August was a sensational month for viral news, driven by Bigfoot, Chupacbra, the Olympics, Sarah Palin Photos and everything Obama. These viral posts drove Trend Hunter to a record 6 million monthly views while providing ample entertainment for our viral obsessed community.
The number one post was about Sarah Palin photos. The Alaskan governor was a former beauty pageant contestant. Accordingly, we published two articles as a test. The Sarah Palin Photos post was a published back-to-back with an article about ‘Female Vice Presidents’. Not surprisingly, the web has become more obsessed with Sarah Palin photos than with the Sarah Palin bio… The photo article accordingly drove more than 200,000 views versus 8,000 for the news of a female leader.
For more interesting stories, check out this slideshow which wraps up the Top 50 viral posts of the month. If you want to stay on the cutting edge, you can also check out more of our free micro-trend reports or sign-up for our weekly Trend Candy Trend Newsletter.
Top 50 Viral Posts in August
Bigfoot, Chupacabra, Olympics, Sarah Palin Photos and Obama:
Jeremy Gutsche — Aug 31, 2008 — Micro Reports
46
10 Celebrity Nose Jobs
From Jennifer Aniston to Blake Lively
45
Digitally Aged Celebrities
Stars in 2040
44
Au Natural Olympians
Naked Powerade Athletes Show Their Muscles
43
Political Fashion Icons
Michelle Obama Style
42
$14 Million Baby Photos (Update)
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt Baby Twins Pictures
41
Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony Video
Official Footage
40
Contradictory Weight Loss
Jennifer Love Hewitt's Weight Loss, Thoughts on Body Image
39
Body Image Double Standards
Advertising Age Suggests Women Want Skinny Models
38
Celebrity Lesbian Weddings
Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres to Wed
37
Implants at 14?
Ali Lohan's Boob Job a Bad Example For Teens
36
60 Concept Cars To Drool Over
35
Turkish Bath Fashion
Kate Moss ‘Hammam' Shoot for W Magazine
34
Superstar Lingerie
Janet Jackson Launches 'Pleasure Principle' Collection
33
Evidence of Chupacabra
Is the Goat Sucking Animal Real?
32
High School Musical Meets Grease
Retro-Cool Elle Photoshoot
31
Supermodel Wars
Janice Dickinson Attacks Tyra Banks
30
10 Hollywood Weight Fluctuations
29
Faking Stupid
Paris Hilton for President + 10 Reasons She's Smarter Than You
28
Celebrity Imitation Surgery
Russian Teen Becomes Paris Hilton
27
Mythvertising
Faking Chupacabra and Bigfoot for Publicity
26
Bigfoot Captured
Scientists to Reveal Bigfoot and DNA (Proof or Hoax?)
25
Models as First Ladies
Tyra Banks as Michelle Obama in Harper's Bazaar
24
10 Hilarious Olympic Images
Synchronized Silliness?
23
Fashion Designers as Rappers
Karl Lagerfeld, Armani, Versace & More for Harper's Bazaar
22
How to Wear High Waist Jeans
Look to Katie Holmes & Other Celebs
21
Hype Over Celebrity Religion
Lindsay Lohan Converting to Judaism?
