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    Jonah Peretti Viral Meetup Talk

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    Jon Steinberg
    This document summarizes Jonah Peretti's presentation on how to make ideas go viral on the internet. Some of the key strategies he discusses are: 1) Creating "viral media" that is easy to understand and share and includes a social imperative; 2) Taking a "mullet strategy" of being serious up front and fun in the back; 3) Using "big seed marketing" to pay for initial distribution and optimize content for maximum viral spread; 4) Targeting "maniacs" who are passionate about sharing content; and 5) Learning from the Mormons' success by making evangelism and spreading ideas a core part of the strategy.

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    Jonah Peretti Viral Meetup Talk

    Uploaded by

    Jon Steinberg
    82K views33 pages
    This document summarizes Jonah Peretti's presentation on how to make ideas go viral on the internet. Some of the key strategies he discusses are: 1) Creating "viral media" that is easy to understand and share and includes a social imperative; 2) Taking a "mullet strategy" of being serious up front and fun in the back; 3) Using "big seed marketing" to pay for initial distribution and optimize content for maximum viral spread; 4) Targeting "maniacs" who are passionate about sharing content; and 5) Learning from the Mormons' success by making evangelism and spreading ideas a core part of the strategy.

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    Mormons, Mullets, and Maniacs New York Viral Media Meetup August 12, 2010

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    This document summarizes Jonah Peretti's presentation on how to make ideas go viral on the internet. Some of the key strategies he discusses are: 1) Creating "viral media" that is easy to understand and share and includes a social imperative; 2) Taking a "mullet strategy" of being serious up front and fun in the back; 3) Using "big seed marketing" to pay for initial distribution and optimize content for maximum viral spread; 4) Targeting "maniacs" who are passionate about sharing content; and 5) Learning from the Mormons' success by making evangelism and spreading ideas a core part of the strategy.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf
    82K views33 pages

    Jonah Peretti Viral Meetup Talk

    Uploaded by

    Jon Steinberg
    This document summarizes Jonah Peretti's presentation on how to make ideas go viral on the internet. Some of the key strategies he discusses are: 1) Creating "viral media" that is easy to understand and share and includes a social imperative; 2) Taking a "mullet strategy" of being serious up front and fun in the back; 3) Using "big seed marketing" to pay for initial distribution and optimize content for maximum viral spread; 4) Targeting "maniacs" who are passionate about sharing content; and 5) Learning from the Mormons' success by making evangelism and spreading ideas a core part of the strategy.

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    Mormons, Mullets,

    and Maniacs
    New York Viral Media Meetup
    August 12, 2010
    Jonah Peretti
    the viral web in realtime

    The Big Question


    • How can you spread your ideas and
    make them “go viral” on the web?
    • I have been answering this question
    by creating media, working on
    political campaigns, starting
    companies, and collaborating on
    research
    • In the next 15 minutes, I will share
    everything I have learned in the past
    10 years
    Key Concept:
    The Bored At Work Network
    • Millions of bored office workers blog,
    Tweet, Facebook, and IM all day
    • The BWN is bigger than the BBC,
    CNN, or any traditional media network
    • A decentralized network that enables
    media to “go viral” if ordinary people
    enjoy sharing it
    The Old Broadcast Model

    Broadcasters and advertisers


    decide what is popular…
    The New Networked Model

    BWN decides
    what is popular
    the viral web in realtime

    Strategy #1:
    Viral Media
    • Create media that is perfect for the
    Bored at Work Network
    • Key is to make something that is easy
    to understand, easy to share, and
    includes a social imperative
    • A few examples of things I have
    made...
    Nike “Sweatshop” Email
    • Ordered a pair of Nikes customized
    with the word “sweatshop”
    • Email forward led to a viral cascade
    • People dedicate their life to fighting
    for human rights whereas I did not
    even know much about the sweatshop
    issue, but....
    the viral web in realtime
    the viral web in realtime
    The Rejection Line
    BlackPeopleLoveUs.com
    the viral web in realtime
    Hanging Out With Close
    the viral web in realtime

    Friends!

    OMG! Good Morning


    America with Chelsea
    the viral web in realtime

    Limiting Factor: Most Things


    Are Not Viral
    • It is hard to make viral media
    especially for serious topics
    • You never know in advance which
    ideas will work
    • You can drastically increase your
    chances for success if you try lots of
    things and bring the best forward
    the viral web in realtime

    #2: The Mullet Strategy

    Business
    upfront,
    party in
    the back!!!
    Business
    Upfront
    the viral web in realtime

    Party In The Back!!


    Jonah Peretti
    jonah@buzzfeed.com

    Add, Test, Tweak, Optimize, Remove Stories In Real Time


    the viral web in realtime

    Strategy #3:
    Big Seed Marketing
    • Buy the seed, get the viral for free
    • Combine art and science to maximize
    organic viral distribution
    • Big seed makes viral advertising
    repeatable for the first time
    ViralRank

    R=ßz
    • ViralRank measures the “social reproduction
    rate” of media

    • It is the key metric to show what is getting


    shared and linked on the social, realtime web
    The Viral Multiplier Effect

    • The higher the value of


    R, the bigger the
    multiplier effect
    R>1 R=1

    • Most people focus on


    R > 1 but they are rare
    and unpredictable

    • Optimizing R values R<1

    less than 1 is what will


    transform the
    advertising industry
    Time
    BuzzFeed Ads:
    Viral Optimization
    Viral R = 0.1
    Content

    Viral R = 0.3
    Promotion Content

    Viral R = 0.8
    Content

    We test R values in realtime and promote content with a


    higher rank. BuzzFeed editors, users, and advertisers can
    try lots of ideas and the platform maximizes distribution
    Viral Units Available
    Story Units Thumbnail Units
    Header

    Story Unit 1

    Related Content

    PARTNER

    Story Unit 2

    PARTNER

    Partner Area
    Viral Dashboard

    Manage
    and
    Maximize
    Viral Lift
    Who accelerates sharing with BuzzFeed?
    Strategy #4:
    MANIACS!!!!!!!
    • The web is ruled by maniacs like Perez
    Hilton, Ron Paul zealots, Apple fan
    boys, blog commenters, animal lovers,
    and other crazy people
    • Content is more viral if it helps people
    fully express their personality
    disorders
    • Couch potatoes don’t matter on the
    web, crazy people do
    the viral web in realtime

    Histrionic / Narcissistic
    Personality Disorder

    Key to success for FB,


    blogs,YouTube, twitter
    Obsessive-Compulsive
    the viral web in realtime

    Personality Disorder

    Key to success for


    Wikipedia, online games, comments
    the viral web in realtime

    Which Is Better:
    Judaism or Mormonism?
    the viral web in realtime

    Performance Metrics
    Jews
    Mormons
    15000000

    11250000

    7500000

    3750000

    0
    1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2007
    the viral web in realtime

    Strategy #5:
    Learn From The Mormons
    • Judaism is a really high quality religion
    but quality is NOT a growth strategy
    • Mormons want you to be Mormon!
    Make evangelism core to your strategy
    • Focus on the mechanics of how an
    idea spreads, not just the idea itself
    Recap:
    How To Go Viral
    • Viral Media - activate the bored at work
    network
    • Mullet Strategy - business upfront, party in
    the back!
    • Big Seed Marketing - pay for the seed,
    optimize for viral lift
    • Maniacs - target crazy people, not couch
    potatoes
    • Mormonism - quality is not enough, build
    evangelism into your ideas
    contact me
    jonah@buzzfeed.com
    @peretti

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