Contagious content: STEPPS and the science of shareability [Video]

Luck and cats. According to Jonah Berger, a marketing professor at the University of Pennsylvania, these are the two most popular misconceptions about why content goes viral. As the author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, Jonah is an expert in social epidemics and the science of shareability. And that’s precisely what it is: a science.

Unfortunately, there can never be an absolute guarantee of widespread exposure with any idea, no matter how great it might be. Content and PR campaigns do require that little bit of luck, of course, but it is by no means the only (or even the most significant) factor involved in succeeding. As for cats, there weren’t many of them in Gangnam Style or WRENs First Kiss video, and I seem to remember both of those doing okay.

While we might not be able to assure 100% blanket coverage, what we can do is apply a series of …