If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me how to make an online video go viral, I’d be a rich man. Seriously.
People look at videos that capture the imagination of millions of people, and think there has to be a formula for success. If the different ingredients can be harnessed, the process of creating a video viral should be easy.
If only it was that straightforward. Truth be told, viral videos are like winning lottery tickets – few and far between but they get people believing that anything is possible as long as you buy a ticket.
For every viral video that gets thrust into the global spotlight, there are hundreds of thousands of videos that are seen by no one other than the person who creates them and their friends/family.
Viral video consist of a few key elements. They include:
1. A creative, different or strange idea that, for whatever reason, stands out from the crowd. At the same time, it needs to be something that people can understand or relate to. A good example is Gary Brolsma’s Numa Numa video (see below) that featured a computer geeks lip-synching a song in front of his computer. It was definitely different but the song was popular so people could connect with it.
2. A gigantic dose of luck. Yup, luck is crucial because even the most creative or different videos can fail to resonate unless something lucky happens to them. It could be an “influencer” or social maven who stumbles upon the video, and then decides to share it with their network of followers. The rest, as they say, is history.
3. Timing: A video that plays off a news event or person in the news can capture the attention of lots of people if it hits them at the right time. Dave Carroll’s video, “United Breaks Guitars”, about how the airlines’ baggage handlers throwing his band’s guitars around like footballs was a combination of creativity and the fact it captured the frustration that a lot people share about airlines.
4. Lots of promotion – online and off-line. The Old Spice videos, for example, were heavily promoted on Twitter and YouTube. It also helps there was a multi-million advertising budget to create them.
5. Luck. It was mentioned above but it’s such a key component that it’s worth mentioning again.
For more thoughts on the viral video, check out this recent Globe & Mail story.
Tags: dave carroll, numa numa, viral videos
It all comes down to #2 and #5. I wrote about a similar theme here:
http://wp.me/p10rKc-cY
As you said, if there was a magic formula that would guarantee virality the inventor would be rather wealthy.
Sadly, there is no magic. As John wooden said luck is when preparation meets opportunity. You have to be there with something inventive but it still comes down to luck.
Steve,
Thanks for the comment insight. cheers, Mark