For years, marketers have sought to unlock the secrets of virality. They study patterns, examine algorithmic triggers, and reverse-engineer breakout campaigns in hopes of finding the elusive formula that guarantees millions of views. But according to creative veteran David Murdico, this approach is fundamentally flawed—not because it lacks rigor, but because it overlooks the most essential ingredient: the human factor.
Viral isn’t something you manufacture; it’s something you inspire. People share what moves them, what makes them laugh, or what they can’t stop thinking about. Your job is to create that spark and let the audience carry it.”
David Murdico
This idea cuts through the noise of best practices and platform hacks. It reframes virality not as a function of technical optimization but as an emotional transaction. People don’t forward videos because of click-through rates or production quality. They do it because something hit them. Something made them feel.
Why the Formula Fails
The search for a repeatable viral formula typically yields a checklist: include humor, keep it concise, shock your audience, and conclude with a twist. But formulas breed predictability. And predictability is the enemy of virality.
What truly viral content has in common isn’t structure—it’s resonance. It lodges itself in your brain because it reflects something tangible: a fear, a joy, a cultural truth. It becomes the thing people talk about at lunch or drop into a group chat because it says something they wish they’d said.
Murdico’s insight reminds us that virality is a symptom, not a strategy. Trying to go viral by using a formula is like trying to fall in love on schedule. You can improve the odds, but you can’t manufacture the chemistry.
The Human Touch: What Actually Spreads
To spark virality, brands must embrace what makes content feel human:
- Authenticity over polish. People are drawn to vulnerability, to voices that feel real and unfiltered. Polished content can impress, but raw content builds trust.
- Emotion over information. Data rarely gets shared. But a story that makes someone laugh, cry, or seethe? That travels fast. Emotion is the true engine of shareability.
- Relevance over reach. The most shared content usually begins with a small, specific audience who feel seen. It’s not mass appeal—it’s deep appeal that leads to mass adoption.
- Playfulness over predictability. Surprise and delight work better than simply checking boxes. That might mean humor, absurdity, or just presenting something in a way no one expects.
The Role of Story and Platform
None of this means marketers should abandon structure altogether. It means they should start with the human story and let the format serve that story.
On TikTok, a tightly edited 15-second punchline might rule. On YouTube, a slow build toward an unexpected twist might land better. Platform conventions matter, but only in service to the emotional core of the content. Without that core, even the most beautifully optimized piece will fall flat.
Courage Is Contagious
Viral content often pushes boundaries. It challenges norms. It says something others might be thinking but are afraid to say. That takes creative courage. Not recklessness—but boldness. The kind of boldness that makes people stop scrolling.
Brands that play it safe rarely spark sharing. Why? Because safe doesn’t inspire. And inspiration is what moves people to pass something along.
Measuring the Right Thing
Finally, if you believe virality is human—not mechanical—you’ll measure it differently. It’s not just about view counts or retweets. It’s about the conversations that follow. Did your video change minds? Did it start debates? Did people save it, revisit it.
Those are signals of a real connection. Those are the actual dividends of a campaign rooted in humanity, not just strategy.
The Takeaway
There’s no template for going viral, and that’s the point. The secret isn’t a formula you can write on a whiteboard—it’s a mindset. One that prioritizes human truth over marketing tactics.
Great marketers aren’t engineers of virality. They’re instigators of emotion, curators of culture, and amplifiers of things people already care about.
Your job is to create that spark and let the audience carry it.
David Murdico
If you want to go viral, don’t try to game the system. Try to reach the heart. That’s the only formula that ever really works.
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