💚You Know EXACTLY What This is About
I'm going to bet $5 you know what the contents of this email contain.
Welcome to Double Taps
Hey fam, it’s Dino. Happy Friday!
If you are reading this in your email inbox, you are now allowed to talk about Fight Club.
I think we all know the viral moment I’m gonna talk about today…
But I’m not sure you have heard it like this.
In Today’s Issue:
Everyone is pissed at the Fresh Prince
Heartwarming goodness goes viral
The Slap Heard Around the World
What Happened
I’m gonna be honest. I’m tired of everyone talking about Will Smith. I almost didn’t write about it, but as a true journalist I decided I had to cover it.
Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars. We all know why, how, and what happened, but I wanted to dive into some Meta themes surrounding the incident below.
Personally, instead of deplatforming Will, we should just send him to fight in WWE until he can reclaim his honor in a six person ladder match.
What Can We Learn
There’s a saying in journalism that goes,
“If it bleeds, it leads”
Everyone wants drama. Why else do you think WWE is still in business? We love seeing people in the spotlight create “are you kidding me?” moments.
From the moment of the slap, to Will Smith walking back to his seat, everyone was wondering “is this staged?”
But then Will said some “no-no” words and we ALL were like,
“Oh wait, this is legit.”
If it WAS staged, it could have been one of the coolest ways for people to care about the Oscars again. Sadly, it was not.
The question I was wondering was not “How did this blow up?” but rather,
“Why did it die out so fast?”
Usually when we see a viral moment happen, it can be fun to ride the wave for a week or two. Personally, I was tired of all the memes by 2pm that same day.
The last thing you want is to shine brightly for 24 hours and then die out just as fast. The best thing you can do is create a trend that has some sort of staying power.
Make It Happen
Here’s how to go viral for the long haul.
Focus on Evergreen
It’s okay to follow trends to ride the wave, but don’t let it define your content strategy.
Think through problems or situations that will always exist for your niche.
Create helpful content that can help others overcome those problems. These will be useful regardless if it’s 2022, or 2030.
DON’T Try to Blow Up
When you get caught up in trying to get views, you begin to put a cap on how long you can survive.
Create things you want to make. When you find a format that works, stick with it and always try to make it as best as you can.
Build a community. Focus on how you can create relationships and foster friendship instead of fans.
Don’t Settle for Cheap
There is a reason people call soap operas and YouTube Drama “crap television.”
The most unattractive thing I could witness is others using someone else’s mistake for their own gain.
Here’s My Take
Finally, a Sound for Old White People
What Happened
A few weeks ago, Tik Tok was taken over by “Miami, My Amy” by Keith Whitley. Originally released in 1985, the song has been dormant on your dad’s iPod nano until a Tik Tok trend about the genuine wholesomeness of suburban old people exploded in popularity.
The trend initially set the location of a generic suburban scenario with the punchline being a cliché, wholesome statement made by an older person. This is the one I saw first and, although I do not fish, I instantly felt a connection to this boy’s experience.
This was my favorite (the comments are definitely the best part).
Over time, it unfortunately devolved into a way to make fun of white boomers.
Why It Happened
Here’s a key to making a viral trend: thrusting an uncommon situation that everyone deals with into the spotlight.
For example, here’s a video I made that has been reposted on almost every Christian meme page on Instagram (often without crediting me lol). It’s something I’ve done my whole life but never realized everyone does it too.
Make It Happen
When you can highlight a specific situation that everyone unknowingly goes through, your video will explode. Here’s a few ways to find this in your own life:
Write It Down
Keep track of moments you experience repeatedly. You will find many of these throughout your day and, most likely, others do too.
Create a note on your phone and fill it with these relatable moments. If you don’t write it down, you’ll forget about it.
Ask Questions
Comedians make most of their best work from relatable moments everyone deals with. The difference is they sit in the scenario and ask themselves “why?”
Jerry Seinfeld’s entire joke writing process is focused on figuring out the humor in common situations.
Find Your Format
The format makes the joke. Luckily, and unfortunately, there are endless ways to deliver a joke.
Think about how a joke could be replicated by others. If the joke is the punchline, it will be a funny video. If the joke is the FORMAT, it can be a replicable trend.
Wrap Up
I hope you enjoyed this week’s newsletter! Some of this material is some of my favorite I’ve broken down so far.
I wanted to update you on the format as well. I only discussed two topics this week, because I felt like if I tried to write a third one, it would be a bit of a stretch.
Virality has changed over the last decade. In 2010, if a video got a couple million views, you got on the news. Nowadays, if you get a million views it’s just Tuesday.
I want to address the TRULY viral moments we experience. Usually these are few, but they exist cyclically.
I want to cover the big trends, not just the tiny ones that are experienced in the niche bubble that is my “explore page.”
Be on the lookout for the next issue and if you’d like to join the discussion, please join my discord and share your thoughts!
See you soon!
Dino