When Virality Strikes: How To Turn A Viral Moment Into a PR Asse

Most people think going viral is a matter of luck. That’s understandable — brands constantly post every day and, all of a sudden, on the most unexpected day, a post goes viral. Sometimes, even the post you least expect ends up taking off. At first glance, virality does appear to be random. 

But when you look closer, that’s not the full story. Virality usually happens because strong foundations are already in place: consistent messaging, a clear understanding of your audience, and public relations strategies where a viral post is just one piece of a larger system. . 

Earlier this month, JMG PR experienced this firsthand. One of our Instagram carousel posts about Kim Kardashian’s shift from traditional reality TV to TikTok vlogging went viral. It resonated with our audience, and celebrities like Adrienne Bailon-Houghton, Lindsay Lohan, Jonathan Cheban, and Kim Kardashian herself engaged with it with likes and reposts. This is how it got massive visibility across social media. 

But the real value for us wasn’t just the engagement metrics. It’s what we did after. We knew we could capitalize on this opportunity, big time. For brands out there preparing for their own viral moment, understanding what PR firms do next is key to turning a viral moment into a valuable tool in your overall content strategy.  

Below is a guide for what you can do after your next post becomes a hit on the internet. 

1.Revisit your content foundation.

The Kim Kardashian post wasn’t sensational—it was educational. It wasn’t celebrity gossip. It was smart, timely analysis of Kim’s media strategy and how she cleverly merges three media worlds: the authentic storytelling of reality TV, the curated narratives of traditional press, and the real-time connection of social media.

This is the core of what PR firms do: we closely study culture to identify trends and strategies that help brands stay relevant. 

The post resonated not just because it featured Kim Kardashian. It worked because we, as a brand, have been consistent with our social content strategy: to educate our audience about PR through content that speaks to their current experience.
Over the years, we’ve built an audience and trained the algorithm to send our content to the right people; people who are ready to engage, especially with content featuring a familiar name in the media and pop culture. 

And so when one of our posts went viral, we prioritized one thing first: revisit our core narrative. Our brand narrative guides our next steps, from the tone of voice we use to respond to comments to the follow-up content we create out of the recent viral post.
To maintain this consistency in content strategy, brands should rely on content creation services. This ensures your messaging stays audience-focused without losing its core. 

If you’re working on how to build brand awareness, a solid content foundation is the first step. Whether you’re educating audiences about industry concepts or simply explaining what your brand does, consistency is what creates real recall. 

2. Quick response time is everything. 

Once a post’s engagement builds, you have a short window to maximize the moment. This is where a PR plan that actually anticipates virality becomes essential. 

We acted immediately. We posted it to our Stories and pinned it to the top of our grid. We responded to comments and DMs. We continued publishing our drafts, to give new followers more to explore when they discover our page through the post. 

When a post goes viral, the smartest brands don’t linger in celebration too long—they get to work immediately. This is why public relations is important for your business: it shifts focus from visibility metrics to building a community that trusts and respects your brand. 

3. Nurture your audience’s needs. 

We know exactly why the post did well: it served our audience’s needs. Our audience—from startup brand leaders to in-house PR teams to other PR-curious professionals—is interested in a lot of educational content. Media trend breakdowns, cultural insights, and PR knowledge are what they follow us for. 

But beyond that, we’re also thinking about new audiences we can attract. Kim’s new show, All’s Fair, is generating fresh buzz about her, which made conversation about Kim Kardashian’s blended PR strategies relevant as well. This is what it means to “meet audiences where they scroll.” 

From there, we then have the opportunity to convert virality into long-term value. After the post went viral, we’re building more content around it—like this blog. We’re also creating similar-themed content, linking PR knowledge with celebrities and pop culture because we know this resonates with our audience. 

Executing this digital PR campaign also strengthens our social media marketing strategy, making it easier to guide our audience to content about our brand and our services. 

Moving from Virality to Strategic Relevance 

A viral moment has to be viewed from the outside looking in. Your consistency before a post goes viral is what makes virality happen in the first place. Your actions post-virality sustains brand awareness in the long-term, setting the stage for future posts to resonate. 

This is how growth happens: by staying consistent, acting fast, and thinking of every single PR move as a long-term investment.