Viral TED Talk Dreams?

7 Starter Steps For A Chance At Spreading

By Devin D. Marks | Published Feb 14, 2025

Sure viral** talks happen (on rare occasions). But the counterpoint is this painful reality:

The majority of TEDx Talks are “mehhhh to maybe” deliveries.

They missed the mark.

BY A LOT.

In fact, most are in the TEDxGraveyard of YouTube. There are 100s of thousands of weak talks buried there!

Tragic really.

They were hopeful ideas.

(But the views never climbed past 4 digits.)

They were big ideas.

(But not BIG enough. They weren't TED calibur.)

Sadly, the vast majority of TEDx-er ideas will never be featured on the TED home page. (The most certain path to virality.**)

Why?

Far too many, many wannabe TEDsters prematurely jump right to scripting or rehearsals with a half-baked idea.

The “Ahaa” may have been good — even great.

But it wasn’t TED-ready.

Or as is said...

“It was a not-so-big idea that’s not worth spreading.

Ouch.

How to avoid that?

ONE WAY: Join me for an upcoming 6-week exercise, kicking off soon. RVSP for The BIG IDEA Mill™ here.

ANOTHER WAY: You can DIY things a bit. Consider these seven actionable suggestions to be starter-steps for a chance at a viral** talk:

1. WRITE IT.

Get it on the page. No more than 400 words.

2. READ IT.

Now cut it by half. Rewrite it as 200 words.

3. RECORD IT.

Make an audio file. As you listen, edit it more.

4. SHARE IT.

Use a trusted feedback circle. Filter the advice.

5. REFINE IT.

Incorporate the feedback. Circle back for more.

6. ITERATE IT.

Refine it; share it; refine it... again and again.

7. SUBMIT IT.

Send it my way. Get some TEDster feedback.

(Pretend I’m that event committee volunteer — the TEDx ideas gatekeeper.)

Those 7 steps will get you on a TED-ready trajectory. What’s more, your “idea worth spreading” will be prepared for the next-level rigors of The BIG IDEA Mill.

Now's the time to give your TED Talk dreams of a viral idea a chance to come true!

** A viral talk is qualified by experts as 100K views. Not 25, 50, or 75K. Only six figures count. Seven figures... That’s Olympian medal level. BTW, most TEDx Talks garner a mere 3 digits — averaging 313 views by family and friends.

DEVIN D. MARKS is known as The TED Talk Whisperer. His firm, CONNECT to COMPEL, has served 100s of TED, TEDx, and short-talk speakers — including Harvard’s Dr. Robert Waldinger for his all-time Top 10 TEDx Talk. The result: 100s of millions of views for clients. He helps niche experts, authors, and leaders spread world-changing ideas. 

You can reach Devin at 617.804.6020, or DM him here. His newsletters are here.

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