the bossbabe podcast - 457: The Formula That Guarantees Virality: How to Grow an Audience of Engagers + Buyers

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

Going viral isn’t luck — it’s a system. In this episode, Natalie reveals the proven formula behind content that spreads like wildfire — even if you’re starting from zero. You’ll learn how to reverse engineer what’s already working on social media, use AI to optimize your posts, and finally understand the psychology and structure behind viral growth. This isn’t about copying trends or hoping a post takes off. It’s about following a step-by-step process that guarantees more reach, more visibility, and more impact.  And if you're inside of The Société, don’t forget to grab the exclusive 10x10 Viral Content Workbook to put this strategy into action today. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Why going viral isn’t luck — and what most people get wrong 01:29 - The 10x10 method that reveals the secret behind every viral post 03:16 - How to use AI to create better content in half the time 04:35 - The real reason your content isn’t taking off (yet) 06:25 - Why your first 50 posts matter more than you think 08:17 - How to find content inspiration outside your niche 10:01 - Five viral hook styles you should be testing 13:13 - Case studies: From 280 followers to 2M+ views 17:16 - Turning research into results — the secret to repeatable virality 24:01 - What to do after you go viral to build long-term momentum RESOURCES + LINKS Join The Société: Our Exclusive Membership To Help You Build A Freedom-Based BusinessTM. Sign Up For Our Free Weekly Newsletter & Get Insights From Natalie Every Single Week On All Things Strategy, Motherhood, Business Growth + More.  Drop Us A Review On The Podcast + Send Us A Screenshot & We’ll Send You Natalie’s 7-Figure Operating System Completely FREE (value $1,997).

Going viral isn't look, it's a system. Have you ever felt like you're just throwing content out there, but nothing ever takes off? If that's you, this podcast is about to change everything. Here's the truth. Virality is not random. It follows a pattern. Every viral post leaves clues if you know where to look.

Most people quit too soon because they assume virality is based on look. They don't realize that content that spreads follows a specific structure, one built on attention, engagement triggers and strategic storytelling. The creators who go viral aren't lucky, they've mastered the science, they understand audience psychology, platform algorithms and the precise ingredients that turn a simple idea into a viral sensation. And today I'm going to

show you how you can do the same. So what we're gonna talk about is reverse engineering viral content using the 10 by 10 method, the step-by-step process to find patterns and apply them to your niche, how to use AI like ChatGPT to streamline content creation, and why most people fail and how to avoid their mistakes.

By the end of this, my hope is that you understand the step-by-step process to make your content more discoverable, shareable and engaging, so that it gets picked up by the algorithm and spreads far beyond your existing audience. And if you're a member of the society, which is our signature membership at Bross Babe,

you can actually grab the exclusive 10 by 10 viral content workbook to put all of this into action immediately. So let's break it down. Going viral isn't luck, it's a science and if you've ever felt like virality is random, I'm about to show you why it's not. Every viral post follows a pattern, a repeatable formula that makes people stop scrolling, engage and share. The 10 by 10 method is how you decode that formula and apply it to your own content.

This is one of the most powerful tools for anyone looking to grow fast on social media because instead of guessing what works, you'll reverse engineering success. So here's exactly how it works. This is the 10 by 10 method step by step. First, you're gonna study this top performing content in your niche, not just what gets likes

but actually goes viral and spreads beyond someone's existing audience. Step 1 is identify 10 accounts in your niche or closely related niches that have a proven track record of going viral. These should be people who are constantly getting massive engagement not just one hit wonders. Step 2 is find their 10 most viral posts. This is where the magic happens. You're looking for patterns not just the most viewed posts but the ones with high shares, saves and comments. Step three, break down the structure of those posts. Ask yourself what's the hook in the first three seconds? Does it create curiosity? Does it challenge your belief? What format are they using? Is it text on

a screen, a talking head video, a skit? What emotions does this post trigger? Is it shock, humor, deep relatability? Do they have any kind of engagement strategy? Are they using a cult action, controversy, storytelling? Then step four, you will apply all these common patterns to your own content. So once you actually analyze enough viral posts, you'll start seeing very repeatable trends, specific words, video styles, or psychological triggers that show up over and over. This is your roadmap.

