What is viral?
as explained by Beau Lewis of Seedwell.com
- Parody (example: “Mac or PC”)
- Music videos (example: Lady Gaga or Beyonce, or a parody of Jay-Z song “New Dork”)
- “Did that just happen?” (example: anything by Ok Go)
- Too cute or too sexy (example: “Charlie Bit Me”)
Secrets of viral video
- If it’s an ad, why share? People are less likely to share a video if it is visibly an advertisement.
- Making a parody of a common pop-culture reference means that you can capitalize on the popularity of those keywords, and your video will appear in the same search results. Also, your parody will be linked intrinsically, if well done, with the original content you are mocking.
- Build a micro-site for the video where people can interact, comment, engage with content (like MacOrPC.org)
Who watches YouTube videos?
60% of people on YouTube are over 35 years-old
Who will spread your video virally?
- 1/3 of people who watch videos online will share them
- 70% of those people who share will share with just 1-6 people
- LESS THAN 3% who share will share with 20 or more people (these are the “influencers”)
- People who are connected online, who are at their computers often, who have a large network of friends/peers/co-workers.
- If someone sees your video on a social network like Facebook, it will be easier to share. Make it easy to click once and share your video!
- Where to fish, in a big pond with everyone (not all are your target audience)? Or in a small pond with JUST your targets? Go for the small pond every time. Find out where you influencers are and target that small group first. They will share for you!
Find out how Beau Lewis of Seedwell (the company behind “Mac or PC” and “New Dork”) became a viral super-star, and hear the advice he shared with us at the February HyperArts social media event:
Here are the other tips that Beau shared with us, about how to get your video FOUND in the search engines:
The SEO of viral:
- Plan release of your video around an event (Olympics, election, Super Bowl, Oscars)
- Utilize those common keywords in your title and description. People will be searching for the original and stumble on your parody of what they were seeking.
- Your video thumbnail can be ANYTHING (not necessarily something even in your video!) so make it something that will catch eyes. This image will show up in search results.
- Make your video a response to another popular video that is related. This will show up on the original video’s page on YouTube.