20
Olympic Body Taping
Kinesiology Tape Keeps Beijing's Olympians Together
19
Live Bigfoot Reveals
Big Foot Press Conference
18
Eva Mendes Day
Photos and Banned Commercials Set Trend Hunter Record
17
Frenemies
Shannen Doherty & Jennie Garth on EW Cover
16
Little Sisters in the Limelight
Ali Lohan
15
Youth as Wild Animals
Wrangler "We Are Animals" Ads
14
Celebratory Commercials
Visa Congratulates Michael Phelps in Beijing 2008 Olympics
13
Bigfoot Parodies
Bigfoot Photos and Videos Inspiring Comedy
12
Leaked Olympic Opening Ceremony
Watch Before it Happens
11
Hollow Cinderella Wedges
Zoe by Christian Werner
10
49 Pop Culture Revivals
From Shannen Doherty to Shoulder Pads
9
Olympic Cover Spoofs
Michael Phelps in Haute Couture
8
Distracted Media
Megan Fox More Buzzed Than Ellen DeGeneres
7
Cheesy Retro
Reality Star Heidi Montag Shocks in "Overdosin"
6
Beijing Olympic Scandals
9 Year Old Singer Was A Phony
5
Capitalizing on Bigfoot
$1 Million Sasquatch Photo Challenge
4
Caffeinated Soap Bars
Shower Shock
3
Denying Dead
Bernie Mac's Publicist Dispelling Myth of Bernie's Death
2
10 Celebrities Who Fought Breast Cancer
From Christina Applegate to Kylie
1
Olympic Athletes as News Gossip
CNN Roasts Amanda Beard on Michael Phelps
Related Ideas
Nostalgic Winter Intimates Campaigns
SKIMS' Holiday Campaign Was Inspired by Vintage Magazines
Iconic Sports Drink Campaigns
Gatorade Canada's Latest Campaign Stars Sarah Fillier
SEO-Optimized Summary Articles
The YouTube Summarizer is a Key Tool in Retaining Information
Beer-Pouring Party Billboards
JUBEL Made a Billboard That Pours Pints Invites People in to Party
Voting-Themed Fashion Ads
Reformation's 'You've Got the Power' Campaign Stars Monica Lewinsky
SEO Article Writing Tools
Byword Writes and Posts SEO-Rich Content to Your Site
Thematic Super-Villain-Inspired Makeup Campaigns
NYX Launches the 'Who Stole Halloween?' Campaign
Hug-Inspired Olympics Campaigns
Coca-Cola's Summer Olympics Campaign was Inspired by True Events
Uplifting Social Media Campaigns
Optimism Your Feed Helps Social Media Users Retrain the Algorithm
Viral Social Shopping Apps
The Claim App Helps Gen Z and Brands Authentically Discover One Another
AI Post-Apocalyptic Cities
Top10Casinos Explores the Future, Inspired by the Dune Universe
Digital-First Scavenger Hunts
Chipotle Opts for Influencer Marketing for its Giveaway Promotion
Sustainable Olympic Footwear Capsules
Vivaia's New Shoe Capsule is Inspired by the 2024 Olympics
Sporty Fashion Spring Campaigns
adidas Originals Introduces the 1000 Back Campaign
CGI-Created Fashion Campaigns
Coach's Find Your Courage Campaign Stars Virtual Human imma
Emerging Technology Publications
New Society Has Launched Its Inaugural Book About Technology
Humorous Payment Campaigns
Paypal's Latest Campaign Features Actor Will Ferrell
Gen Z-Centric Campaigns
Urban Outfitters' Shift Happens Campaign Has Three Phases
Convention-Challenging AC Campaigns
Samsung's WindFree Ad Stars a Savvy Grandma-Fluencer
Fishing-Themed Dating App Badges
Busch Light and Plenty of Fish Introduced a Fish Pic Badge
Influencer-Inspired Ads
Tomcat's Ad Shows an Influencer Mouse with a Fatal Unboxing Twist
Spooky AR Yogurt Packaging
Chobani Unveiled Interactive Special Edition Halloween Packaging
Romantic Dating App Experiences
The Bumble 'Success Stories' Campaign Includes a Las Vegas Contest
Athletic Nail Polish Ambassadors
Sally Hansen and Jared McCain Partnered to Embrace Individuality
Iconic Character-Inspired Campaigns
