The Truth About Viral Content: It’s Mostly Useless
The Allure of Going Viral
Everyone still talks about going viral like it’s the goal, one big post, millions of views, job done. But in 2025, viral content doesn’t mean what it used to, and most of the time, it’s not just unhelpful, it’s bad for business.
At Honest London, we’ve gone viral ourselves. One of our videos hit over 4 million views on TikTok and 2 million on Instagram. The team found it hilarious. The employee who featured became a bit of a legend, we even rolled out a red carpet for him the next day. It was a fun office moment, but once the excitement wore off, the results were clear. We gained around 400 TikTok followers and 500 on Instagram. No jump in engagement. No client enquiries. No long-term benefit.
Why It’s Actually a Problem
We’ve had client content go viral too, and in most cases, it creates chaos. Clients understandably get excited, but then the pressure starts. “Can we do that again next week?” “Why didn’t the next post go viral too?” “Where are the customers?” And that’s when the problems start.
The month after a viral post, our reports become a bit of a nightmare. The numbers look like they’ve crashed, because everything’s measured against the fluke. We spend entire meetings explaining why views are lower, why growth has slowed, and why those millions of views didn’t convert into sales. It always ends up in the same place: “Is social media even worth it then?” And once again, we have to explain that someone who scrolled past a video in Australia is not about to buy a flat white from a coffee shop in Shoreditch.
Viral moments are rarely relevant, and they warp expectations beyond what any long-term strategy can deliver.
Viral Isn’t Real Anymore
Ten years ago, going viral could change your life. You’d get a call from Ellen, a brand deal, and maybe even a Wikipedia page. That kind of exposure was rare, and powerful. Now? TikTok needs to feed its algorithm with hours of content at any given time. It auto-features clips that look semi-popular just to keep people scrolling.
So when a video “goes viral” now, it’s not because it’s remarkable. It’s because the system needs content to plug into people’s feeds. There’s no real quality control. No human moment of curation. You’re not being discovered, you’re being slotted in by an automated machine that’s churning through videos at speed.
The word “viral” implies something rare and powerful. But TikTok has normalised it into something everyday and disposable.
Local and Loyal Always Wins
We’re far more interested in helping brands build loyal, local audiences who might actually buy from them. This is also why we consistently recommend micro-influencers over macro. Micro-creators have smaller but more engaged followings. They’re trusted. They usually know their audience. And crucially, their audience actually cares.
Macro influencers, unless they’re actual celebrities, rarely have any real connection to their audience. Their following is often scattered across the world, with low engagement and even lower relevance. The only time macro works is when there’s a big budget and you want a recognisable face to be the brand. But in most cases, people can tell when it’s just an ad, and they scroll past.
Just Make Good Content
Trying to go viral is a waste of time. The energy spent chasing a fluke is better spent creating content that actually tells your story, builds trust, and speaks to the audience you want. No gimmicks. No desperation. Just consistency, relevance, and quality.
Make content that’s worth watching, not content designed to blow up for the sake of it.
The Metrics That Actually Matter
Forget the ego-boost of inflated view counts. Focus on:
• Thoughtful comments and real feedback
• Saves and shares from people who want to come back to your content
• Audience growth that aligns with your customer base
• Actual bookings, purchases or enquiries, not vanity
It’s not glamorous, but it’s what drives growth.
Going viral isn’t a strategy. It’s a lottery win that rarely pays out. Worse, it derails expectations, distorts the numbers, and creates tension between agencies and brands when the magic doesn’t repeat itself.
In 2025, everyone’s going viral. What brands need is to be relevant, consistent, and useful. That’s what gets remembered. That’s what builds loyalty. And loyalty is where the money is, not in some stranger’s double-tap on a throwaway video halfway across the world.