Most viral moments evaporate. A post blows up, the notifications pile in, and then the feed moves on. The instructors who build something lasting from that moment are the ones who create somewhere for the attention to go before it disappears.
From free library to paid course: Ron Yang
From free library to paid course: Ron Yang
Ron Yang had been the first PM at a company five different times. living the experience of writing PRDs at midnight with no ops team, no research partner, and no senior PM to gut-check your thinking. So when he built a library of 71 Claude Code skills to multiply his output as a solo PM, he shared the whole thing publicly for free.
The post hit 5,901 reactions, 11,118 comments, and 84 reposts.
Ron didn't let the momentum sit. He quickly launched a Maven Lightning Lesson to show people how to think about building AI-powered PM workflows, then followed it with a full paid course: Build Your PM Operating System on Claude Code. Because he harnessed the momentum, his viral post became the front door to a successful paid product.
Ron's post worked because it named a shared, specific pain — "I'm the only PM here and I need a second brain" — and gave away something very valuable for free. The course became the obvious next step for anyone who wanted to go deeper with him.
From viral post to 11,000 signups: Vinoo Ganesh
From viral post to 11,000 signups: Vinoo Ganesh
Vinoo Ganesh took a different path to the same destination. He had spent years at Palantir helping build Project Frontline, a program that turned 250+ software engineers into Forward Deployed Engineers. Most went on to work at OpenAI, xAI, Anduril, and Helsing.
When he wrote everything he had learned - what the FDE role is, how to get hired, what the first 90 days look like - into a single LinkedIn guide the post made rounds through the FDE community fast. The topic was so needed that a single piece of content made him a top voice for FDE careers.
He launched a Maven Lightning Lesson on the topic and drew 11,000+ signups. Vinoo hasn't opened enrollment for a paid course yet, but the work is already done.
He has a proven demand signal and a warm interest list. When he's ready to launch, he won't be starting from zero.
Putting it into practice
Putting it into practice
Watch the comments more than the likes.
Likes tell you something resonated. Comments tell you why, and what people still want to know. Use insights from both to discover your course or workshop curriculum.
Use a Lightning Lesson as your bridge.
A Lightning Lesson converts post traffic into leads while giving you real-time signal on what students actually want. It's the fastest way to turn a spike of attention into a list of people ready to go deeper.
Create somewhere for people to go.
Even if you're not ready to launch a course, an expert page gives people a place to follow you and signal their interest. Attention that has nowhere to go disappears. Capture it while it's there.
Don't wait until the content is perfect.
Both Ron and Vinoo moved quickly. The post didn't need to be polished. It needed to be real, specific, and genuinely useful. That's what travels.
💡 In both stories, the idea is what went viral. Ron and Vinoo both shipped fast from a place of genuine expertise and depth, and both gave away something valuable before asking for anything in return.