Why Viral Social Media Posts May Not Build a Business

In a recent LinkedIn post, Laurie Ruettimann discusses the gap between social media engagement and business results, drawing on the performance of her own posts. This article reports on Ruettimann’s account and analysis; it is not written by her. She describes celebrity-related posts that drew millions of views, but did not translate into book sales.

“All told, I sold zero books and lost 17 followers.”

Attention is not the same as an audience

Ruettimann recounts posting on Threads about Jennifer Lawrence and Barack Obama. The posts attracted more than two million views combined and tens of thousands of likes. Threads even awarded her a badge, which prompted her to examine what that attention meant for her work.

According to Ruettimann, some viewers explored her Instagram posts and stories or clicked links in her bios. But those visits did not lead to book purchases. She interprets the mismatch as a sign that viral reach can bring temporary exposure without creating interest in a person’s expertise.

“When you post about celebrities, you borrow their audience for a day.”

That distinction matters for professionals using social platforms to support a business. A large audience around a timely or entertaining topic may be responding to that subject, rather than seeking the poster’s services, ideas or products. Ruettimann’s experience suggests that engagement metrics need context: the number alone does not explain who showed up or why.

Trust comes from consistency

Ruettimann contrasts fleeting celebrity-driven attention with the slower work of showing up repeatedly on subjects she knows. In her case, she points to career advice as the expertise connected to her book. She argues that readers, coaching clients and speaking customers are more likely to emerge after people encounter that work consistently.

“People buy books, hire coaches, and book speakers after they’ve seen you show up over and over on the topics you actually know.”

Her point is not that a post’s reach has no value. Rather, she cautions that reach is a weak proxy for trust or commercial impact. A smaller response from people who care about a professional’s subject matter may be more relevant than a viral spike from viewers drawn by something unrelated.

Measure what the numbers are meant to do

Start with the intended outcome

Ruettimann encourages social media users to ask what they want their metrics to accomplish. That question shifts attention from chasing views and likes toward evaluating whether posts support a clear goal, such as reaching prospective readers or building familiarity with a body of work.

She also makes room for enjoying a brief burst of popularity without treating it as proof of business growth. Her closing advice is to write for the people who care about the work and let others scroll past. In Ruettimann’s account, that approach recognizes both the limits of viral attention and the value of a more relevant, sustained audience.