How I Went Viral - Featuring Duke Harten

Everyone says they want to work in marketing; how did you make that a reality for your career?

I stumbled into marketing. I had a background in copywriting and journalism, and a friend referred me to this job when Shinesty was looking for a Social Media Manager. I didn’t use social media much in my personal life, and had limited experience running social accounts for a small business, but the hiring team liked my writing and thought the strategy deck I put together had some good ideas. Shinesty took a little bit of a gamble on me, and I’m grateful they did.

You create content that goes viral on a semi regular basis: how do you come up with your ideas and do you ever know if they’ll work in advance?

I’ve been producing daily content for about three years, and, despite that, I’m still wrong about stuff I think is going to work, or vice versa. Content I think is going to perform well will flop, or I’ll get a million views on something I think is worthless. It’s a lot of trial and error. That said, there are definitely “instincts” that develop and strengthen when you do this work for long enough. I have a pretty good idea when an idea or a series is going to go viral, based on all the stuff that’s worked in the past. Our audience responds to wholesome, and sometimes aspirational, humor: videos that demonstrate you can have fun at work; customer interactions can be surprising and delightful; and you can tell your boss to shove it every once in a while…or at least that guy on TikTok can.

As to my ideas, they come from all over. Sometimes it’s reactive to something topical, for example, “March Madness is happening right now. How can I make branded content based on that?” and sometimes it’s spotting an opportunity that other people might not see, like: “There’s a small hole in the floor of our office; I should lower a note down to the office below us and see what happens.” No two days are the same, and I don’t think our accounts have a “niche” like other creators, which is a bit unusual. My niche, as I see it, is that I make unexpectedly fun (and funny) content about working for an underwear company. That takes many forms.

What do you know now that you wish you knew 3 years ago when you began developing organic social content?

Ignore all conventional wisdom. Don’t keep a content calendar; they’re worse than useless—they’re counterproductive to success. Social media is reactive and spontaneous. Planning weeks or months in advance is a fool’s errand and leads to generic, safe, boring content. Don’t engage in trends for the sake of trends. It may get you a one-off viral video, but one-off wins don’t encourage a loyal, engaged following. They’re fleeting successes that do nothing but boost vanity metrics. The focus should be on creating a distinct voice on social media that people recognize, like, engage with, and return to time and time again.

Any Last Thoughts?

Companies still view organic social as a chore to be ticked off the list. I think that’s a mistake. Organic content should be a top priority for a small- to mid-size business, and they should be excited about it. It’s a free opportunity to show the world the very best parts of your brand, company, culture, etc. And great content does far more to build brand equity/loyalty than an effective ad. Investing appropriately in a talented Social Media Manager will pay huge dividends. The trick is to find a talented one. Anyone can slap a caption on some juicy photography and call it a day. But finding someone who can produce content that excites a wide audience and gets them to share, follow, like, and comment is a lot harder. Take a chance on someone with a different creative background, because they might be the person who ignores conventional wisdom and makes your brand stand out

Come hear from brands sharing their own “How I Did This” stories at The Lead Summit 2025 (May 28-29 in NYC)! Register here.