Viral videos become popular on the Internet, especially on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, spreading thanks to active user sharing. A study by Harvard Business Review revealed that videos most often become viral within the first 48 hours after publication. A video is considered viral when it gathers more than 2 million views in a few days.
Why do videos become viral?
According to the HBR article, based on data from the company Unruly, a small group of “super-sharers” plays a major role in the dissemination of the video, who share it within the first 48 hours.
Motives for sharing videos include the desire to know friends’ opinions, uniting around common interests, stimulating both online and offline discussions, spreading useful information, the desire to be the first to share something unique, demonstrating their knowledge, contributing to social good, participating in trends, and self-expression.
How to make a video on YouTube go viral
Viral videos usually evoke strong emotions and motivate viewers to share them. They can quickly reach a wide audience due to emotional impact, despite lacking a unique “appearance.”
According to YouTube expert Sean Cannell, creating a viral video requires not just luck but also the right approach, akin to cooking a dish using key ingredients:
- Strong theme: choosing a topic that is relevant to the audience.
- Attractive headline and thumbnail: they should motivate to click on the video.
- Engaging beginning: the first few seconds are critically important for retaining attention.
- Compelling story: maintaining the viewer’s interest throughout the video.
- Emotional impact: the video should leave the viewer with a feeling of transformation.
Creating engaging videos
The first step to creating a viral video is ensuring its attractiveness and ease of distribution. Content that evokes strong emotions, such as joy, delight, or surprise, is most often the subject of discussion and sharing. Aim to create something entertaining, useful, or thought-provoking, while keeping the video concise and clear enough to maintain audience interest.
At the heart of this approach is the art of storytelling. Make the audience laugh, empathize, or experience compassion, the main thing is to provoke an emotional response. Use unexpected plot twists and exciting moments to surprise and engage viewers.
Using social networks
Social networks play a key role in the spread of viral video content, providing access to billions of users worldwide through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
To maximally effectively use social networks, consider the following recommendations:
- Choosing the right platform: Considering that different social networks focus on different audiences and types of content, it’s important to determine which platforms best match your target audience’s interests.
- Using hashtags: Hashtags increase the chances that your video will be noticed on social networks. Conduct research and use relevant hashtags related to your topic or industry in the video descriptions.
- Interacting with the audience: Actively communicating with subscribers through comments, likes, and responses to mentions shows that you are interested in their opinion and strive to maintain a connection with the audience.
Improving visibility through SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a critical role in making your video go viral. By improving the visibility of your videos in search engines, you increase their chances of becoming viral. If, despite the efforts invested, videos do not bring the expected effect, the problem may lie in insufficient SEO optimization.
Here are some tips for effective SEO optimization of your videos:
- Keywords: Perform thorough keyword research related to your niche or theme and use them in the titles, descriptions, and tags of your videos.
- Detailed descriptions: Expand the video description by including relevant keywords, which will help search engines better understand and classify your content.
- Captions and subtitles: Adding captions and subtitles improves the accessibility of your video for a wider audience, including those with hearing impairments and those who prefer to watch without sound.
- Attractive thumbnails: Develop a bright and attractive thumbnail that accurately conveys the essence of your video and highlights it among others in search results.
Performance analysis for content improvement
To increase the chances of your videos going viral, it’s extremely important to analyze their performance and adapt your approach to future content creation. By studying metrics such as the number of views, engagement level, and frequency of reposts, you can identify what truly attracts your audience.
Consider key methods for effective content analysis and optimization:
- YouTube analytics tools: The platform offers advanced analytical tools that allow tracking key metrics, including the number of views, watch time, engagement level, as well as demographic characteristics of the audience.
- Identifying trends: Carefully study the performance data of your videos to identify common trends or patterns characteristic of the most successful clips.
- Flexibility and adaptation: Be prepared to experiment with content and presentation methods, abandon ineffective approaches, and actively implement successful strategies based on performance analysis.
Want to achieve more?
Understanding how your individual style and voice can affect content popularity is extremely important for achieving virality. Sincerity and uniqueness are key components of success; they make your content special and contribute to its dissemination. So be true to yourself and allow your personality to freely express through video.
Creating viral content may seem like a challenging task, but it is quite achievable. Remember, you are not alone in this pursuit. With our tools and services, we can help your channel grow, increasing the number of subscribers and views of your videos. We offer effective solutions that can significantly speed up your path to success on YouTube.
So don’t lose hope, dear creators. Your chance for viral fame might be much closer than it seems, waiting for you to grab it! With us, your video will find its audience faster, and you will be able to enjoy the growth and popularity of your content.