How to Go Viral in 2025: The Ultimate Growth Blueprint
How many “viral wins” has your brand chased this year? For Gen Z, high views or one-off trends do not define success because they are the bare minimum. This digital-native cohort (≈69 million in the U.S., about 20% of the population) grew up scrolling, swiping, and skipping anything that feels inauthentic. They are gatekeepers of digital culture, and they measure success differently: engagement is greater than views, and impact is greater than virality. Recent research confirms the shift. Sprout Social found that Gen Z prioritizes authenticity, entertainment, and reliability over popularity. At the same time, 92% of Gen Z say a brand’s community affects how they feel about it, and 83% say being part of a brand group makes them more likely to trust it. The takeaway is that vanity metrics no longer cut it.The Vanity Metric Trap
Traditional marketing has long obsessed over follower counts, trending hashtags, and flashy view numbers. However, as one recent analysis bluntly states: “Reach without engagement is ultimately meaningless.” For SaaS brands, this is especially clear. A product demo video may attract 200,000 views on LinkedIn, but if only 50 prospects sign up for a free trial, those “views” did not translate into business outcomes. HubSpot has often highlighted this gap in its own inbound marketing reports, showing that content that drives conversions is far more valuable than content that simply racks up impressions. Other sectors see the same trap. Remember Kendall Jenner’s infamous soda ad? It racked up millions of views but destroyed brand trust. Viral? Yes. Successful? No.Engagement Over Everything
What Gen Z wants is not noise, it is conversation. They look for brands that interact, respond, and create community. This is where SaaS companies are leading by example:- Slack grew from a small team tool to a global staple by building communities of developers and users who actively shaped the product. Instead of chasing virality, Slack leaned into engaged dialogue through forums, webinars, and customer success stories.
- Canva consistently invites user-generated content. Its “Design with Canva” campaigns highlight real projects made by everyday users, creating both engagement and advocacy. The brand does not just talk to customers; it talks with them.
- Notion has mastered co-creation by encouraging users to share templates, workflows, and hacks. Instead of counting clicks, Notion tracks how people build together, turning customers into evangelists.
Engagement-focused metrics worth tracking:
- Comment rates compared with likes (Are people conversing?)
- Saves and shares (Is content valuable enough to revisit?)
- Repeat interactions (Do users come back weekly?)
- Community participation (Are customers creating content too?)
Impact Is Greater Than Virality
The other shift is from short-lived virality to long-term impact. Gen Z wants to see brands take stands, solve problems, and live their values.
- Zoom, for example, focused on reliability during the pandemic rather than hype. Its impact came from enabling connection for schools, businesses, and families. The result was not just growth, it became synonymous with remote work.
- HubSpot emphasizes impact with its educational content. Through HubSpot Academy, the company provides free resources to millions, creating goodwill and loyalty that far outlasts any viral ad campaign.
- Patagonia, though not SaaS, remains a powerful example. Its environmental activism campaigns are not designed for fleeting clicks but for cultural and ecological impact, reinforcing trust and loyalty over decades.
Brands Getting It Right
- Spotify Wrapped (not SaaS, but digital-first) shows how personal relevance drives both engagement and impact. Users share because the content reflects their story. In 2022, Spotify Wrapped drove 425 million tweets in just three days.
- Canva continuously refines impact by localizing tools for educators and nonprofits, empowering communities rather than just chasing downloads.
- Slack and Notion thrive not because of viral ads but because they built ecosystems of contributors and communities where users feel seen and valued.
A Subtle Shift Already Happening
Many SaaS companies are already rethinking their metrics. Instead of reporting “impressions,” they are highlighting engagement per user, customer advocacy, and NPS-driven loyalty. This is the future: quality of reach over quantity of reach. At Prodeify, too, we align with this shift. Our approach emphasizes content that builds conversations and trust, not just view counts. By prioritizing impact, we see stronger long-term engagement, something we believe is more sustainable than chasing the next viral wave.Rethink, Reorient, Reach Real ROI
The conclusion is clear: Gen Z has redefined what success looks like. For them, success is not going viral. It is whether a brand sparked a conversation, built a community, or drove meaningful change.
For SaaS companies, this means reorienting around:
- Engagement metrics (comments, shares, community growth)
- Impact metrics (sentiment, retention, brand advocacy)
- Business outcomes (conversion, lifetime value, product adoption)
If you found this blog helpful, here is another post by Sherina where she discusses 5 AI tools that content creators are using today.
