Why Chasing Viral Content Nearly Killed My Business (And What I Do Instead)

I want to talk about something that took me years (and a lot of frustration) to learn: chasing viral content is usually the worst strategy for growing your business.

I learned this the hard way. I’ve created blog posts that brought hundreds of thousands of visitors to my website in a single month—and you know how much money that earned me? Zero. Not a single customer. Not a single dollar.

I was so caught up in getting traffic and creating viral content that I forgot about what actually matters: building content that drives revenue.

So today, I want to break down the real lessons I’ve learned from going viral, and how you can avoid the same trap.

The Tale of Two Blog Posts: Going Viral vs. Making Money

If you don’t know, I got my start as a blogger over a decade ago. Back then, I did what everyone does when trying to grow online: I looked for topics that were popular, trending, or might go viral.

The Bulletproof Coffee Mistake

One of the first pieces of viral content I ever created was about bulletproof coffee. I wrote an insanely detailed blog post—photos, step-by-step instructions, the supposed benefits. And it worked. That post pulled in hundreds of thousands of visitors every single month.

But here’s the kicker: I was selling online fitness coaching. And the people Googling how to make bulletproof coffee were not looking for a coach. They just wanted to learn how to dump butter and MCT oil into their morning brew.

All that traffic led to zero customers. It was one of the most painful (but most valuable) business lessons I’ve ever had.

The Double Under Shift

About a year later, I finally got it. I created another post—this time on how to not suck at double unders. It was a super helpful tutorial that CrossFit athletes loved, and it spiked in traffic every time the CrossFit Open rolled around.

This article didn’t get as many views as bulletproof coffee, but it led to hundreds of paying customers. Why? Because it was directly tied to my offer: coaching people to get better at fitness.

The 3 Rules I Follow Now (So I Don’t Fall For Viral Content Again)

1. I Don’t Chase Vanity Metrics

There are tons of courses out there that will teach you how to create viral content—hooks, angles, controversial takes. And sure, if you spend enough time on it, you’ll eventually make something that pops off.

But what’s the point if it’s not connected to your business?

If I made a hilarious viral video tomorrow that had nothing to do with what I actually help people with, all I’d end up with is followers who would never buy. I’d be entertaining, not educating—and that’s a huge distinction.

2. The Only Metric That Really Matters Is Money

This sounds harsh, but it’s the truth. Unless you’re an influencer making money on brand deals (which most of us aren’t), your real goal is to grow your business. And business runs on revenue.

So if you’re measuring the success of your content purely by likes, views, or shares, you’re looking at the wrong scoreboard. Your content should drive people toward your offer, build trust, and eventually turn them into customers.

3. Make Content That Matches Your Offer

This is the big one. Whenever I’m stuck wondering what content to create, I start by looking at my offer. Then I reverse engineer it:

• What pain points does my offer solve?

• What common mistakes or questions do my customers have?

• How can I create content that answers those, and naturally leads to my solution?

That’s how you build content that not only serves people but also grows your bottom line. It might not go “viral,” but it’ll build a business—something viral content rarely does on its own.

Final Thoughts: Stop Obsessing Over Viral Content

If there’s one thing I hope you take from my mistakes, it’s this: you don’t need viral content to succeed. You need content that’s aligned with your offer and genuinely helps people solve their problems.

That’s what turns strangers into fans, and fans into paying customers.

And yeah—it might mean fewer views. But it’ll mean more money in your pocket, and more people actually getting the help they need.

Try harder.