The desire to “Go Viral” is ruining everything
Somewhere along the way, we decided that if something didn’t go viral, it doesn’t count. Not helpful. Not profitable. Not effective.
Somehow we decided that any views between the 0-100 mark is considered “not performing well.” Just… not viral enough?
As someone who works in operations and behind-the-scenes business support, I need to say this plainly: the obsession with virality is actively making businesses worse.
It’s warping priorities, burning people out, and convincing smart, capable business owners that they’re failing when in reality, they’re just not famous. “Oh they have under 100 followers they must not be legitimate enough in the business world.”
Seriously since when did follow count start to equal success measurements? I wanna know who decided this.
Let’s talk about the math (because it’s not on your side!)
“Going viral” is treated like a reasonable goal when statistically it’s closer to a fantasy of “I wanna be a star, baby.”
To put it in perspective: the odds of winning a Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 292 million. The odds of a post organically reaching millions of people, without paid ads, insider amplification, or platform favoritism aren’t even formally tracked because it happens so rarely. And frankly, these platforms and systems are so new and ever changing it seems there aren't even experts on the topic for us to learn on what to do!
Most social platforms show your content to 5–10% of your followers on a good day. That means if you have 1,000 followers, a normal-performing post reaches MAYBE 50–100 people. And yet we’ve somehow normalized measuring success by an outcome that depends on algorithms, timing, trends, and pure luck. That’s not marketing. That’s buying a lottery ticket and calling it a business plan.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: viral content is rarely rewarded for being accurate, nuanced, or operationally sound. It’s rewarded for being extreme, over-simplified, fear-based, outrage-inducing, & confidently wrong. I’ve watched small business owners abandon clear messaging, solid offers, and functional systems because a random Reel with unrelated advice, a trending song, and buzz words hit 600k views.
I’ve also personally walked away from work (like managing social media for a tech company) when it became clear that chasing the algorithm mattered more than clarity, consistency, or business results. The content that looked successful on the outside wasn’t translating into sales, retention, or sustainability.
In my own business and in the businesses I support through RML Business Operations, growth comes from things no one is making viral TikToks about: written processes, clear policies, quality customer service, consistent brand language, onboarding that actually teaches people what to expect, content that answers the same questions over and over again.
None of this is glamorous. None of this trends. But this is the work that reduces client confusion, improves retention, saves time, builds trust, and makes money.
I’ve supported business owners who felt behind because their posts weren’t blowing up while quietly maintaining full client rosters, steady referrals, and manageable workloads. That’s not failure. That’s success without the dopamine addiction. Virality is a moment. Systems are a business.
Big corporations didn’t build trust on viral moments. They built it on: repetition, documentation, clear internal structure, and brand consistency. Small businesses don’t need to operate like corporations, but they can learn from this.
Your goal isn’t to be internet-famous. Your goal is to be a reliable business.
Virality doesn’t onboard clients. It doesn’t document workflows. It doesn’t keep your business functional when the algorithm changes (again) next week. If you needed permission to stop chasing viral, this is it!
You do not need millions of views. You need the right people to understand what you do. You need content that works like a good employee: It shows up consistently. It answers questions. It reinforces trust. If something goes viral? Great. Enjoy the moment. But building your business around a statistical anomaly is not a strategy. It’s a lottery ticket.
And I don’t know about you but I prefer businesses that pay out more reliably than thousands of notifications saying someone “liked” that.