Etsy's Christmas Ad Celebrates Personalized Gifting
Offbeat Fashion Campaigns
ASOS 'Inspired By' Delivers Non-Traditional Inspiration to Style-Seekers
Globalized Spooky Destinations
Intrepid Travel Presents a Curated Selection of Spooky Adventures
Empowering Clean Beauty Campaigns
Babe Original Celebrates Individuality with 'Originally You'
Active Lifestyle-Supporting Campaigns
Kellogg's® Vector® Launches the Become Your Player Campaign
Creative Text-to-Infographic Tools
Infography Converts Blog Posts to Artistic Infographics
Gen Z-Focused Coachella Campaigns
Pinterest Partners With Coachella to Connect With Gen Z
Adventure-Ready AR Wines
Bandit Wines' Packs Invite Adults to Virtually Explore National Parks
Period-Inspired Fashion Capsules
Nadya Okamoto Partnered with Chnge on an Exclusive Apparel Line
Small Business Newsletter Platforms
Mailbob Helps Business Owners Build Newsletter Programs
Dog-Focused QSR Campaigns
The Hot Dog on a Stick Dog Days of Summer Campaign Treats Pooches
QSR Summer Pop-Ups
McDonald's Mexico Launched a Summer-Themed Activation in Mexico
Hyper-Targeted Shoppable Posters
Glossier and Shop Launched Posters with Geo-Gated Location Tech
Branded Dating Experiments
Whirlpool's Care Profiles Had Daters Share Photos of Doing Chores
Eclipse-Inspired Beer Campaigns
DAVID Miami Creates the Global Corona Lime Light Campaign
Optimized Content Planning Tools
Scribery Can Plan a Month's Worth of Posts in Minutes
Dolled-Up Chip Packaging
Stacy's Pita Chips and Barbie Created Collectible Pink Packaging
Gen Z Voter Engagement Initiatives
Yuzu's Asian American Youth Election Campaign Features Boba
Golden Olympic Burrito Promotions
Chipotle Has Brought Back Team Chipotle for the Paris Olympics
Extraterrestrial Influencer Campaigns
MoonPie's Alien Acquisition Shares Ads for Extraterrestrials
Social Media Notes Expansions
TikTok Notes Puts Text and Images to the Forefront of Social Sharing
Vegas-Inspired Dining Experiences
Tost by Tostitos is an Exclusive Super Bowl Pop-Up
Forward-Thinking Wedding Pop-Ups
Anthropologie Weddings x Pinterest Shares Emerging Styles
Scream Queen Skincare Campaigns
philosophy and Sarah Michelle Gellar Partnered for a Retinol Ad
Integrated Influencer Marketing Platforms
SocialTalk Helps Users Discover, Track, and Connect
Technology News Summaries
TechTok Helps Readers Stay On Top of News in Five Minutes
Pop Culture Bars
Basic is Building a Sports Bar for Pop Culture Fans
AI Viral Video Makers
AIVideo Creates Viral Videos With Just a Prompt
Record-Breaking AR Mirrors
Maybelline New York & FFFACE.ME Debuted a Large Interactive Experience
Virally Inspired Virtual Menus
The Creator's Kitchen As Seen on TikTok Menu is Ever-Changing
Patriotic Olympic Cocktail Menus
Bar Louie Just Launched Its 'Living the Ameri-Can Dream' Campaign
AI-Powered Digital Marketing Support
Boostrbot Transforms Likes Into Leads
AI-Generative Autonomous Blog Posts
Wix's AI Technology Can Now Create Entire Blog Posts for Users
Colorful Kitchen Pop-Ups
Primal Kitchen Partners with Pintrest for a Special Initiative
AI-powered News Curators
Brief is a News Organizing Tool That You Can Personalize
Social Media Political-Content Limitations
Meta is Reducing Political Content Recommendations
Faceless Mother Campaigns
Peanut's Invisible Mothers Visualizes the Solitude Women Experience
Brand-Boosting Social Media Contests
Iconic Beverage Group Debuts the Iconic Agua Challenge
Interactive Influencer Features
YouTube's New 'Hype' Feature Allows Viewers to Share in Success
