It’s a phrase you’ve probably heard in a meeting or maybe even said yourself. It’s short, confident, and sounds like a smart goal in today’s attention economy. But the truth is, virality isn’t a strategy. It’s a symptom. And chasing it blindly often leads brands further away from what actually works.

Yes, viral content exists, but it’s rarely something you can plan. It usually comes down to a mix of timing, cultural tension, and luck. The part no one really talks about is just how unpredictable virality really is. What resonates with people today can completely fall flat tomorrow, and it has less to do with quality than with ever-changing moods, shifting algorithms, and cultural moments that can’t be planned. When brands try to force it, the result is often content that feels inauthentic, derivative, and ultimately forgettable.

So what should brands focus on?

Relevance. Resonance. Realness. These are the pillars of content that perform consistently and build long-term equity. Relevance ensures your message connects with what your audience actually cares about. Resonance is about emotional impact. Does it speak to a shared challenge, a truth, or a belief? Realness is about voice and authenticity. Does your content sound like you, or like a brand trying to be someone else?

Too often, in the rush to go viral, brands begin chasing trends that don’t align with who they are. They adopt someone else’s tone, jump on trending audios, or mimic formats they’ve seen perform well for competitors. The problem is, borrowed relevance has a short shelf life. It might get you impressions, but rarely engagement that leads to trust or action.

Take Spotify, for example. The brand didn’t capture global attention by chasing every viral trend. It stood out by committing to a voice, tone, and identity that felt personal, playful, and deeply connected to its users. It wasn’t about trying to be trendy. It was about understanding what made its brand relatable in the first place and building from that place of clarity. What made Spotify’s campaigns resonate was rooted in who they were, not in what was trending.

And that’s the critical shift. Brands that consistently create impact don’t just ask, “How do we get seen?” They ask, “What do we want to be known for?”

So the next time you hear, “Let’s get everyone talking about this,” try asking these instead: What’s a message we want people to share because it actually matters? What truth are we speaking to that hasn’t been said this way before?

If this content got zero likes, would we still believe it was worth publishing?

Because the real objective in digital communication isn’t visibility. It’s value. Viral moments come and go. But relevance, when consistently delivered, builds something no algorithm can take away: credibility and trust.

Focus on that. And the right kind of attention will follow.