You Won’t Believe how Brownie83 Is Paying for the Birth of Her First Child

…She earned $5,000 from one Hub in just 7 days!

Kelly’s Story:

Just a few days ago, Hubber Kelly Brown (Brownie83) took Facebook by storm with her viral Hub, 10 Things Nurses Don’t Want You to Know, breaking the HubPages record for the most viral Facebook Hub ever! Starting on December 12th, her Hub began to pick up steam, ultimately receiving  over 2 million views in the last 7 days. Though her Hub achieved most of its success through Facebook shares, she additionally received over 2,000 Pinterest views this week. From her week-long whirlwind of popularity, Kelly has earned over $5,000 and counting from just this one Hub! Here are her thoughts:

How does it feel to have one of your Hubs go viral?

I’m still in a state of shock in finding out that one of my hubs went viral. I started my amateur Hub writing last fall after completing graduate school, when I found myself with extensive free time due to my unwanted unemployment. I simply started Hub writing as an emotional outlet and a way to productively spend my time while searching for career opportunities. I never shared my Hubs on social media or even with my husband as I really didn’t think of it as a “big deal.” However, I have to say I’m kind of impressed at how much of a stir I’ve made so far with my viral Hub. I may have to consider refocusing my interests back to paper (HubPages) once again!

Were you aiming to go viral when you wrote this Hub, or did it take you by surprise?

Absolutely surprised! I wrote this Hub over a year ago and didn’t think much of it until I got your email that mentioned my Hub has become “quite a success.” Shortly after starting HubPages last year, I began my career as a Nurse Practitioner and have been so busy I haven’t had the free time to write further Hubs or even take notice when they’ve become popular.

What aspects of your Hub do you think had the most influence on its popularity?

I think everyone has been affected by the Healthcare industry in one way or another and that in itself stirs a lot of emotions. Life, death and life-changing events happen on a daily basis in the hospital and each person can tell you a different story, a different experience and a different opinion based on their point-of-view. I myself have been the patient, a nurse’s aid, a floor nurse, and now a Nurse Practitioner over the years. I understand the hierarchy that works within the hospital and I’ve seen when “the system” fails the patient. I feel strongly about patient advocacy and it was a large reason why I wrote the article in the first place; to give a quick look into nursing behind the white walls and piles of papers (or now electronic medical records).

I feel that my topic about pain control was also a big stir as I feel many people believe nursing care is black and white with defined rules and universal care from one nurse to the next. When in fact, it’s quite personalized and varies from one nurse to another and is a part of what makes nursing unique and even controversial at times.

Reading back on my Hub from last year, I notice things that I could add or maybe a different way of wording my thoughts to make it a better article. But overall, it’s the context that stirs the emotions, opinions, praises and criticism. It’s almost as if the reader’s comments alone have made their own Hub below mine, which I find the most interesting.

What do you plan to do with your viral earnings? Do you have anything special in mind?

I am currently 7 1/2 months pregnant with my first child, so my husband and I will be saving that money for our future hospital bill. Hopefully, we have some left over to put towards a trust fund for our daughter.

A Bit About Viral Content:

Creating a viral hit is incredibly challenging, and there’s a huge amount of luck involved, but Kelly’s story shows us that it’s possible. There’s no set formula that will guarantee a Hub to go viral. However, there are a few characteristics shared by most viral content, including Kelly’s. Here are a few reasons we think her Hub was such a huge success:

• Kelly’s title intrigues you. It piques your curiosity. Admit it. You want to know what nurses are hiding from you. I sure did, so I read her Hub!

• Kelly’s image is clickable. Her Hub’s first image (the one that shows up on Facebook Shares) is interesting and attention-grabbing. It makes you look twice and entices you to learn about the context.

• Kelly’s Hub offers exclusive, insider knowledge. Most of us have depended on a nurse for care during some point in our lives, but Kelly offers us an insider’s look at the world of being a nurse, from her own experience. She gives us information most people would not have access to without reading her Hub.

• Kelly’s Hub is positive and empowering. While giving us an insider look at nursing, Kelly stays positive. She doesn’t vilify or put down either patients or nurses. She makes it clear that quality of care is very important to most nurses while providing useful information to help patients get the most out of their health care experience.

• Kelly’s Hub is sharable. Kelly does more than just make you curious enough to read her Hub with a clever title and interesting photo. She delivers with her content too. Her Hub provides new and interesting information that people want to be the first to share with their friends.