--- title: "Anatomy of a viral marketing campaign #1" --- [Skip to main content](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/2006/01/anatomy_of_a_vi.html#maincontent) [ «  View All Posts ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog) # Anatomy of a viral marketing campaign #1 January 21st, 2006 1 min read By [David Meerman Scott](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) I've been talking about the power of Web content as viral marketing for ages. It's an obsession of mine and the subject of my latest dead tree book: [Cashing in with Content](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0910965714/freshspotpubl-20/104-2518640-7501534). But it is rare for me to have detailed insights into the specific metrics around a viral marketing effort using Web content. So I have been happily watching the wave of interest from publishing my new e-book [The new rules of PR: How to create a press release strategy for reaching buyers directly](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/documents/New_Rules_of_PR.pdf), and would like to share the metrics with you. On Monday January 16 I [quietly released my new e-book via a post on this blog](https://www.webinknow.com/2006/01/new_complimenta.html). Within hours, hundreds of people had downloaded the e-book. Then I emailed the link to the e-book to select friends and colleagues. In the next several days, alert bloggers picked up on the availability of the e-book and posted links. Some of them include [J.L. Reid](http://admerica.rwblogs.com/index.php?op=ViewArticle&articleId=46&blogId=2), [Jonathan Kranz](http://www.kranzcom.com/2006/01/new-rules-of-pr.html), [Ardath Albee](http://marketinginteractions.typepad.com/marketing_interactions/2006/01/new_rules_of_pr.html), [Dee Rambeau](http://adventures-in-business-communications.blogsite.com/public/item/113370), [Melanie Surplice](http://surpliceofspin.blogspot.com/2006/01/new-rules-of-press-releases-free-e.html), and [The Switchboards](http://theswitchboards.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10350&highlight=). Over the next three days, the e-book generated just over 1,000 downloads per day. Then on Thursday January 19, two heavy-hitters jumped in. [Seth Godin wrote about the e-book in a post called What would David Do?](http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/01/what_would_davi.html) Then [Steve Rubell posted his deliciously controversial post Direct-to-Consumer Press Releases Suck](http://www.micropersuasion.com/2006/01/directtoconsume.html). On January 19 there were 8,000 downloads and on January 20 there were 5,000. And more bloggers have picked up the thread in the past few days. Grand total on downloads since release (in only five days) is just under 20,000. Not bad for a little e-book that cost virtually no money to write, produce and promote. I’ll post on this subject periodically as the longer-term aspects and metrics of this viral effort unfold. [ David Meerman Scott ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/author/david-meerman-scott) David Meerman Scott is a business growth strategist, advisor to clever entrepreneurs who are building emerging companies, and the international bestselling author of a dozen books published in 30 languages. David’s high-energy keynote presentations, masterclasses, and virtual events educate, energize, and inspire. Connect: [mailto:david@freshspot.com](mailto:david@freshspot.com) Topics: [ Viral Marketing ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/viral-marketing) [ Press Release Content ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/press-release-content) [ Public Relations ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/public-relations) [ Case Studies ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/case-studies) [ Best Practices ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/topic/best-practices) Don't forget to share this post: ## Related Articles [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Artemis%20earthset.jpg?width=5568&height=3712&name=Artemis%20earthset.jpg) ### Nasa’s Artemis II Lunar Mission: A PR Triumph for the USA April 11th, 2026|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/nasas-artemis-ii-lunar-mission-a-pr-triumph-for-the-usa) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trump%20Biden%20shutterstock_2384408337.jpg?width=1500&height=1000&name=Trump%20Biden%20shutterstock_2384408337.jpg) ### US Presidential Debate: Hype, Spin, Memes, and Newsjacking June 24th, 2024|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/us-presidential-debate-hype-spin-memes-and-newsjacking) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-with-battery-230605.jpg?width=1960&height=1102&name=Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-with-battery-230605.jpg) ### Apple Vision Pro Spatial Computer Launch Is PR Done Right June 6th, 2023|1 min read ](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/blog/apple-vision-pro-spatial-computer-launch-is-pr-done-right) [![](https://www.davidmeermanscott.com/hs-fs/hubfs/dance.png?width=2048&height=1366&name=dance.png) ### Baseball That Puts Fans First! 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