Have you ever wished that something of yours would just… go viral on Facebook?
Well… when you hear what happened when my FB Reel went viral earlier this year, you might just think otherwise! I am sharing the good, the bad and the painful … AND… because it’s Day 6 of #Tashmas, I have a special gift… of course!
But first: What is #Tashmas?
I do it for both my birthday (1-12 March) and pre-Christmas (1-12 December) every year! You get a daily podcast episode, with a hot tip or practical strategy as per usual… but you ALSO get a present every day! It could be a freebie, a special offer, a competition… something fun every single day.
Today, let’s map out some of the BENEFITS of being late to start your online business…
Let me spill the tea!
Here for the links referenced in the show notes?
Grab your preferred training for $0 FB or Instagram marketing!
Come over to my Facebook Page and find the DAY SIX post for #Tashmas – comment “Instagram” to get the Instagram training, and “Facebook” to get the FB Version.
My unintended viral reel
First things first, going viral was never even on my radar.
Let me set the scene: it was July 2024 during the Olympics, and there was this hilarious reel going around of a gymnast landing a crazy vault. His surprised expression was just priceless. Watching that, I thought, “Hey, that’s me whenever I nail a podcast episode in one shot!”
So, in a light-hearted moment, I decided to remix the reel with my own spin and share it on Instagram—totally not intending to share to Facebook.
Thing is, Instagram auto-shares to my Facebook page, and I usually turn that setting off for Reels, but not this time. Oops! And boom, it unintentionally hit the Facebook feed.
Finding the wrong side of the comments
Here’s where things got messy…
The start of the reel—which I didn’t even create—has text over top saying “Accidentally landing the toughest vault”. And quite a few people, particularly older people, were quite offended on the Olympian’s behalf that ANYONE would imply that his skill was in any way an accident.
I fell on the ‘Well actually” side of the FB comments. Suddenly, the post was flooded… and getting more and more traction each day. Mind you, I wasn’t even the original creator of that text!
Anyway, because of all this traction in the comments, the reel exploded to 1 million views in a week and soared to 7 million as of the last count.
But where I intended to post it? On Instagram?
A mere 1,500 views. Go figure.
The good bits of going viral
Let’s start with the upsides. My ego got a big boost seeing my Facebook reach hit 5 million for August. All the stats were up—big time—and I did enjoy that moment of feeling like hot stuff.
But honestly? That’s about it for the positives.
The downsides of going viral
Let’s just say: Yikes. I had to shut down my Facebook ads because they were directed to ‘page engagers’ … so I was now targeting this irrelevant audience that had engaged with the reel. It messed with my warm audience metrics, meaning potential ideal clients became out of reach for my ads. So, I had to hit the ads pause button on one of my best-performing list growth ads. BOO.
Plus, the flood of comments made my phone buzz nonstop, so I had to mute notifications and start manually checking my Facebook page for actual meaningful interactions—something I haven’t needed to do in years.
There were also some heated arguments in the comments. Because my business falls under Australian Consumer Law, I had to monitor everything to ensure no inappropriate or harmful content was shared. Stressful! In the end, I deleted comments and blocked people, having to put time into managing a crowd I never intended to engage with in the first place.
It’s still a bit of a pain
The lingering effect of this reel? My monthly insights still look incredibly skewed. Since that spike, it’s impossible for real audience engagement metrics to look as good again, with every month looking worse than the one before. Red squares across the board in my monthly report. I have to sift through it all to retrieve accurate data on the content that genuinely matters.
The real takeaway: Quality vs quantity
Honestly, I’d much rather foster 10 quality connections each month than hit viral status again. The reality is, viral content doesn’t translate to business growth—it’s just a vanity metric. Despite that massive reach, it didn’t result in extra sales, new followers, or enriching conversations with my target audience.
Instead, what I value is engaging content that resonates with the right people.
So, if you’re like me and prefer high-quality connections over going viral, I’ve got a treat for you.
Your Day 6 #Tashmas Gift: Social Media Marketing Guides
As part of #Tashmas, I’ve updated my $0 Facebook Marketing training and created a brand-new $0 Instagram Marketing guide. If you’re keen on getting high-quality connections on these platforms, I’ve got you covered.
Come over to my Facebook Page and find the DAY SIX post for #Tashmas – comment “Instagram” to get the Instagram training, and “Facebook” to get the FB Version.
AND DON’T FORGET – there are DAILY podcast episodes for the 12 days of #Tashmas! See you tomorrow for another practical episode, and another special gift.
Thank you so much for joining me for this episode of the podcast!
I’ll see you tomorrow for Day 7 of #Tashmas! Until then, I cannot WAIT to see you SHINE.