Then step five is using AI to refine and optimize your messaging. Once you have the structure, you can use AI tools like Chatupiti to enhance your ideas. For example, you can ask, rewrite this hook to make it more curiosity driven. Or give me five alternative captions based on these viral patterns. Or maybe summarize the engagement strategies from these 10 viral posts. And here's something most people overlook. Performance nuances matter.

A post that blows up on TikTok might completely flop on Instagram Reels and vice versa. So while you're analyzing viral content, don't just look for one size fits all formulas. Look at what's uniquely working on each platform. And then a bonus tip is document everything. The goal is not just to consume viral content. It's to track what's working so you can actually replicate success and actually understand what it is that goes viral. So use a spreadsheet notion or even a simple Google Doc to just organize your findings. That way when you sit down to create content, you're not just starting from scratch. You have data backed inspiration at your fingertips.

So the main takeaway here is virality is not about posting more. It's about posting smarter. The 10 by 10 method gives you a clear system to follow so that instead of hoping a post takes off, you're actually engineering it for success. Let me guess, you might also have tried posting viral style content maybe a few times and then when it didn't take off, you thought,

well, maybe this just isn't for me. Maybe my niche doesn't go viral. Maybe the algorithm just hates me. But here's the truth, virality is not an accident. It is a skill and like any skill it takes practice, testing and refinement. Most people give up way too soon because they just expect instant results. But expecting to go viral after a few attempts is like walking onto a baseball field for the first time and thinking you'll hit a home run on your first swing. It is just not how it works. Think of virality more like cracking a safe right? Not that I know much about cracking safes but let's say if you had to crack a safe would you turn the dial once and then just walk away if it

didn't open? No you would be testing multiple different combinations until you found the exact code that unlocked it, getting some clues along the way. Going viral works the exact same way. Every post you create is another turn of the dial. Every piece of content you put out gives you clues and data about what works and what doesn't, but most people they'll just stop too soon. What's actually happening when your posts don't take off?

If you've tried creating viral style content and it just hasn't worked yet, there are a few different things that might be happening. You might actually be analysing the wrong accounts. Like, are you studying consistent viral creators or just want a one-hit wonder that got lucky? You could be also misinterpreting why a post went viral. Was it the hook? The topic? The timing? Virality is rarely about just one thing.

You might be giving up before the algorithm actually has time to favor you and understand who your ideal audience is. The algorithm rewards persistence. If you quit after five or 10 posts, you just haven't given it enough data at work with. So reality check is your first 50 posts should be viewed as data collection, not a final judgment on your ability to do well or go viral.

Each post is going to teach you something new. Which hooks are going to grab attention, which topics are going to resonate most, what formats drive the highest shares for you and how the algorithm actually interacts with your content over time. And if you're not tracking and learning from your results you're wasting really valuable insights that could get you closer to virality and therefore closer to audience growth. So instead of posting blindly and hoping for the best start optimizing. Use AI to analyze your captions, your hooks and your ideas. Ask Chachi BT can you rewrite this Instagram caption in a way that sparks curiosity? Can you give me five variations of this this hook that are gonna be more engaging? Treat every post like a test Study your analytics track patterns and engagement

Double down on what works commit to a hundred posts not just 10 or 20 Most people quit before they hit that tipping point But when you stay in the game long enough, you eventually crack the code. Virality is not about luck, it's about iteration. Every post you make is one step closer to understanding what makes content take off. So instead of asking yourself if you're good at creating content,

ask yourself, am I actually testing enough to figure it out? Because the only way this doesn't work is if you stop and give up too soon. Most people approach content creation like a guessing game. They throw ideas out hoping something sticks but they never take the time to analyze what's actually working. That's where AI comes in. AI isn't here to replace your creativity, it's here to enhance it.

