Going viral is the holy grail when it comes to video. When a video goes viral, the earned media impressions explode and the content can even be amplified through media coverage. Although no one can promise you a video will go viral, we do have some tips on how to increase your chances.
1. Short & Sharp
To go viral it's very important not to make your video too long. Keep the video between 30 and 45 seconds to encourage sharing activity, but longer than 60 seconds if you're looking to maximize your viewers' time spent with the brand advertised. Your audience will start to disappear over the length of your video. On average for a video of 4-5 minutes, fewer than 60% of your viewers will still be with you - against 75% for a 1-2 minute video. So if your goal is to go viral, make sure your video is short and sharp.
2. Capture emotional
For a video to go viral, it's important to evoke some sort of emotion. It doesn't really matter if that emotion is sadness, happiness, anger or amusement, as long as it's a strong reaction. It's no accident that most viral videos include kids, animals or people exhibiting intense emotion? The subject matter has been carefully selected to resonate and generate emotion with a large portion of the general public.
3. Let it reflect your business
Although kids and cats are nice, if these things have nothing to do with your business, stay away from them Realize that if your video goes viral, it will be strongly associated with your business. You want the message to be on brand and help people better understand your company's values. If your company's brand is about about empowerment but you put out a sappy video that makes people cry, people will be confused about what you stand for.
4. Inform
It's important to not only entertain or evoke with your video, but also inform people. Who are you? What is your product or service? What can you do for your public? Answer these questions in a fun and inspiring way without being heavy handed.
5. Promote the content
Making a good video is not enough. In order to get the video viral, you need to get it out everywhere you possibly can. Social media is your best friend when it comes to promotion. Put the time and effort into building up your following on multiple platforms before you release the video in the hope that it will be picked up quickly.
Good luck going viral!