Social-First Car Campaigns
Škoda's Reddit Car Share Amplified the Voices of Passionate Fans
Business Founder Newsletters
The Solo Founder Newsletter Compiles the Top News and Inspiration
Cookie-Twisting Commercials
The OREO Super Bowl 2024 Spot Revisits Pivotal Moments in History
Instagram Hashtags Generators
TwoOrbits' Tool Uses AI and Machine Learning to Help Creators
Co-Branded Digital Travel Hubs
The Corona Global Hub Spotlights Experiences Rooted in Nature
AI-Driven Newsletter Summaries
CruiseLetter Summarizes News into Mini Podcasts
Brand Photography Marketplaces
VSCO Unveils a New Marketplace for Photographers to Find Work
Burrito Celebrity Card Applications
Chipotle Extends Its Celebrity Card to Fans on Linkedin
Professional Short-Form Video Feeds
LinkedIn is Testing a TikTok-Like System on its Platform
Gamified Burrito Campaigns
Chipotle Launches Wordle-Inspired Game for Fans to Win Free Burritos
Competitive Live Games
April-8 Live Game Let's Players Challenge Friends Across The Globe
Artist-Inspired Game Events
Lady Gaga Will Make Her Digital Debut in the Fortnite Festival
Chinese Youth Search Reports
Xiaohongshu Has Released Report on Search Habits Among Youth in China
Global Storytelling Initatives
Vans Announces its Narrative-Centric Always Pushing Campaign
Language App Pop-Ups
Duolingo Hosted an Interactive Street Society Event in Soho
Influencer-Starring Car Commercials
Toyota's New Short Film Seeks to Resonate with Gen Z Customers
Athlete-Centric Bingo Campaigns
The 'Share Your Bingo Moment' Campaign Spotlights Olympic Legends
Playful Dinner-Inspired Challenges
Mrs. T's Pierogies Has Launched the Go-Fun-Me Challenge
Friendship-Focused Election Campaigns
Flash Pack Has Introduced The Friendship Bus
Seasonal Soda Ads
Olipop's Christmas Ad Challenges Big Soda
Youth Movement Competitions
The PLEZi Absurdly Good Games Encourages Summer Activity
Randomized Internet Pages
Project Random Shuffles the Internet to Retrieve Blog Posts and Pages
Social Media Salad Promotions
Yuri Lamasbell Promotes El Pollo Loco's Double Chopped Salads
Skateboarding-Inspired Ads
Vans Launched the ‘Always Pushing’ Ad Highlighting Skating Culture
Frozen Pizza-Centered Campaigns
Dr. Oetker Debuts the Frozen Pizza Publicist Campaign
Music-Centric Branding Initiatives
BACARDÍ Rum Partnered with the MTV Video Music Awards
Interactive AR Galleries
Chips Ahoy's Happy By Design Campaign Spotlights Multicultural Artists
Seasonal Street Food-Inspired Menus
Taco Cabana Street Food Fest Features Ample Food and Drink
Tween-Targeted Weekly News Shows
Kelsey Russell is the Newest Co-Host of First Stop News
AI Social Media Generators
Snowball FATG Can Help Create Viral Social Moments in Seconds
Short Film-Inspired Ads
Apple’s New ‘The Underdogs’ Ad Features Various Apple Products
Limited Political Social Medias
Meta's 'Threads' Allows Users to Limit Political Content Shown
Redirected Movement Campaigns
Asics' 15MinuteWeightLoss Challenges Rapid Weight Loss Content
Disaster Relief-Supporting Pr Initiatives
Publicity for Good Supports Hurricane Helene Relief
Viral Political Campaign Accessories
The Viral Harris-Walz Camo Hat Appeals to Gen Z Voters
Automated Social Media Posting
PosterGPT Uses AI to Post the Latest News Stories to Your Feed
AI-Powered Creative Services
WePost Saga Helps Businesses Enhance Their Online Social Presence
Mystery Search Engines
Mystery Search Shows You the Question of the Person Before You
Big-Screen Cat Ads
INABA is Celebrating National Cat Day with "the Ultimate Cat Video"
