The Half-life of a Viral Essay
What you may or may not have signed up for!
Photo by George Pagan III on Unsplash
While researching for this week’s post, I discovered an article about me on Fox News that I hadn’t known about. It was published on December 25th, 2024. First, note the title, The Top Five Absurd Tips From Liberal Pundits for Surviving the Holidays. Can’t Fox ever represent any real Christian values like non-judgment, even on their savior’s day? Second, I don’t read or watch Fox, so that’s another reason why I never saw this article. I’ll save you the trouble of reading it and let you know I was #1 with my essay I wrote for HuffPost, My Husband and His Family Voted for Trump—So I’m Cancelling Thanksgiving and Christmas. I was even ahead of Joy Reid, who was #2. A Time Magazine article was #3. I was in good company!
In the spring this year, I taught a Master’s class, “Female Dissent Through Artistic Expressions.” One of my favorite students confessed in class that he didn’t know I had written the HuffPost essay. When it came out, he had shared it with his family and friends. When he realized his professor was the one who wrote it, he told them, “I’m taking a class with that really cool woman who wrote that article about the election where she told her family to f**k off.”
I didn’t see the article that way. Still, I was very flattered.
Then, on a recent vacation, I struck up a conversation in the pool with someone my husband knew. He asked me what I did for a living. When I told him I was a writer, he wanted to know what I have written. Knowing he was Republican I told him I gained publicity writing an article after the election. As soon as I told him the title he gave me a high-five and called the rest of his group over to meet me. He kept pointing to me yelling, “she” was the one who wrote that article after the election about cancelling the holidays! They were all Republicans who had read the article. They offered to buy me drinks!
Even though I was swimming with the enemy and vulnerable to drowning, still, I was again flattered.
Many viral essays gain popularity initially, but then you don’t hear much afterward. There are a few reasons why: 1) it might be a trendy topic at the time, but something that isn’t discussed much later, 2) it received a lot of views, but not much engagement.
With my viral piece, the topic remains an ongoing issue—a country divided by politics. My piece also received a significant amount of engagement, as it was syndicated on several news platforms outside of HuffPost, including MSN News, Yahoo News, BuzzFeed, and others. It also sparked a major debate on Reddit Political.
As a writer and writing professor, I also attribute the success and lasting relevance of this essay to its emotional depth. I wrote it when writing was the only way I could express the intense feelings I had about the topic. The timing of publishing the piece was also crucial. It was one of the first articles published on the issue of family and friends dealing with their different political views after the election. This all said, I’m sharing this with my fellow writers in case you were wondering what a viral essay can do. If you want more advice on viral essays, I wrote this for Brevity: Going Viral: What to do Before, During, and After. Going viral wasn’t all wine and roses, but I don’t regret a word I wrote. It can be the gift that keeps giving, whether you asked for it or not.
I share all of this because the aftermath, even 8 months later, continues with this essay. If you want more information about viral essay experiences, I will present a free webinar for on July 31st. and I will both talk about, What Happens When Your Piece Goes Viral. Rebecca and I had different experiences. She had articles with Today.com and The Washington Post, which resulted in exciting outcomes. Hopefully, we will see some of you at the webinar!
Lastly, never underestimate the power of a title. My headline grabbed attention. Check out the titles in the first link below.
The 20 Best Viral Essays of the Past 20 Years
How I Write Stories that Go Viral
The Simple Principles of Viral Writing
Weekly Dog (Brody) Photo
Since I was flying to Costa Rico on Cinco de Mayo and away for a few weeks in NY, I didn’t get to post this photo of Brody on Substack. I think it’s so cute that I believe it has a long life span, hopefully similar to all of our essays and memoirs!
NEW: Writers Sharing Essays and Books
I am switching between my Literary Citizenship Share section and Writers Sharing Essays and Books. Be sure to tell us what you’re reading!
Last week, I finished Andromeda Romano-Lax’s novel, The Deepest Lake. I fell in love with the characters and didn’t want it to end! It was one of those books you can’t wait to dive into every night. I loved the alternating chapters, which switch between the two characters’ perspectives. The setting was another character and one I related to — a writing retreat in Guatemala! The details were beautiful, and the plot kept me on the edge of my seat. I can’t recommend it enough! Thank you,
Next Week’s Show: What Should Your Title Do?
Reminder that paid subscribers are invited to email any questions on writing and publishing for a monthly Q and A. This month the date is Saturday, July 28th.
Looking forward to your and Rebecca‘s webinar!
“I don’t regret what I wrote, I regret not being more prepared.” This line really hit me Andrea! My second ever published essay was in NYT Modern Love, I had no idea what to expect afterwards and it was like a gut punch. Strangers were sending me the nicest messages but the people closest to me ghosted me for a long time. Growing pains for this relatively new writer!