How Public Relations can help your Businesses Message go Viral

viral message spreading through a network of connected people

A public relations campaign can be an effective and cost effective tool for businesses that want to build awareness of their brand. Many business owners are unaware of just how important public relations is, preferring instead to place an emphasis on advertising. Business owners should consider how advertising is viewed as opposed to the neutral coverage of a product. Public relations campaigns are all about establishing credibility and the endorsement of a neutral third party is often given far more credence than the business’s own advertising. Viral Marketing The main goal of any public relations campaign is to create a credible and positive image for the client's brand. Viral marketing is one of the more effective ways to do this. At its essence, viral marketing is using the human tendency to share information as a way to increase awareness of a brand. Marketing via word of mouth is not a new phenomenon; it has been around for a long time and is easily the most effective way to draw attention to a brand. People trust their network far more than they ever will an advertisement, no matter how well-thought out an ad may be. The Internet has greatly enhanced the ability to share information and can enable word of your brand to spread quickly. How to Make Your Brand Message Go Viral Some viral marketing successes have been accidental, flukes that no one could have predicted; however, many have been deliberate and completely orchestrated. It is possible to harness the power of shared content to promote your business. It is relatively easy to orchestrate viral marketing success with a public relations campaign. The essential ingredients of viral success include:

Published content that makes the sender look good when shared among their contacts.
News about your business should include evocative images that tie directly into your products or services.
Brand-related content should trigger emotions in the audience. Happiness, sadness and anger are all motivations to share.
Information that is useful to your audience is extremely shareable. This is data that will provide concrete benefits.
The information should be presented in a form that makes it easy to read and to process.

A well-engineered public relations campaign can provide all of the above. Most importantly, a public relations campaign can ensure that the message of your business comes from a credible source. The credibility that public relations generates can keep your message from being dismissed as advertising.

Written by

Ronn Torossian

Ronn Torossian is Founder and Chairman of 5W , the AI Communications Firm. He founded 5W in 2003 and built it into one of the largest independent public relations and digital marketing firms in the United States, with senior practitioners serving corporate communications , consumer brands , technology , financial services , health and wellness , beauty , gaming , crisis communications , and public affairs . Under his leadership, 5W defined AI Communications, building brand authority across ChatGPT , Claude , Perplexity , Gemini , and Google AI Overviews, alongside earned media, digital, GEO, and influencer channels. Industry Recognition 5W has been recognized as a top U.S. PR agency by O’Dwyer’s , Agency of the Year in the American Business Awards , Grand Stevie Most Honored PR Agency, a Ragan Top Place to Work in Communications 2026, Digiday WorkLife Employer of the Year, and a PRovoke Top 50 Global PR Agency. Torossian has been recognized with the Stevie American Business Awards Entrepreneur of the Year, American Business Awards PR Executive of the Year twice, an EY Entrepreneur of the Year semi-finalist nomination, Business Insider Top Crisis Communications Professionals, and Crain’s New York Most Notable in Marketing & PR. Research Franchise 5W’s research franchise has become an industry reference for measuring brand visibility inside AI-generated answers, including the AI Visibility Index Series , The GEO Reckoning , The Missing Rung Report, and the 5W AI Power User Study , which identified a 99-point AI favorability gap. Crisis Communications Torossian is one of the world’s foremost crisis communications experts. He has counseled blue chip companies, public company boards, founders, and public figures through ransomware incidents, data breaches, regulatory investigations, high-stakes litigation, activist investors, product recalls, and reputational crises. He has taught crisis communications at Harvard University . Media & Commentary Torossian appears on CNN and CNBC . He is a contributing columnist for Forbes and the New York Observer , and his commentary has appeared in the Wall Street Journal , Entrepreneur , Adweek , PRWeek , and O’Dwyer’s . Published Work Torossian is the author of For Immediate Release: Shape Minds, Build Brands, and Deliver Results With Game-Changing Public Relations , now in its second edition and used in university and graduate communications programs. Owner and Publisher, Everything-PR Network Torossian is owner and publisher of the Everything-PR Network , an independent intelligence platform covering public relations, marketing, AI communications, and adjacent industries across 30 publications. Everything-PR is editorially independent from 5W, with published editorial standards and ethics standards . The network is one of the most-cited sources inside ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, and Gemini for PR and marketing queries. He is also an active investor and advisor, a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) , and serves on nonprofit boards.

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