It helps you spot patterns, refine your messaging and actually optimize what's already working. So instead of just creating more content, you wanna be working on creating smarter content. So let me show you exactly how to use AI to really just fine tune your strategy so that every post you create has that higher chance of going viral and bringing new audience in. So one of the biggest mistakes people make

is not studying their own content. If a post performs well, do you know why? If it flops, do you know what went wrong? You can use AI to analyze engagement trends and help you figure out what's driving results. So try this. You could ask ChatGPT, analyze the engagement on these five posts and tell me what patterns are leading to higher shares. AI will look at the data and help you to identify trends. Are your posts with old contrarian statements getting more shares?

Are your list style posts performing better than personal stories? This is how you stop guessing and start optimizing. So if you don't know where to start, look at what's already working in your niche. AI can help you study viral posts from competitors and actually generate content ideas, not copying, but based on their best performing posts.

So what you could also try is a prompt that says give me 10 Instagram post ideas based on the best performing content from whoever your competitor is. So this gives you data-backed starting points instead of just brainstorming in a vacuum. But remember you really do not want to be copying their content so make sure you use AI to understand what hooks, what structures and formats are resonating with your shared audience. Then take those insights and make sure to put your unique spin and value on them.

That's really, really important. You could also use AI for hook testing. We all know that a post lives or die in the first three seconds. If your hook isn't strong enough, people scroll past lives or die in the first three seconds. If your hook isn't strong enough, people scroll past no matter how good the rest of your content is. So instead of just writing one hook, crossing your fingers and hoping for the best, use AI to generate multiple variations and then test which one would grab the most attention. So you could ask ChatGBT,

rewrite this caption in five different styles. Curiosity driven, authority driven, humor infused, emotional and urgency based. Now instead of just guessing which approach will work best, you can test different versions and actually track which one performs better. This is exactly how you increase your chances of virality. The main takeaway is that AI can help you work smarter and not harder. So instead of creating more content, create better content. The biggest mistake people make, as I've said, is just stopping too soon. They just assume it's not working when in reality the tipping point happens after repeated exposure and fine-tuning. Like you really need to think like a scientist.

Every post you're creating provides feedback. Study those analytics. Look at which posts get the most engagement. Every post you're creating provides feedback. Study those analytics. Look at which posts get the most engagement. Use that to consistently refine your content strategy. The more you test, the closer you get to cracking this code. And what I want to share is if you do want a step-by-step system for analyzing your content and optimizing virality,

I really want you to grab the 10 by 10 viral content workbook inside the society. Because here's the thing, once you start using data and AI to guide your strategy, you will never have to guess again. Another of the huge objections that I hear is, there's no one in my industry going viral. And if you believe that, I have good news for you. It's not true.

If you're not seeing viral content in your niche, it doesn't mean it's impossible. It just means you're either looking in the wrong places or thinking too narrowly. Virality isn't just about studying people exactly like you. It's about studying patterns that work across multiple industries and applying them to your own space. So think about it like this. If you were opening a bakery, would you only study other bakeries? Or would you look at food influencers, coffee shops and gourmet restaurants to see what's actually working in that broader space? Some of the best content ideas aren't

going to come from direct competitors in fact they probably shouldn't. They're going to come from adjacent industries, people serving a very similar audience but in a different way. So here's how you could actually find viral inspiration beyond your niche. If you find yourself really struggling to find that kind of content in your industry what we're gonna do is take one step outside your niche and here's what it looks like. Let's say a prenatal nutritionist could study fitness creators targeting new mums or a business coach could study mindset influences. A relationship coach could study personal growth creators. The key

is to find content that resonates with your audience even if it's not coming from someone doing exactly what you do and here's how to put this into action right now. Use Instagram search and hashtags to find content that speaks to your audience's pain points. So instead of just searching for competitors, search for topics that your audience is actually engaging with. Now, if you know your ideal client, you should be knowing this. You can also go to TikTok and YouTube Shorts.

