“The most successful posts are overwhelmingly self-centered, with people talking about themselves in supposedly “inspirational” ways.”
I wanted to go viral on LinkedIn. Rather than simply guessing what might work, I took a data-driven approach, scraping posts and analyzing what drives engagement. What I discovered was surprising (and depressing): The most successful posts are overwhelmingly self-centered, with people talking about themselves in supposedly “inspirational” ways.
Instead of joining the self-congratulatory parade, I decided to call it out.
I built the Viral Post Generator, a tool that automatically creates eye-roll-worthy posts, making the formula painfully apparent to everyone.
In a delightful twist of irony, this tool mocking viral content went viral itself.
I built the Viral Post Generator, a tool that automatically creates eye-roll-worthy posts, making the formula painfully apparent to everyone. In a delightful twist of irony, this tool mocking viral content went viral itself.
What I discovered
Self-centered posts dominate engagement on LinkedIn
Why I created the Viral Post Generator
To call out the narcissism and create a tool that would expose the formula for viral posts
I decided to call out the narcissism and create a tool that would expose the formula for viral posts. In a delightful twist of irony, this tool mocking viral content went viral itself.
The Viral Post GeneratorThe generator asks users to tell the generator what they did today, add any “inspirational” advice, and choose a cringe level (low to high)The generator then creates a perfectly crafted viral post that mimics the exact patterns of successful LinkedIn content
The generator asks users to tell the generator what they did today, add any “inspirational” advice, and choose a cringe level (low to high). The generator then creates a perfectly crafted viral post that mimics the exact patterns of successful LinkedIn content.
The technical approach was straightforward, using the most viral posts of all time as inspirationThe entire project came together on the no-code platform Adalo, proving that deep technical skills aren’t necessary to create something that truly resonates with people
The technical approach was straightforward, using the most viral posts of all time as inspiration. The entire project came together on the no-code platform Adalo, proving that deep technical skills aren’t necessary to create something that truly resonates with people.
The tool was initially met with crickets, but after pivoting tactics, it started to gain tractionThe tool was shared by social media profiles that regularly criticized LinkedIn’s culture of self-promotionThe tool was also shared by Reddit users who felt like they helped spark an idea
The tool was initially met with crickets, but after pivoting tactics, it started to gain traction. The tool was shared by social media profiles that regularly criticized LinkedIn’s culture of self-promotion. The tool was also shared by Reddit users who felt like they helped spark an idea.
The Taplio founder offered to acquire the tool, but I declined, opting for a 24-hour test to measure brand awareness valueThe tool reached 1.4 million users who created and shared their parody postsThe acquisition was a success, with the Taplio founder agreeing to my original asking price
The Taplio founder offered to acquire the tool, but I declined, opting for a 24-hour test to measure brand awareness value. The tool reached 1.4 million users who created and shared their parody posts. The acquisition was a success, with the Taplio founder agreeing to my original asking price.
