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8 September 20255 min read

6 Million Views: The Anatomy of Viral Content

Breaking down how we created content that reached millions, from a rap video with 6M+ views to beating celebrities on social media. The science and art of virality.

Content CreationMarketingSocial MediaViral

I've created content that's reached millions. A rap video with over 6 million views on YouTube. The Humans of Edinburgh campaign that hit 735,230 unique views, beating posts from Eddie Murphy, Tinie Tempah, and Coolio. A social media page with 60,000+ followers.

Here's what I've learned about making content that spreads.

The Rap Video: 6 Million Views and Counting

Let's start with the elephant in the room. Yes, I produced a rap video that went viral. No, I won't link it here (you can find it if you really want to). But the lessons from that project apply to any content:

1. Authenticity Beats Polish

The video wasn't perfectly produced. It wasn't shot on REDs or graded by professionals. But it was real, raw, and resonated. People can smell authenticity from a mile away, and they're hungry for it.

2. Cultural Moment > Timeless Content

We caught a moment. The sound, the style, the energy—it all aligned with what culture wanted right then. Trying to create "timeless" content often means creating forgettable content.

3. Distribution Strategy Matters

We didn't just upload and pray. We had a coordinated release across platforms, engaged with early viewers, and rode the algorithm when it started favouring us.

Humans of Edinburgh: Beating Celebrities at Their Own Game

The Humans of Edinburgh campaign was different. This was strategic, community-driven content creation at scale.

We partnered with Cyrenians (a Scottish charity) for their #TellYourStory campaign. Within 24 hours of posting, we beat engagement from celebrities with millions of followers. Here's how:

The Formula

1. Local Relevance + Universal Themes Every story was deeply Edinburgh, but the emotions were universal. A homeless person's journey. A business owner's struggle. A student's triumph. Local roots, global resonance.

2. Community Investment We weren't outsiders telling stories. We were part of the community, amplifying voices that already existed. People shared because they saw themselves or their neighbours in the content.

3. Emotional Architecture Each post followed a structure: Hook with vulnerability, build with struggle, resolve with hope. It's a formula as old as storytelling itself, but executed with discipline.

The Results

  • • 735,230 unique views across the campaign
  • • Beat Eddie Murphy's verified page (14M followers) in engagement
  • • Cyrenians was flooded with volunteer applications
  • • Created lasting community connections

The 60K Follower Page: Consistency at Scale

Building a page to 60,000 followers taught different lessons:

Volume Matters

We posted 3-5 times daily. Not spam, but consistent, quality content. The algorithm rewards consistency more than perfection.

Engage or Die

Every comment got a response in the first hour. Every DM got answered. Community management isn't glamorous, but it's the difference between followers and fans.

Test, Learn, Iterate

We treated content like code. A/B test everything. Track what works. Double down on winners. Kill losers fast.

The Science of Virality

After creating content that's reached millions, patterns emerge:

The 3 E's Framework

Emotion: Content must make people feel something intensely Education: Teach something surprising or useful Entertainment: Be impossible to ignore

The best viral content hits all three.

The Velocity Window

The first 60 minutes determine everything. If content doesn't gain traction immediately, it's dead. This means:

  • • Post when your audience is most active
  • • Have your core group ready to engage immediately
  • • Respond to every early interaction

The Share Trigger

People don't share content. They share what content says about them. Every viral piece answers: "What does sharing this say about me?"

Why This Matters for Business

At Shopify, I apply these lessons daily. Creating internal tools that people actually want to use. Building AI systems that feel magical, not mechanical. Turning dry revenue operations into something people get excited about.

The principles are the same whether you're creating a rap video or a revenue dashboard:

  1. • Understand your audience deeply
  2. • Create something they didn't know they needed
  3. • Make it impossible to ignore
  4. • Enable them to look good by sharing it

The Uncomfortable Truth About Viral Content

Most viral content is accidental. You can increase your odds, but you can't guarantee outcomes. I've created content I thought would explode that got 100 views. I've thrown things together in minutes that reached millions.

The key is volume + quality + timing + luck. You control three of those variables.

What's Next

I'm still creating. The medium has changed—now it's AI systems and revenue operations—but the principles remain. Make something people want. Make it remarkable. Make it shareable.

The next viral hit might be a revenue automation tool. Or a crypto trading bot. Or another random video. The game never ends; it just evolves.

Created viral content reaching millions. Built and sold companies. Now building AI systems at Shopify. The medium changes, but the principles of creating things people want remain constant.