Just because your niche isn't viral on one platform, doesn't mean it's not happening somewhere else. Some industries thrive on short form video, while others might do better with text-based posts on Twitter or LinkedIn. You really could tap into AI as well to be finding cross industries trends so asking Chachapiti give me a list of related niches that my target audience also follows. This will help you expand your reach beyond your immediate industry. So one of my clients Brianna

Cox she's a fitness coach, she applied the 10 by 10 strategy and didn't just go viral once, she went viral twice in one week, hitting 2.4 million views on a single reel. She wasn't just looking at other fitness coaches, she studied what was working for health influencers, wellness experts and high performing content in those adjacent spaces. And that's the shift. When you stop limiting yourself to only studying your direct competitors and start analyzing what's working

in the broader content landscape, you open up a completely new world of viral potential. So the next time you think, there's no one in my niche doing this, reframe the question. Where else has my audience spend their time? And what content is already capturing their attention? Because that might be where your next viral post is waiting, which could

be the thing that takes you from a small audience to a really highly engaged audience. What I also want to share is you cannot reverse engineer virality if you're analysing the wrong kind of posts. So a lot of people do make the mistake of studying accounts that got lucky once instead of those accounts that are going viral consistently. I've kind of talked about this but a one-hit wonder does not teach you a repeatable strategy. What you want to find are creators who've cracked the code and can do it over and over and over again. So what I want to do is break down exactly how to find the right accounts to study in the 10x10 method. Step one, search for top creators in your niche. Start by searching for viral content within your industry across different platforms. Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, you name it, go and look

there. So what you're going to do is use keyword based searches on Instagram Reels, on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, wherever it is. Look for accounts with at least 50,000 followers and high engagement because follow account really means nothing if no one's actually engaging with the content. Prioritise creators who repeatedly go viral, not just someone who has that lucky post and then once you find those 10 high performing accounts, the next step is digging into what makes their content work. So step two is gonna be looking for engagement patterns. You're not just looking for views. You wanna analyze which accounts are getting really high shares and saves because these signal content

that actually spreads. You wanna look for accounts that have lots of comments that indicates deep engagement and not just love this, but actual conversations. Look at a mix of viral hits and consistently solid engagement. Some people go viral once, but they best create as half a repeatable strategy.

And then step three is taking action. Once you've identified 10 strong accounts, what you'll do is use AI to summarize key takeaways. Ask Chatgyu BT, summarize the most common engagement tactics used in these viral posts, save these accounts into an Instagram collection, what formats keep showing up, are there certain emotional triggers they rely on. The goal is to build a bank of proven strategies so that when you

create content, you're not guessing. You're following a formula that already works. Another example is Caroline started the 10x10 challenge with just 280 followers. She followed this exact process, she studied viral content, broke it down and applied the patterns to her own posts. Within five days, her first viral reel hit 60,000 views. Just four days later, she hit a million views and she didn't stop there. She kept testing.

Her following grew by over 10X. She went from 280 to over 3,200 followers with content reaching 2.2 million views and it wasn't by luck. It was because she followed a system. That is the power of analysing the right accounts and applying what already works. If you want to go viral consistently, stop trying to figure it out from scratch. Find the people who've already cracked the code, study their patterns and implement them into your own content. Next up, let's talk about turning analysis into action

and using it to create your own viral content. Because here's the thing, you can study viral content all day long, but if you don't actually apply what you're learning, it is not going to move the needle at all. The secret to mastering virality isn't just research, it is execution, it is testing, it is tweaking and refining until you figure out

