Everyone wants their product to go viral. But what most brands get wrong is that they chase the viral moment without understanding the formula behind it.
After studying hundreds of viral products, from Rhode’s phone case to Labubu’s collectible craze, I’ve identified the exact four-step formula that determines whether your product will spread or flop.
What most brands miss is that going viral isn’t just about the money (though that’s nice). It’s about whether that viral moment can actually build your brand long-term. Brands want sales without a long-term, safe plan built in — but without the plan, virality won’t work.
Below is the 4-step formula that will help you achieve the golden ticket of product virality online!
Part 1: Accessible Price Point (But Not Cheap)
Your product doesn’t have to be cheap, but it needs to hit that psychological sweet spot where parting with money feels easy.
Look at Summer Fridays’ Lip Butter Balm at around $22. It’s expensive enough to feel special, but affordable enough that customers can justify building a collection. The Dyson Airwrap proves this point from the opposite direction—at $599, it moves fewer units but drives massive revenue per sale and attracts influencers with meaningful affiliate commissions.
The key: Find the price point where your customer thinks “why not?” instead of “let me think about it.”
Part 2: Portability (The Most Critical Factor)
This is the make-or-break element. In order to go viral, your product has to travel with your customer.
Think about it: Rhode’s phone case goes everywhere phones go. Labubu clips to bags and becomes part of daily carry. Kendall’s 818 mini bottles attach to purses as accessories.
Now compare this to Hailey Bieber’s recent face mist saucer that sticks to bathroom mirrors. It can’t travel, can’t be shared in social moments, can’t generate those casual “look what I have” interactions that drive organic word-of-mouth.
The Core Takeaway: If your product can’t leave the house with your customer, it won’t go viral.
Part 3: Brand Universe Alignment (Not Just Profit Chasing)
This is where most brands fail. They see an opportunity to make money and completely abandon the brand universe they’re building.
Your viral product has to make perfect sense within the brand story your customers want to be part of. Kendall’s mini tequila bottles work because they tap into her fashion-icon status—these are accessories that fit her cool-girl universe. Meanwhile, Hailey’s bathroom saucer breaks the brand fantasy because rich celebrities don’t stick products to their mirrors.
The strategic insight: You only want something to go viral if you can repeat it or build off it. Random virality that doesn’t connect to your brand is actually harmful long-term.
Part 4: Strategic Scarcity (The IYKYK Factor)
There has to be an element that makes people feel special for having it. This isn’t about artificial scarcity for scarcity’s sake but about creating genuine exclusivity through thoughtful design.
Summer Fridays nailed this with their execution genius:
- Scarcity with Reason: The three-tube online limit serves collection psychology while creating urgency
- Shade Strategy: Multiple color options encourage building a personal collection rather than finding one favorite
- Social Amplification: Lip products photograph beautifully and generate natural social proof
- Price Point Precision: Expensive enough to feel special, affordable enough for collection building
The result? Over 9,000 influencers and content creators linked to the product, with both Pink Sugar and Birthday Cake shades cracking the top 10 bestsellers. In the past week, Summer Fridays lip balm was also ranked the #1 most purchased beauty product this year.
The Bottom Line: Virality Serves Brand Building
Here’s what separates successful brands from one-hit wonders: they understand that viral moments should accelerate brand building, not replace it.
Every viral product should answer these questions:
- Does this make my customers feel more connected to who they want to become?
- Can I build on this success with related products?
- Will this moment strengthen my brand universe or confuse it?
The brands that get this right—Summer Fridays, Rhode, 818 Tequila—use viral products as stepping stones to bigger brand stories. The ones that don’t chase quick money at the expense of brand coherence.
Before you launch your next product, run it through this four-part filter. Trust me.
Thanks for reading this week! As always, I love helping small businesses win, whether that’s through my self-paced Social Media Masterclass here or through a 1:1, Direct discovery or working with my agency.
Speak soon,
Xx Camille