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Do this to go viral

Do this to go viral

Mayaaz Reza
November 23, 2024

Hi friend,

Hope you’re well.

So last week I was doing some research on the best educational posts from the top creators for this post.

During that time I came across something interesting..

Most of the most viral posts from these big creators had a few things in common.

Here’s what they were:

Now this is something I’ve talked about before.

The best content, specially on Linkedin has to be two things:

Educational
Inspirational

I’ve used this same 4-Step Framework to write my most viral LinkedIn posts:

Experience: Give your personal insight to start
Lesson: Tell them exactly what the key lesson is
Takeaway: Provide actionable advice (go deep)
Message: Address your reader, make it about them

Science tells us people remember stories more.
But only the ones that they resonate with.

People need a reason to listen to and trust you.

💡 You have to show them a path to their desired benefits.

Make it personal → make them relate to you
Share a lesson → something that really helps
Make it actionable → so they can apply it now
Leave a powerful message → emotion is memory

Building a personal brand is about your own story.

AND how that helps you to help others.

Let’s look at an example of Lara Acosta:

Lara’s most liked and commented on post is about how she hired someone.

Let’s break down the copy and see why it works:

I hired a Gen-Z candidate without interviewing him. ₍_{Personal Experience)}

Never asked for a CV or a reference of their work. _{(re-hook to create intrigue)}

Out of the 100s of applications, he stood out. _{(more curiosity (people want to stand out))}

Made a video of me and posted it on LinkedIn.
Showed me his skill and understanding of content.
Came to an event where I was speaking and asked q's! ₍_{Actionable Takeaways)}

Today he's traveling the world with me. _{(Desired benefit)}

Amsterdam, Albania and London ticked off.
Slovenia and Dubai are next for us.

Let's stop focusing on perfect CVs.

And start focusing on their skills instead. ₍_{Valuable Lesson)}

LinkedIn can change your life if you: _{(Desired benefit)}

1. Show your work, not just tell. ₍_{Actionable Takeaway)}
2. Go where your ideal clients/employers are. ₍_{Actionable Takeaway)}

And most importantly...

3. You just bet on yourself. ₍_{Powerful Message)}

Want the best hires? _{(Desired benefit)}

Be the best leader. ₍_{Powerful Message)}

How you can apply this:

There is no right or wrong way to write a good story.

But if you use the formula to show people a path to their desired benefit..

(while being educational and inspirational at the same time)

— You have a good content.

It is not the story itself that shines it’s your ability to present it in the right way to highlight the right things.

People don’t care about stories they can’t relate to.

You build authority by being educational.

You build connection by being relatable through your stories.

Here’s how I write good story posts:

1. Start with the lesson not the story:

The main idea of your post is what people care about.

This has to be some form of mental shift they need to make in order to lead them getting their desired benefit.

For example in this newsletter, I said:

“Do this to go viral” — that’s a desired benefit people want.

The mental shifts:

1. Building a personal brand is about your own story — use that more

2. AND how that helps you to help others — it’s not only about you

2. Create actionable takeaways to get desired result:

I like this best as a simple list. People love a good list.

Just list like the one I gave you in the beginning on the 4-Step Framework to write my most viral LinkedIn posts.

3. Tie the first two components into a powerful message

This is something inspirational. Something that creates emotion.

💡 Like how Lara uses “bet on yourself” or “be the best leader”

The power of your lesson and takeaways is what makes this shine.

4. Leverage your experience to make it personal:

This can be anything. Something you use/learned. Something that happened to you. Maybe just something you observed.

The key is to inject yourself into the story.

For example: In this newsletter:

1. I talked about an observation I made during research

2. Showed a framework I’ve used - that’s getting me your desired benefits

3. Then I used borrowed authority (Lara’s post) for more proof of how it works

A good personal post or story doesn’t have to be paragraphs of background information and setting the scene.

— it’s as simple as writing one or two lines that connects you to the topic.

Hope this helps.

Happy building!

That’s Not All Folks:

Come say hi on X and LinkedIn

Enjoy your weekend my friend!

See you next Saturday.