exactly what works for your audience on your platform. Because virality isn't just about one lucky post. It's about building a system you can repeat over and over and over again. Let me just really bring everything we're learning together and break down exactly how you turn everything you've analyzed into content that actually performs. So step one is follow proven viral frameworks but make sure you add your own twist. If you're seeing that list style posts are performing over and over in your niche don't just scroll past that. Create your own version. Teach three things, five steps, seven mistakes but do it with your expertise, your voice, your stories. If a certain video style is trending, maybe it's a text overlay or a specific

transition, adapt it to your niche. Don't overthink it, take what's working, put your spin on it and get it posted. The same goes for hooks. If you find a high performing hook in your research, use it as inspiration. Ask yourself, how would I say this? What's the version that makes sense for my audience, my message, My offers? And then let's also talk about audio because this is where a lot of people miss the mark You want to leverage trending audio and platform boosts when you can but the trick is catching trends early So probably what you want to do is look for sounds with under 10,000 users This gives you a chance to ride the wave before it's saturated and then always add captions and text overlays

They don't just boost engagement, but they make your content more accessible and they keep people watching longer. From there, what you can also do, like I've talked about, is use AI to enhance content ideation optimization. You should never be sitting there staring at a blank screen wondering what to write. Ask ChatGBT, give me five viral style Instagram captions

based on this post content. Let it help you generate ideas, test different angles and tighten up your copy. Now, once you're posting consistently, you've really got to start paying attention to which formats are driving the highest engagement. Analyze your posts, are your talking head videos performing better?

Is it the carousel graphics or the storytelling voiceovers? Test everything. Short captions vs long ones? Director camera vs text driven? Voice over vs b-roll? Your job is to experiment until you know what your audience actually loves. A really common mistake that I see is people looking at their numbers day to day and getting discouraged.

I really don't want you to do that. Your data tells you way more when you zoom out and you look at weekly trends. What's happening monthly? So if you have access to any kind of external analytics tools you can use them but honestly I just stick with the insights that Instagram gives me. And here's your reminder not every post is gonna go viral and that's okay. Virality is a numbers game. Some will flop, some will do okay, but every post gives you data and that data is what gets you closer to the post that finally hits. So stop worrying about making every post perfect. Your job is to get in the game. Get the reps in and iterate based on what your audience is actually

responding to because once you start creating content based on real data instead of guesswork that's when you're gonna see momentum and that's when you build a content strategy that's designed to win over and over and over again. Like I've said the only way this fails is if you give up too soon so how do you stay consistent and scale your reach? The hard truth like like I have said, is virality will not happen for you overnight. It is not luck, it is the result of consistent effort, learning and refinement over time. The people you see winning, the people that you're inspired by, the ones whose content just keeps popping off, they are not special. They are just the ones who kept going

long enough to figure it out. The only way this is going to fail is if you quit too soon. So let me set some expectations for you because I know how easy it is to get frustrated when things aren't moving as fast as you'd like. So here's what your first 100 posts will actually look like and why you need to stay in the game. So week 1-4 you're probably in full experimentation mode. You're testing different formats, hooks and topics. Some posts will totally flop and that's normal.

This part is messy by design. You're figuring it out. Weeks five to eight, you start noticing patterns. You start seeing which posts are picking up more saves, more shares, more comments. You start recognizing the styles, the topics, the hooks that your audience responds to. This is where you double down on what's working.

Weeks 9 to 12, you're probably seeing that persistence is paying off. By this point, if you stay consistent, you likely see one or more posts finally break through. Listen, maybe it's not million views, but you'll notice substantial reach. Your engagement rate is climbing. People start recognizing your name in their feed. The problem is, most people are going to quit somewhere around post 30 or 40. Right when they're about to hit the phase where things start working, they get discouraged. They tell themselves, it's not working, they're not good enough, and then they stop.

