Going Viral on LinkedIn When I Least Expected It
I never thought I'd go viral last week when I posted about Volkswagen's decision to reinstate buttons in all their vehicles. It was old news by then, and multiple car bloggers had already exhausted the topic.
In reality it was a subtle nod to a company I won't publicly name that refuses to modernize. They're pulling in hundreds of millions and refuse to copy other brands that have a better look and feel.
Lucky for them, their target customer demographic doesn't care and will buy the product regardless.
But the bigger picture is that you should never modernize for vanity's sake or to copy trends.
That thesis was lost in the comments. Most people began debating buttons vs. screen. Some even posted photos of their favorite car interiors, which I loved. I have a soft spot for French design from the 1980s.
Here's the exact post verbatim:
It's not that hard to do if you spend enough time thinking about each of these 10 elements.
1. Anchor to a recognizable brand or event
Tie your insight to something already happening in the public conversation. When you connect your idea to a well-known brand, cultural moment, industry shift, or trending event, you lower the barrier to entry for your audience. Familiarity creates context. Instead of asking people to care about an abstract point, you attach it to something they already recognize and likely have an opinion about. This immediately increases relevance and shareability because readers feel like they’re participating in a broader, ongoing discussion.
2. Start with a wimple, concrete example
Lead with something tangible and everyday—an object, behavior, or experience people instantly understand. A concrete example acts as a doorway into a larger idea. When you begin with something relatable (like car buttons, grocery stores, or email subject lines), you ground your insight in lived experience. That clarity builds trust and momentum. Once people nod in agreement at the example, they’re far more open to the deeper argument that follows.
3. Create a clear tension
Virality thrives on contrast: old vs. new, loud vs. effective, simple vs. complex. When you frame your idea as a tension between two competing approaches, you create cognitive friction that invites engagement. People instinctively choose sides. Clear tension sharpens your message and makes it memorable. Without contrast, ideas blur together. With contrast, they become debate-worthy.
4. Use a visual that tells the story instantly
The image should do the heavy lifting. A strong visual communicates the argument before a single word is read. It reinforces the tension, clarifies the example, and makes the insight obvious at a glance. In a fast-scrolling environment, the visual is the hook. If someone can understand your point in three seconds just by looking at the image, you dramatically increase your chances of stopping the scroll and earning a share.
5. Challenge a common assumption
Statements that gently question widely accepted beliefs spark curiosity and conversation. Phrases like “Newer isn’t always better” or “More features don’t mean more value” create intrigue because they disrupt default thinking. The goal isn’t to provoke outrage—it’s to introduce doubt in a familiar narrative. When people encounter a thoughtful challenge to what they’ve always heard, they’re compelled to consider, comment, or counter.
6. Keep the language skimmable and punchy
In social environments, clarity beats cleverness. Short sentences. Direct phrasing. Clean framing. Avoid fluff, jargon, and winding explanations. Each line should carry weight. Skimmable writing respects attention spans and increases comprehension. When someone can quickly extract the core message without effort, they’re more likely to finish, engage, and share.
7. Zoom out to a broader principle
Start specific, then expand. After illustrating your point through an example, elevate it into a universal insight. Move from the object to the pattern. From the pattern to the principle. This shift transforms a simple observation into a takeaway that feels widely applicable. The broader the principle—while still being clear—the more reusable and shareable your idea becomes.
8. Make it safe to engage
People are more likely to interact with content that feels intelligent but not hostile. An opinionated stance invites engagement; an aggressive tone shuts it down. Aim for confident, thoughtful, and composed. When readers feel they can agree, disagree, or add nuance without being attacked, they’re more willing to comment or share. Virality increases when participation feels socially safe.
9. Tap into emotion subtly
Strong content often carries an emotional undercurrent—frustration, nostalgia, relief, validation—but it doesn’t rely on outrage. Subtle emotion resonates more deeply and sustainably. When people feel seen or understood rather than provoked, they’re more likely to share as a form of self-expression. The goal is resonance, not reaction.
10. End with a takeaway people can reuse
Give your audience a line they can quote, repeat, or apply. A crisp closing statement crystallizes the insight and makes it portable. When someone can easily summarize your point in one sentence, they can pass it along. A reusable takeaway turns content into currency—something people share to signal their own perspective or expertise.
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Going viral on LinkedIn is like winning the lottery. But following these tips does increase the odds. I have a slight suspicion that it helped that I mentioned a major brand/advertiser, and that content was safe enough to not cause any controversy with someone's employer.
PS-
The most crazy thing is I posted on Sunday morning which is traditionally the worst time for engagement on LinkedIn!
But perhaps a post like this does work well on the weekend, when there's less competition from everyone.
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