How a 1926 Print Ad Inspired One of Today's Fastest Growing Websites

'Most perfect headline ever' drives ViralNova's approach

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If you needed proof that there's really nothing new under the sun, look no further than the explosively popular site ViralNova, which credits its addictive, highly clickable content to a famous long-form print ad from 1926.

The original ad, widely collected, praised and parodied through the years, begins, "They laughed when I sat down at the piano — But when I started to play!" It was penned by John Caples for the U.S. School of Music and is often noted as one of the most effective ad headlines of all time.

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