Your Hit Deserves A Sequel

Welcome back to Viral Examples. Today (in 2 mins or less) we're diving into what to do in the 72 hours after a post takes off.

The Sequel Window: Double Down on Hits

Say your latest post gets ten times your usual reach. You watch the numbers climb, check the comments a few too many times, then publish something unrelated on Thursday.

The people who just followed you came for a particular idea. Before moving on, give them more of what caught their attention.

Aim to publish a follow-up within 72 hours, while the original is still fresh. Here’s how to find something worth adding.

1/ Answer the top comment

Look through the comments for the question or objection that got the most replies. Give it a full post.

You already have a reason to write it: people asked, and others joined the discussion.

2/ Show how it works

If your first post made a claim, use the follow-up to explain the process behind it.

“Here's the exact process behind Tuesday's post.”

That gives readers who agreed with you something they can try themselves.

3/ Connect it to the original in the first line

For a post that reached 80,000 people, you might open with:

“Tuesday's post reached 80,000 people. A few of you asked how.”

People who missed it get some context, and those who saw it know you’re answering their questions.

4/ Give it a break before the third post

Two follow-ups in a row can start to feel repetitive. Publish the sequel, then save another angle for the following week.

Over time, you can build a series around the questions people keep asking, with each post giving them another reason to follow.

Time to Grow

There’s two parts to getting results from posting content:

1. High quality content

2. Relevant distribution

Megaphone, the team behind Viral Examples, helps with both.

1. Our writing team works learns your voice and delivers weekly batches of content for you to post.

2. Our creator network helps get your posts in front of the right audience.

Grab time here or just reply to this email to learn more.