YouTube is unprecedented in its size and reach. With over a billion monthly visitors, the its opportunities for viral success are limitless.
Follow these strategies to make your video go viral on YouTube.
1. Write a viral video title
Who do you want to be known as? Would you rather be “The Evolution of Taylor Swift in 1989 Seconds” girl or “Lots Of Old Taylor Swift Songs” singer? Write a title that will make viewers WANT to watch your video. Look at viral videos such as “World’s Best Skateboarding Cat! Go Didga Go!”, “The Sneezing Baby Panda”, or “Will it Blend? – iPhone 6 Plus”. These titles convey exactly what the videos are about. A title that makes viewers curious is key to achieve viral success.
2. Make your video shareable
Videos go viral because lots of people are sharing them. Make your videos shareable so that viewers will want to pass them on to friends and followers. Including a strong call to action encourages social sharing. Also allow viewers to embed the video in blogs or websites and add social sharing buttons in your email campaign so that they can share your videos with a single click.
3. Get other YouTubers to share your content
Approach channels that upload similar videos by using YouTube ChannelCrawler. Reach out to creators via social media or email to ask them to share your video on their channels. These YouTubers can create a snowball effect by sharing your video with their of viewers who, in turn, will share it within their own networks.
4. Get tastemakers to share your video
According to Kevin Alloca, Head of Culture & Trends at YouTube, tastemakers play a significant role in making videos go viral on YouTube. Tastemakers are influencers who have high follower counts. They introduce their networks to new, interesting, or funny content that they find on the Internet. For example, Paul Vasquez uploaded a video called “Double Rainbow” that has recieved over 43 million views since January 2010. The video spread like wildfire when Jimmy Kimmel tweeted, “my friend Todd has declared this ‘funniest video in the world’ – he might very well be right http://bit.ly/75ieRc.” Tastemakers can spread online content at the speed of light. Try to get under a tastemaker’s radar to make your video go viral on YouTube.
5. Collaborate with micro-celebrities
Micro-celebrities are people who have millions of fans in a niche area. However, their fame is limited, and they aren’t usually recognized outside of their respective fan bases. Micro-celebs provide a pre-established platform to distribute content to a large audience. Work with them to tap into a large number of potential viewers and increase your video’s visibility. Invite micro-celebrities within your area of interest to be a part of your next video. You can even collaborate with prominent YouTubers to achieve viral success.
6. Include links to potential sponsors in your video description
Think of the people and companies that could benefit if your video went viral. List the brands, products, and services that are indirectly featured in your video. Include links to these companies to send traffic their way. In return, they may market your video and even propose a sponsorship. Karen Cheng adopted this approach for her viral video “Girl Learns to Dance in a Year (TIME LAPSE)”.
In her video description, she included links to Lululemon and American Apparel, the companies whose clothes she wore in her video. She also included links to the Lift app that she used to track her dancing, to the Bart train station where she danced, and the music she danced to. She contacted all of these companies and asked them to share her video. Both sides reaped the benefits. Ihe main goal here is to utilize every available medium to make your video go viral on YouTube.
Videos go viral mainly because of the snowball effect. The video must build popularity on its own while counting on others to push the snowball farther and father down the mountain. Use these tips to make your videos explode across the Internet.
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Kristen Harris enjoys listening to a wide range of music, from Taylor Swift to, on occasion, Celtic instrumental. She also spends her time writing, reading, and baking.
