There’s No Such Thing as Viral: Why Betting Your Business on Algorithms Is a Terrible Idea

I Am UnMarketable.

Once upon a time, someone posted a video of a cat playing a piano and the internet lost its damn mind.
That, my friends, was the beginning of the end.

Since then, every small business owner, every coach, every freelancer with a Canva account has been sold the same dream: “Just go viral, and everything will fall into place.”

You don’t need marketing.
You don’t need strategy.
You just need ONE magic post, and boom, overnight success.

Yeah…no.

Let’s have a real conversation, shall we? Because if you’re waiting for virality to save your business, you’re building your empire on a slot machine.

What “Going Viral” Actually Means (And Why It Doesn’t Matter)

Viral doesn’t mean profitable.
Viral doesn’t mean sustainable.
Hell, viral doesn’t even mean remembered.

When a post goes viral, all it means is that it spread quickly through an algorithm for a hot minute before something newer and shinier took its place. It’s like getting fifteen minutes of fame… on a platform where even the trending topics disappear faster than a free sample at Costco.

The truth? You don’t want to go viral. You want to be visible. Consistently. Predictably. Profitably.

There’s a BIG difference.

Virality is a Casino Game You’re Never Meant to Win

Social media platforms aren’t in the business of helping you succeed. They’re in the business of keeping people scrolling.

You, the business owner, the entrepreneur, the coach, you’re not the customer. You’re the content generator.

Every post you make?
It’s just more fuel for their machine.
More eyeballs.
More ads.
More time spent on platform.

And here’s the kicker: The second your content stops serving THEIR goals, it gets buried under an avalanche of other people’s posts.

Congratulations, you’re now fighting to stay “relevant” in a system you don’t control, can’t predict, and certainly can’t trust.

Stop Posting Like a Street Performer Hustling for Tips

Look, if your whole business strategy is to post 18 times a day on five different platforms just hoping to hit the jackpot?

You’re not running a business. You’re street performing.

And even the best street performers in the world pass the same hat around at the end of the night.

That’s not a strategy. That’s survival.

You didn’t build your business to survive. You built it to thrive.

And thriving means owning your pipeline. Not standing there hoping someone tosses a quarter your way.

Here’s What Actually Compounds Over Time

• Blog posts.
• Evergreen YouTube videos.
• Long-form content that answers REAL questions people are typing into Google.
• Email newsletters that you OWN.
• A solid offer people can find without relying on “trending sounds” or “posting daily at 9:13 a.m. Eastern.”

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram? They’re hamster wheels. You run and run and run… and maybe you win a handful of views before the wheel resets tomorrow.

Meanwhile, that blog post you published a year ago?
It’s still pulling people in.

That email list you built six months ago?
It’s still converting.

THAT’S the real “virality” nobody talks about: Compounding visibility.

Virality Is a Distraction. Build Value Instead.

You don’t need a lucky break.
You need a clear path.

Clear offer. Clear message. Clear ownership of your audience.

And that doesn’t happen by chasing trends. It happens by building assets. Assets you own. Assets that don’t depend on whether an algorithm feels generous today.

You’re Not Here for a Flash in the Pan

You’re here to build a business that lasts.

A business that people can find a year from now.
A business that doesn’t collapse when the TikTok algorithm sneezes.
A business that works even when you’re asleep, eating nachos, or binging Netflix on a Saturday afternoon.

So forget viral.

Forget trendy.

Forget “hacking the algorithm.”

Build slow.
Build strong.
Build sovereign.

Because there’s no such thing as viral.
There’s only ownership, or renting.

And you, my friend, were never meant to be a tenant.

* * * * * *

I am UnMarketable. I help business owners get off the ‘social media hamster wheel’ and make more money with platforms that they OWN. (Read that last part again.) Check out my books “The Social Media Escape Plan, and How to Market Your Business Without Social Media. Both are available on Amazon now.