But the people who break through, they are the ones who commit to seeing it all the way through, all the way to 100 posts and beyond. So how do we make sure that you don't fall into the quit too soon trap? First, I want you to commit to the full process. Don't set a goal to post 10 times. Set a goal to post 100 times. Mentally lock in that number and remind yourself this is a volume game. Second, study the data but do not obsess over daily numbers.

Looking at your analytics every single day is going to drive you. Instead, zoom out, look at your numbers weekly, track trends, patterns matter way more than any one post. Third, get your research dialed in now. Pick your 10 accounts today, literally start today. Start analyzing what's working in your niche and your adjacent spaces. Pull 10 viral posts per account so you've got that database of content you

can learn from a model. And finally, actually start creating your first 10 posts today. Don't wait for the perfect idea. Don't wait until you feel ready. Just start. Like literally I'm talking to you, just start now, just start today. Because every post that you make is one step closer to cracking that code. You can refine it as you go but trust the process and remember the only way this doesn't work is if you stop before it starts working and the missing piece to long-term virality and growth is mastering consistent growth beyond a single viral moment. Here's what I really want you to take away from this. Virality isn't the finish line. It's not just about getting one post to blow up and then hoping it

happens again. The real goal is building a repeatable system, something that allows you to create high-performing content over and over again so that every piece you put out keeps growing your audience, your brand and your revenue. At this point I hope you understand the formula. You know, you probably should know how to reverse engineer the viral content, study the patterns and optimize your message, but here's the truth, that one viral post isn't enough. If you do not have a system behind it,

the traffic will come and it will go. You'll get the views, but they don't convert. You gain followers, but they do not stick around. So let's just talk quickly about how to turn those viral moments into real momentum that will actually compound over time. First, you are going to need a conversion strategy. Virality without a plan is just wasted reach.

You've got to know exactly where you're sending people when that post blows up because it's going to blow up. So are they joining your email list? Are they clicking over to your long form content? Are they going into your funnel? Next, focus on creating bingeable content. A single viral post is great, but what makes people stay is finding a backlog of valuable content that keeps pulling them in. The goal is to turn that new follower into someone who binge watches your content, connects

with your brand and eventually buys from you. Then you're going to refine and optimize your content process constantly. This is where AI and those data-driven insights come in. You're looking at what's working, you're looking at what's getting shared, what's driving engagement and then doubling down on all of that. And then if you really wanna build staying power,

focus on community building. That's my secret. Virality is always stronger when it sparks conversation. So engage with your comments, reply to your DMs, make your audience feel like they're part of something. And also don't forget the power of collaborations and partnerships. I love that. When you're partnering with creators or brands in adjacent niches, you're not just borrowing their audience. You're creating a new viral moment by combining two engaged communities. That's the system.

That's how you create momentum that will keep building, long after the views slow down on a single post. So if you're serious about this, which I'm going to guess you are if you've made it all this way, if you're ready to stop guessing and start following a proven framework, maybe you'll consider joining our signature membership, The Society. Inside The Society, you actually get access to the 10 by 10 viral content workbook and a full curriculum that's going to show you how to put into action everything I'm teaching. It's designed to help you scale your reach, grow your audience and build a business that thrives on organic traffic. And what's amazing is you can literally

join for $97 a month. So if you're, I've put all the links below that you need and hopefully I'll see you inside there And if not, I'll see you in the next episode Wait, wait, wait before you go I would love to send you my seven figure CEO operating system completely free as a gift All you've got to do is leave us a review on this podcast because it really supports the growth of this show. This is my digital masterclass where I'll show you what my freedom-based daily, weekly and monthly schedule looks like as an eight-figure CEO,

mama and high performer. And I'll walk you through step-by-step how to create this for yourself. It includes a full video training from me and a plug and play spreadsheet to literally create your own operating system. It's one of our best trainings and it's worth $1,997 but I will unlock access for you for free when you leave us a review. I know wild right? All you have to do is leave your review on the podcast, take a screenshot of it and then head over to bossbabe.com slash review to upload it. And then you'll get instant access

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