What does it really take to create viral content? It is a question most marketers consider in some capacity throughout the entire idea building process. Everyone wants their message to have an impact but in most cases it seems like the real viral hit makers know a secret sauce recipe that the rest of us are continually trying to master.
To help in answering this question (and a few more!) Oodle caught up with copywriter, comedian, and the highly talented improv performer Sarah Jenkins.
Sarah is a copywriter at The Alchemedia Project in Springfield Mo, writer and performer on the Mid-American Emmy nominated improv TV show The Mystery Hour, and most recently, breakthrough personality and writer for the insanely viral Internet hit Instagram Husband.
With almost 5 million views and viral fan engagement, the video pokes a little (maybe a lot of) fun at the tendencies of avid Instagrammers and the collateral impact their partners tend to suffer at the expense of the coveted “coffee shot”.
Be sure to check out the video and media release!
As if her career accolades weren’t impressive enough, Sarah provides us with a unique and meaningful perspective on what it means to tell a story worth listening to, and offers invaluable adviceon the cultivation of those once-in-a-viral lifetime ideas.
Read on to hear how Instagram Husband took the Internet by storm, and a few pro tips on creating content with a purpose.
I am a copywriter at The Alchemedia Project in Springfield, Mo., where I work primarily on Unilever Food Solutions and WhiteWave Away From Home accounts. Before this I was in the marketing and communications office at Drury University.
I found my way into The Mystery Hour a few years ago. Founder and host Jeff Houghton and I did improv together for years. When he started TMH, it was a live version of a late night talk show (not televised), and I was an audience member/fan, occasionally playing small roles in bits.
I joined the writing team when the show was brand new on television, and we’re now in season 5. We do live 3-episode tapings once a month, then we air every Saturday night in two Fox markets—Springfield and Joplin/Pittsburgh (KS).
Hm…Does it make me a comedy snob if I say yes? I do think anybody has the ability to be funny—humor is a thing we humans share; isn’t that nice? And then there are people like me who nerd out about comedy (watching it, reading it, thinking about it, talking about it, making it), and I think we are different from the average citizen. Comedy is a skill like any other—practice and exposure to a wide variety of influences can only make you better.
Saying, “I want to be a comedy writer” or “I think I can be professionally funny” takes some hutzpah. In general, people don’t question doctors or teachers or accountants (you know, “real” jobs) so much, but comedy—and maybe all creative work—feels less serious or real sometimes.
I saw a quote recently that applies:
“You can’t pursue something and be committed to it if you’re apologizing for it at every party.”
– Lisa Kudrow
(She did okay with a comedy career.)
Well thanks! It’s great to see reactions like this. It’s been fun and overwhelming. (I tried to coin the term ov-fun-whelming, but I stopped myself.) So bizarre to see show up on blogs and news sites.
I also made a Facebook post about the Stages of Going Viral.
It’s been bizarre to see it showing up all over the internet, and all over the world. A few moments really got to me: Buzzfeed, finding ourselves trending on Facebook, Rita Wilson (as in she’s amazing, and married to Tom Hanks) tweeting about it last week.
The writing team has had an ongoing thread of texts since day one. That’s been fun—sharing things with each other and watching the view count grow.
Have to shout out Brandon Goodwin and Neighbor Studios. Brandon and co. made our funny ideas come to life.
HA! Not really…In fact, Nate (Instagram Husband in the video, and my boyfriend in actual life) is a much bigger Instagram fan than I am. We both have accounts, but he’s the one snapping multiple shots and selfies. (My “are we done yet?” face caught on camera has become a running joke.)
Nate, I think. Sure he’s got eye-twitch inducing anxiety, but he’s trying to stay positive! Life lesson: Be The Nate.
Natural light. Rule of thirds. Double-chins are to be avoided at all costs.
We’re learning as we go! Our next live taping is January 16, so for sure there’s some pressure about “what’s next?” both external and self-imposed. But we’re also trying to do what we always do: Put on a funny show, and not worry too much about living up to any 4-million view standard.
Maybe my primary character inspiration was that squirrel sweater. I found it at a thrift store in LA this year and genuinely love it, but it also screams #OOTD, right?!
I like that my character doesn’t talk. It helps us pass less judgment about her, I think, and really appreciate Nate’s point of view.
I also truly loved that air plant. They’re tiny plants that live without soil! How magical is that! I think maybe that’s something people have enjoyed in the video, too—there’s a genuine appreciation for the enthusiasm behind Instagram posts. We’re not mocking all enthusiasts; we’re just poking fun at the extremes, which we all might be guilty of from time to time.
Funny question. I’d say I probably can’t top any captions from the @ig.husband insta account. There’s a lot of funny #realtalk on there—and some great photos submitted by followers.
If kids require more attention than air plants, I think she’s not into it.
A combination of good content and pure luck. With this idea, we’d been kicking it around for a while. Jeff thought about it first, the writing staff brainstormed around it, and then we wrote some ahead of time (different Instagram-worthy situations, possible dialogue) and improvised some the day of shooting.
We knew this idea could be something special (maybe not this special…) because it’s something a lot of people can relate to—no matter your relationship with Instagram, it’s a familiar subject.
So there you go: Original idea, potential to connect to a wide audience, and maybe Reddit. That’s where a lot of the sharing began the first day.
The great thing about the internet is anybody can create and share great content at any time. The biggest challenge of the internet is also that anybody can create and share great content. There’s so much content to sort through, and more is created all the time. There aren’t enough hours in the day!
Writing comedy helps you get used to generating a lot of ideas, and then being willing to let go of a majority of them. (I heard an interview with David Wain, where he said you know you have an A script when you’re cutting A jokes from it.)
You have to be willing to be flexible with your ideas. To let one idea go for the sake of a better one, or to recognize when something is good enough—it won’t ever be perfect.
Improv skills are helpful skills for creativity in general.
Say “yes” to new ideas, then “and” to add information. Make your teammates look good. Listen and respond honestly.
Man! Another good question. I’d love to write a romantic comedy for women along the lines of Swingers or High Fidelity…Funny, ultimately romantic, but also unexpected and closer to reality. There are a lot of great movies/shows that break the expected rom-com stereotypes: Bridesmaids comes to mind, You’re the Worst (my current favorite TV show), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (also so, so great). I’d love to do that.
I hope not. (: Going viral shouldn’t be the goal, of course. The goal should be creating interesting content that people find valuable (or in our case, funny) and that’s what makes it worth sharing.
