So today I came across a tik tok live where someone was telling people how to go viral. That assumes that it’s important to go viral. Spoiler, it’s not, unless you want to go viral for going viral’s sake. Anyway the method consisted of searching for videos in your niche, finding the video with the most views in that niche, copying the link to that video pasting it in a another ap that provides the script to that video then filming it the same way and using the script.
I know the young young people will love this idea. Call me crazy but it’s the content equivalent of photocopying someone else’s homework and hoping the teacher doesn’t notice.
What they’re actually telling you to do
- Find a viral video
- Extract the script
- Recreate it shot-for-shot
- Post it as your own
Translation:
“Skip thinking. Skip strategy. Just mimic success and hope some of it rubs off.”
The appeal (why people fall for it)
I get it. There are a few reasons this hooks people in:
1. It removes the hard part
You don’t have to come up with ideas. For a lot of small business owners, that’s the bit that fries their brain. (Side note Social Sanity is coming soon for one off discount sign up here to newsletter)
2. It feels like a shortcut
“If it worked once, it’ll work again.”
Simple. Clean. Tempting.
3. It gives you a step-by-step
People love a recipe. Even if it’s a bad one.
The reality (this is where it falls apart)
1. You’re not learning anything useful
You’re not understanding why the video worked.
Was it:
- Timing?
- Delivery?
- Audience trust?
- The creator’s existing following?
- Their personality?
You’re copying the surface, not the substance.
That’s like copying someone’s tone of voice without understanding what they’re actually saying.
2. You become instantly forgettable
If 50 people follow this method, you get 50 identical videos.
Guess what happens?
People scroll straight past because they’ve already seen it.
Or worse, they remember the original creator… not you.
3. It quietly kills your brand
This is the big one.
If your content is built on:
- other people’s words
- other people’s ideas
- other people’s delivery
Then what exactly is you?
You’re training your audience to associate value with someone else’s thinking.
That’s not marketing. That’s outsourcing your voice.
4. It attracts the wrong audience
Let’s say it does go viral.
Now what?
People followed you for:
- that specific script
- that specific format
- that specific vibe
Not for your actual business, your thinking, or your offers.
So now you’ve got attention… that doesn’t convert.
Classic.
5. It’s a viral race to the bottom
Once everyone starts doing this, the bar drops fast.
Content becomes:
- repetitive
- predictable
- low trust
And the only way to compete is to copy faster or louder.
That’s not a business strategy. That’s content fatigue.
6. There are legal and ethical grey areas
Let’s not pretend this is clean.
If you’re lifting scripts word-for-word, you’re looking at
- plagiarism
- copyright issues
- getting called out publicly
And TikTok audiences love calling people out. Loudly.
Is there any value in it?
A tiny bit, if you strip it back and use it properly.
Instead of copying, you could:
- Study patterns in high-performing content
- Look at structure (hook, pacing, storytelling)
- Understand what keeps attention
That’s research.
But what they’re suggesting isn’t research.
It’s replication.
What this actually means for your business
If you rely on this method long term:
- You won’t build a recognisable voice
- You won’t build trust
- You won’t stand out
- You won’t convert properly
You’ll just be… another account posting things that feel vaguely familiar.
And “vaguely familiar” doesn’t pay invoices.
The blunt truth
Virality isn’t a formula you can copy and paste.
It’s usually a mix of:
- timing
- originality
- delivery
- and a bit of luck
Trying to reverse engineer it copying scripts is like trying to recreate a great dinner stealing someone’s shopping list.
You might end up with food.
It won’t taste the same.
A better way (without the fluff)
If you want traction without selling your soul
- Use viral content as inspiration, not instruction
- Inject your actual opinions and experience
- Say things your audience is already thinking but not articulating
- Focus on clarity over cleverness
That’s slower, but it actually builds something.
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