so if thats what your "selling" i think there will always be a solid chance of attracting a big audience.

I think this went viral for a number of reasons that many pieces go viral and astute writers and marketers are beginning to learn and take advantage.

First it starts off with a provocative title that goes against conventional ideas = marriage is bad. And not just bad, bad for you

It starts with the overt premise that after getting married this guy does not like marriage = what the? What an ass! What about his poor wife? Why did the jerk marry her then?

Only to prove the "twist" that it wasn't because he didn't love his wife, it was because he loved her SO much! His marriage isn't for him, it's for her = Awwww! What a great guy! I wish I had a guy like that...weep...

It targets marriage which is always hot.

It starts out with a negative premise to hook you in and get your "judgement" up prematurely.

Has all the tropes for its audience: family, marriage, youthful self-doubt, sage fatherly advice, emasculated male becomes sensitive stud, love triumphs all fears

It pays off with saccharine romance. It appeals to women. It makes a great story.

Many big viral pieces have these qualities. It's getting to the point that every headline and article I see shared on facebook has these qualities. The problem is most viral pieces have the click-bait headline with out the payoff in the content to really make it go.

How many headlines in facebook feeds like this just lead to mundane articles that do not 'live up to the hype' - "When this man came on stage he was hated and booed, but after saying one word he had everyone standing and cheering" .

I read that "Marriage isn't for you" piece from a post by a facebook friend and I remember rolling my eyes and in my best Charlie Brown impersonation thinking, "Good grief!"

Edit: Wow, David Keith's post is excellent insight into the mentality - thanks for that.

Was it written in relation to a current trend at the time? That usually helps things go viral.

Read this about how Glen at Viper Chill creates viral topics, he managed 9,000 unique visitors in one day...

9,000 Uniques in One Day: A Viral Marketing Case Study - Moz

some viral content was simply created after analysing a ton of current data like trends, topics etc. + some marketing strategy attached to it.

Data trends dont make things go viral really. They are an affect...not a cause.

A data trend exists by definition because a lot of people are doing/searching/... for something to such a degree that it becomes statistically relevant.

However, there is always a deeper reason behind the trend to begin with. And truthfully, "me too" products and content rarely perform as well as leaders who understand the underlying reasons of why a trend might begin in the first place.

And of course with things that go viral, there is always some degree of luck. Although I would argue that in most cases these days the "luck" was often times manufactured by a very clever person or business that clearly understands peoples psychology and tendencies as it relates to a particular piece of content.

The article/post went mega-viral because America is one of the top 10 nations with the highest divorce rates. Russia is in the top spot. The population of these 2 countries is huge. A lot of married couples are struggling with their marriages and any new concept or secret formula that can save their marriages is worth the try.

It's a typical, straight-forward post. It became successful since the writer wrote from his heart. He narrated a story the way ordinary people will be able to relate and comprehend. A big portion of the world's population prefer reading short posts/articles. Anything kilometric (more than 500 words) becomes boring, dragging and less engaging.

Data trend can be used but only a select few will be very successful. There are things that cannot be measured by analytical tools, software, etc. This must be the magic of love, of the human heart transcending the world wide web.

This is not a sure formula but it's worth the try. Search for a trending topic then write something that appeals to the human emotion. Look for an enticing picture and use a catchy title. Let the online people use the power of social media.

there are topics that most don't consider to be viral but they turn out to be i guess..

Personally, I think why things go viral is a bad thing to be obsessed about. Not to worry, however. I am a bit obsessed about the phenomena of spontaneous combustion, and I hope it doesn't happen to me!

However, I suggest you view this article. It offers a lot of scientific insight about why things go viral.

US Military Scientists Solve the Fundamental Problem of Viral Marketing | MIT Technology Review