The Rebecca Black Guide to Viral Marketing: 5 Tips for Viral Success

You put down that jug of haterade right now! I don’t understand the huge backlash against 13-year-old singer Rebecca Black over her catchy song, Friday. (When I first saw it, I thought it was a legitimate new hit. It’s the same as Justin Beiber’s “Baby” in terms of vapid content.)

There are so many lessons to learn from Rebecca’s success. Viral content means more traffic and more sales, so let’s break it down and look at the steps that created Rebecca Black’s viral success.

1. Make it Catchy.

I’ve listened to the entire song “Friday” only once or twice, and I bet I could recite the whole thing. It might be vapid, but that song is catchy! If you want your content to go viral, craft something that will haunt your viewers for days to come. (Friday, Friday”¦dammit, make it stop!)

2. Make it Strange.

Rebecca’s song went viral like wildfire because it’s so strange, it’s the perfect combination of perfectly bad. You know you haven’t heard lyrics like, “tomorrow is Saturday, and Sunday comes afterwards” outside of Sesame Street. When you craft something strange, you’re encouraging people to share it. Speaking of sharing”¦

3. Make it interactive, encourage others to play along.

Viral videos are usually high imitable. Anyone with basic video editing software can make their own version of Rebecca Black’s Friday music video; the video is begging to be lampooned. Encourage others to play along, make it a game!

4. Set a low budget.

Rebecca’s mother reportedly paid $4,000 to have the single and accompanying music video produced. The legacy was born from such an incredibly modest budget, it would go on to top the Billboard Hot 100 and other charts! Viral hits don’t have to be expensive, so don’t spend much to produce yours! Like a good Grindhouse horror flick, sometimes the lower the budget, the better.

5. If it’s not risky, you’re not doing it right.

Releasing the silly, banal single Friday into the cruel internet playground was a big Risk. Rebecca was lampooned and insulted across the world, but in the end she’ll get the last laugh. It you don’t feel a little scared releasing your viral content unto the web, you’re not doing it right.

You want your content and products to catch on and spread like wildfire, so take some lessons from Rebecca Black and take Risks. Try something new and crazy, who knows, you may be the next viral hit!

Vanessa wrote this post. She is a full time copywriter and webmarketer with a passion for art, creativity, and thrift. She writes about thrifting, creating, and saving money every weekday on her blog, Thrift Core.