Secondary Social Media Features
Instagram is Rolling out the Flipside Feature On User Profiles
Visual Email Newsletters
PencilBooth is a Newsletter That Prioritizes Images Over Text
Text-Summarizing AI Tools
PowerPost Uses AI To Help People Read Long Text in Minutes
Special Birthday Promotions
Build-A-Bear Workshop is Celebrating Over 25 Million Birthdays
Uplifting Virtual Influencer Collabs
The Lennnie x Dove Collab Promotes Body Positivity
Human-Penned AI Newsletters
The 'Not A Bot' Newsletter Explores AI from a Human Perspective
Pop Culture Presidency Campaigns
Kamala Harris Adopts Charli XCX's 'Brat' Trend for Her Campaign
Weekly Tech Podcasts
The Product Hunt Weekly Podcast Will Uncover the Latest Industry Insights
Newsletter-Finding Tools
Best Newsletters Helps Users Find Their Next Favorite Read
Viral Content Amplifiers
CapUp Helps Creators Get Their Videos More Views in a Single Tap
Body-Inclusive Image Apps
Pinterest’s New Body Type Range Delivers More Inclusive Search Results
Private Social Media Services
Instagram Now Allows Posts and Reels to be Shared with Close Friends
Personalized Professional Content Generators
Viralify AI Crafts LinkedIn Posts to Save You Time
Blog Post Generators
Hubrank Helps Create Posts for Niche Topics with an Emphasis on Strong SEO
Personalized Newsletter Briefings
Digest Aggregates News from Social Sites to Create Daily Updates
Social App Feature Updates
Instagram is Moving the Status Update Notes to Profiles
Year-Long Professional Content Calendars
Content Squeezy Provides Social media Ideas
Social-Based Newsletters
Pi.fyi by Perfectly Imperfect is a Newsletter for "People with Taste"
Novelty Polling Websites
Funnypoll Gives Users a Quick Laugh in an Often Overwhelming Online Space
Long-Form Content Social Platforms
X Allows Premium+ Subscribers to Create Long-Form Articles
Creator-Inspired Caption Generators
OpusClip Captions Writes Social Posts Inspired by Big Names
Daily Fun Facts
Curiosity of the Day Offers Bite-Sized Insights to Spark Interest
Daily Inspirational Quotes
Models of Life Offers Real, Inspirational Quotes and Narratives
Haunting Tech Safety PSAs
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection Releases 'The Horse'
Otherworldly Sandwich Delivery Promotions
Subway Ultimate Footlong Offering Marks World UFO Day
Location-Based Photo Sharing
Harbor Creates Personalized Picture Albums Through location Sharing
Content-to-Post Social Tools
Camoo Carousels Transforms Media into Carousel Posts for Social
Bite-Sized Podcast Biographies
NerdSnipes Has an Endless List of Short Biography Podcasts
Censorship-Combatting Social Media Campaigns
Operation Retweet Uses AI-Generated Avatars
Elevated Social Media Visuals
SocialScreenshots Creates Stunning Visuals for Online Sharing
Efficient Fact Generators
Facts Generator Can Produce Interesting Facts About Any Subject
AI Video Marketing Agencies
Syllaby V2.0 Schedules Your Posts and Crafts Compelling Scripts
Meme-Inspired Crypto Leaderboards
Meme2Earn Unveils its Rewards-Style Creator Leaderboard
Efficient Personalized Idea Newsletters
Sofon Curates Personalized Insights From Numerous Sources
TV-Specific Pop Informants
COVER Emerges as the Essential App for TV Show Aficionados
Automated Social Media Creation
Postlyy Helps People Effortlessly Manage Their Socials
Blog Post Converting Tools
BlogToPin Converts Blog Posts to Pinterst Pins
Viral Baby Hotel Partnerships
The Four Seasons Hotel Partners a Viral Baby for a Weekend