How to Write Viral Stories

(and why everything you're writing is already one)

This one might go over 7 minutes…

Read that again.

Now tear it apart.

Because if that quote’s true — and it is — then a great story only needs five things:

1. A Big Problem

Pain. Struggle. A mountain that kicks back. If there’s no tension, there’s no attention. Your reader needs to feel like you get them — like you’ve lived their ache. That’s the hook. That’s where they lean in.

2. A Goal Worth Wanting

A payoff. A benefit. A reason to care. People want hope, not lectures. Oprah didn’t go viral because she suffered. She went viral because she made it through. Show them the other side.

3. A Real Transformation

Past you vs. present you. Make the contrast sharp. Make it honest. Your reader wants to believe they can change — and you’re the proof. Let them taste the shift.

4. You, in the Mess

No guru speak. No clean edits. Let them feel what you felt. The fear. The doubt. The clarity. That’s where trust lives — in the actual lived part. Not the polished pitch deck of your life.

5. A Clock

Stories happen over time. How long did it take? How long until it clicked? No one wants to bleed forever. Give them a horizon.

These 5 elements?

They’re the bones of every viral story.

And here's what no one's telling you:

Everything you write is a story.

Even when it doesn’t look like one. Threads? Stories guiding people to hit follow. Landing pages? Stories nudging curiosity toward a newsletter. Sales emails? Stories dressed like offers.

So if you’re writing anything — you’re already telling stories.
The only question now is:

Where do you find the good ones? That’s next.

So... where do good stories come from?

Let’s kill the lie first:

“Think of 3 interesting things that happened this week.” 

“Go for a walk!” “Read more!”

Spare me.

That’s surface-level nonsense. You don’t need more “things that happened.” You’re not a reality TV show. You’re a signal, not a noise machine.

The biggest mistake people make? They think stories are about events.

They’re not.

Stories are about emotional shifts.

Not what happened. But how it changed you.

Because here’s the truth:

It shifts the reader from how they feel now ...to how they want to feel.

That’s the real magick. That’s what gets action.

So, if you want stories that actually land — not scroll-past fluff — start with these 3 questions:

1. What action do I want from my reader?

(follow, click, share, buy?)

2. What emotion are they feeling now?

(bored? confused? insecure?)

3. What emotion would make them act?

(hopeful? clear? bold?)

See what just happened? We stopped thinking like narrators. We started thinking like alchemists. You’re not telling stories. You’re engineering emotional transformation.

That’s how to actually write viral stories.

Because no one remembers your clever lines. They remember how you made them feel.

And that’s why this works:

You don’t need to remember events. You need to remember emotions.

You’ve got a vault of emotional chaos inside you. Use it.

Here’s how:

Let’s say I’m trying to sell a storytelling course

I start with the emotional arc:

Now I go looking for a moment in my life that mirrors that.

Boom:

There it is. A clear emotion. Then? I walk the reader from that mess... ...to my clarity now. Then I tie it to my offer.

That’s it.

To recap:

• Pick your goal
  

• Pinpoint the emotional shift needed
  

• Find a moment in your life that mirrors that shift
  

• Tell that story

• Point to your offer (as the bridge across)

That’s not just how you get good story ideas. That’s how you never run out of them again. Because quotes, metaphors, analogies? They’re all emotional devices too.

It’s all just:

And you’ve got years of it stored inside you.

You don’t need better ideas. You need a better lens.

Now... Want to know the core story elements that make your writing unforgettable?

We’re about to go there.

He’s right. But most people? Can’t tell a story to save their life.

Here’s how to fix that:

10 Story Elements to Make Your Posts Go Viral Like gossip in a yoga cult.

1. THE BANG

Start strong or die fast.

You’ve got 3 seconds. If they’re not hooked, they’re gone.

Make the first line:

• Weird

• Shocking

• Surprising

• Too relatable to ignore

E.g.: “My boss told me I smile too much while getting fired.”

2. THE STRUGGLE

No struggle? No soul.

A flawless character is boring. Show us the grit.

Types of struggle that work:

• Inner war

• Shame spiral

• Moral dilemma

• Existential dread

• Broke & bitter

• Breakups

Make it human.

3. THE PROCESS

People don’t want perfect. They want possible.

Walk us through it: Struggle → Insight → Breakthrough

Let them see your awkward phase. That’s where the gold is.

E.g.: I went from obsessively editing every sentence... to hitting post while still anxious and watching it blow up.

4. THE LESSON

Every story ends with meaning.

BUT—don’t stack life lessons like it’s Sunday school. One. Is. Enough.

E.g.: I chased likes for years. Turns out, real connection comes from vulnerability... not virality.

5. THE 5-SECOND MOMENT

This is the soul spark. The one moment that changes everything.

E.g.: My daughter asked why I never laugh anymore. I didn’t have an answer.

You don’t need a plot. You need a pivot.

6. TENSION

Tension = dopamine.

Without stakes, nobody cares.

• Low tension: “I couldn’t find parking.”

• High tension: “I had 5 minutes to get to the hospital, and the car wouldn’t start.”

Raise the stakes. Make us squirm.

7. CHARACTERS

Good stories feel real. Characters make them personal.

Bring them to life:

• A weird habit

• One strange detail

• An overheard quote

E.g.: Uncle Jojo believed salt repelled demons. Kept a pouch of it in his sock.

(Your Uncle? Now Iconic.)

8. DIALOGUE

Want it to feel alive? Let people speak.

Dialogue shows emotion faster than description.

E.g.: “You’re scaring me.” “I’m scaring myself.”

Boom. Now we feel it too.

9. DETAILS

Vague = forgettable. Specific = unforgettable.

Be sensory:

• The clink of a glass

• The taste of burnt toast

• The ache behind your left eye
  

E.g.: The fridge hummed like it knew my secret.

Weird details = memory hooks.

10. MAKE IT A MIND MOVIE

Paint the room. Don’t leave us in limbo.

Always anchor the story in a setting.

Bad: “I was working late.” Better: “The streetlights flickered through my office window as I typed in silence, surrounded by cold takeout and unopened mail.”

Scene = Believability

Believability = Trust

Trust = Conversion

(For the skimmers):

1.Hit with a bang

2. Show the struggle

3. Walk the process

4. Deliver ONE lesson

5. Highlight the pivot moment

6. Add stakes

7. Add faces

8. Let them speak

9. Ground in detail

10. Place the scene

I hope this was more helpful than a dreamcatcher at a rave.

Ready to see these story elements in action?

We’re about to go deeper... Into real Threads. Real stories. Real magick.

Let’s continue →

STORY SPELL CHECKLIST

Writing great stories isn’t paint-by-numbers. It’s an art. But even art has a structure hidden in the chaos.

Before you hit publish... run your story through this list:

• [ ] Kick it off with a scroll-stopping BANG

• [ ] Reveal the struggle (real, raw, human)

• [ ] Walk us through the messy, magical process

• [ ] Hit ONE clear, sharp lesson (no TED Talk)

• [ ] Highlight the 5-second moment (the soul pivot)

• [ ] Stir in tension—make it impossible to look away

• [ ] Bring in characters (quirks and all)

• [ ] Let us hear them—add real dialogue

• [ ] Get specific—sights, smells, weird details

• [ ] Paint the scene (movie for their mind)

• [ ] End with a punch that echoes

You nail these? You’re not writing stories—you’re casting them.

Next week: I’m dropping real story breakdowns straight from Threads. You’ll see exactly how these elements show up in the wild—and how to use them to create virality without selling your soul.

Let’s gooooo →

The Magick continues...

Your Guide,

Benji Faun

Check out Part 1: Why stories hit -