Why Going Viral is Not a Viable Marketing Strategy

Key Takeaways

• Going viral is not a growth strategy. Brands that rely on trend-chasing or lucky breaks tend to lack message clarity and sacrifice ROI.
• Video only works when aligned with strategy. Effective content begins with a deep understanding of the audience and business goals.
• Standing out online isn’t about volume or viral content. It’s about reaching the right audience with the right message at the right moment.

Every business wants attention, but not every business knows how to get it.

With many marketing efforts chasing trends, algorithms, and viral one-offs, several brands are falling into the trap of looking for quick results.

Gary Rebholz, Chief Product Officer for MAGIX, has dedicated his career to helping creators and businesses tell better stories. With products like VEGAS Pro and Sequoia, MAGIX looks to empower everyone from independent filmmakers to Grammy-winning producers.

In our conversation, Gary breaks down why brands need to stop chasing virality, explains what actually drives results, and explores how to craft stories that can resonate with the audience.

Who Is Gary Rebholz?

Gary Rebholz is the Chief Product Officer for Magix and has been involved with the VEGAS software suite for over 25 years. Gary leads product development strategy at MAGIX, helping to shape the future of VEGAS Pro and related video solutions for professional creators. He has authored five training books and created a wide range of educational content, including tutorials, webinars, and instructional videos.

For Gary, the biggest mistake businesses make with video marketing is expecting it to work just because video is what’s in these days.

“The assumption that it will automatically lead to engagement and growth is one of the most expensive myths in marketing,” he says.

Some brands assume it’s too expensive or complicated to even try, while others think it's so easy they can just start pumping out content and hope it takes off.

“Some mistakenly believe that it’s super easy to create great video assets cheaply. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.”

Gary is especially critical of those who treat virality or entertainment as a strategy.

“Getting lucky is no way to plan the future of a business.

An entertaining video is great to have, but if it doesn’t effectively tell the message to a carefully targeted group of users, it will fail as a marketing tool even as it succeeds as entertainment,” he said.

That’s why for a video to truly work, it must be rooted in strategy, and that strategy starts with telling a compelling story.

Know The Story You’re Telling

Gary returns often to the central idea that video is not a strategy but a delivery system.

If you don’t know what story you’re telling, who you’re telling it to, and what outcome you want, even high-quality production will fall flat.

“Video is great for telling stories. In some ways, maybe the best storytelling medium ever.

But you’d better know what story you’re actually trying to tell before you spend the money and time to tell it,” Gary advises.

This leads to another misstep, as brands hire creators based on style or following rather than alignment.

“Businesses that think all they need to do is hire some hot-shot kid with a YouTube channel don’t understand marketing. They are kidding themselves,” he believes.

The real work happens before the camera rolls. A video should be the result of a well-defined strategy that includes audience targeting, platform selection, messaging, and KPIs.

“You can pump videos out all day long with no real strategy, but your efforts are likely to fail.

By the time you figure out how to emulate what Mr. Beast is doing… he’s moved on to something else,” he says.

Once the story is clear, the next step is execution — and that doesn’t have to mean big budgets or big teams.

Be Smart About Your Approach

A huge team or budget helps when you’re trying to make a successful video campaign, but it’s not essential.

“If you have to start cheap, so be it, but do your homework and make a plan to step up your game as soon as you can afford to invest in it.”

His advice is clear: treat video like any other critical business function. If you don’t fully understand it, bring in someone who does.

That also means knowing what tools and gear you really need.

“A video campaign that targets Instagram viewers has different technical and gear requirements than a campaign that will show on the big screen.

It’s not about having the best gear, it’s about having the right gear for the job,” he explained.

This mindset is especially important for lean teams. With the right strategic focus, even small teams can create high-impact content that drives business results.

But once the content is out there, how do you know it’s actually working?

Measuring What Matters

Gary acknowledges that video metrics are often difficult to interpret and that’s part of the job:

“It’s hard to track all that, frankly. But isn’t that true of all marketing efforts?”

Instead of focusing only on views and likes, he suggests watching how customers engage across touchpoints.

User feedback, forums, community sentiment, and A/B testing are often better indicators of how well a video is performing in context.

“Do users feel supported by the videos your business creates for training and education?

Maybe you can’t tie these directly to revenue, but you certainly will get a sense of whether your efforts are appreciated or even noticed,” Gary said.

In other words, video is most powerful when it’s integrated in your strategy, not isolated.

And that’s usually what turns engagement into business growth.

Virality Is a Gamble, Strategy Is a Plan

Gary message has been clear across our conversation: brands that rely on viral success are gambling, not marketing.

While flashy content may earn quick views, it rarely results in lasting value.

“Understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. If you don’t, you’re just wasting time and resources and the best you can hope for is getting lucky.

The stakes are too high to mess with. If you’re going to do it, do it right.”

He compares video investment to other business essentials.

“Part of running a successful business is to turn the specialty topics over to a specialist as soon as you can afford to do so. And in some cases, maybe even before.”

Video isn't magic, it’s a tool. To make it work, businesses need more than creativity.

They need intention and strategy. They need a clear view of what success actually looks like.

Because in the end, going viral might get attention, but only strategy can turn that attention into growth.