In this 99U talk, Jonathan Perelman breaks down the tactics and mindsets used by Buzzfeed to stand out on social media and elsewhere (complete with its trademark listicles). By adopting a social-first mindset and creating content that appeals to emotion, Buzzfeed has grown from a small blog to a cultural phenomenon read by tens of millions of people (including the President of the United States).

His advice? Respect the platform you’re using (e.g. Twitter is about timelines, Facebook is about emotion), stay positive, and tell a story that is “genuine, authentic, and meaningful.”