The Real Problem With Chasing Virality
The Hidden Costs That Gurus Don’t Tell You
Lately, my Substack feed has been filled with gurus offering hacks, strategies and templates on how to write viral notes. I’ve also been seeing a lot of toxic hustle advice saying that posting 1 or 2 notes a day isn’t enough—you should be doing 5 or even 10 notes a day!
To be honest, I find this kind of environment really draining 😓 That’s why I’ve been spending less time on Substack lately to heal my energy and realign with my original intentions.
I know that these gurus want to help smaller writers like us gain more visibility on the platform, but I honestly don’t think that giving us viral hacks and templates will truly solve that problem—it might even be doing more harm than good.
The chase for virality often leaves us distracted, drained, and disconnected from our true purpose. It keeps us trapped in a rat race of seeking attention, external validation, and instant gratification.
The Attention-Seeking Trap
It’s natural to want people to notice you, to feel seen, and to know that your ideas resonate with others. But in the race for likes, comments, and subscribers, we lose sight of what truly matters.
Our work becomes less about expressing ourselves and about impressing others. We begin to tailor everything we do to algorithms, viral hacks, and fleeting trends.
What we forget in the process is that what we truly desire is connection, not just attention. As quoted by Austin Kleon in “Show Your Work,”
“What you want is to follow and be followed by human beings who care about issues you care about. This thing we make together. This thing is about hearts and minds, not eyeballs.” —Jeffrey Zeldman
Stop chasing new subscribers—start connecting with the audience that you already have. More importantly, write to connect with yourself. Your writing is not only for your audience but also for you.
The Validation-Seeking Trap
Zero engagement doesn’t make your work a “flop.”
Likewise, going viral doesn’t make your work a success.
Never tie success and self-worth with external metrics.
If your sense of value comes from numbers on a screen, you’re already playing a losing game.
One post blows up, and suddenly you think you’ve made it. The dopamine hits. The likes roll in. The subscribers stack up.
Then it stops.
And you’re left scrambling—chasing the next viral moment, the next hit of validation, the next reason to feel like you matter.
Is that really how you want to live?
If not, do yourself a favor and stop playing the numbers game. Stop seeking validation from others and find value in your work even when no one’s watching.
The Instant Gratification Trap
Virality offers a shortcut, a promise that success can happen now—that with the right post, your life will change overnight. This might sound exciting, even intoxicating, but it’s a complete lie.
There’s no such thing as overnight success.
Even if some people seem to rise to fame in an instant, what’s often hidden beneath the surface is years of preparation, experience, and effort.
Without a solid foundation, success is fleeting. It’s like winning the lottery—an exhilarating rush, followed by a crash when there’s nothing to sustain it. Think about the countless one-day millionaires who squander their sudden wealth because they lack the knowledge and discipline to manage it.
So stop wasting your time and money on viral hacks.
Your beginner season isn’t about waiting to go viral—it’s the time for you to grow as a person, hone your craft, and build a solid foundation for true success that lasts.
Aim for legacy, not likes.
💌 Message from Alea
Hey friends!
How have you been doing lately?
To be honest, I’ve been feeling a bit drained in the past week. I’ve been feeling pressured to hustle harder and aim for faster growth with all these viral hacks I’ve been seeing on my feed 😢
I thought some of you might be feeling this way too, so I wrote this as a reminder that we should never lose sight of our purpose.
If you found value in this post, please leave a like and comment 💌 I’d love to hear from you and listen to your insights! It can also be as simple as quoting a line that resonated with you 🤍
Thank you for your time and presence. I appreciate you! 💖
Wishing you all the best,
Support my mission of inspiring more creators to pursue their life’s work and make a positive difference in the world ✨
Aim to do what you enjoy and if success and acclaim come from it, enjoy that too.
The "Gurus" out there do so well because everyone is too impatient to create actual success. The success that comes in slow time from connecting with individuals who engage with you on a personal basis. People want the shortcuts, but if the shortcuts worked as well as the main road, it would just be "the way".
You've beautifully articulated that paradox between writing for ourselves and utilising hacks to gain virality. I love the fact that the post is concise and to the point, and I agree, just taking that step back to realign with your purpose and initial intention is key to maintaining that passion and drive. Thank you Alea for shedding light on this.