How to Go Viral on YouTube

YouTube is an excellent place to brand your company and market your business.
And I’m going to teach you how to go viral on YouTube.

However, if you thought you can shoot a video, upload it on the web, sit back and wait for the world to see and appreciate it, you couldn’t be more wrong.

Unfortunately, marketing on YouTube does not work this way.

If you want the video to give you good returns, it is important to ensure it goes viral, which comes with delivering a very memorable, professional video.

The idea makes all the difference

If there is one aspect that can make your video go viral, it is the idea that drives it.

Consider the examples of two very famous videos on YouTube – Hovercat, and the excellent video shot for the Belgian television network TNT.

Both these videos gained millions of views within a few days.

The interesting thing is that both the videos are very different.

One uses cats and the other uses mayhem as the main theme.
But what is common in both the videos is the brilliant idea.

If you have a good idea, you can use your phone’s to shoot the video and still gain enormous views within a very short while. What’s even more recommended is use your phone to catch a great idea, and then revisit the idea with further video production and a more professional video delivery at a later date.

Put time and energy into your idea. It will pay huge dividends.

Entertainment and a message

If you want to go viral, you need to make the video entertaining.

This does not mean that insightful and serious videos do not succeed on YouTube. Although they do well too, they don’t go viral as much as the entertaining ones do.

People want to be entertained quickly, and to high degrees. Fast, easy entertainment. Plus, people like that entertainment comes free on YouTube.

It’s important to include a message in the video because it makes viewers think about it and come back to see it once more. I’m sure you also have something to promote, sell, or get across to your viewers anyways, so do it in an entertaining way that matches your brand.

Viewers will remember your viral YouTube video longer if there’s a message involved.

Short and strong

For the present generation of youth, young adults and adults, five minute equals half an hour because everybody is in a mad rush.

So, if you want your video to make a strong impact, keep it short.

Plan the video well so that you can say all that you want to within a couple of minutes.

If your video isn’t pointed, powerful, and memorable, you might as well work on something else. Competition is very, very high when it comes to reaching viral status on YouTube these days.

Short videos get the most number of repeated views.

SEO optimization

As long as you work on the Internet, you cannot wash your hands of SEO.

Use the right keywords, meta titles and meta descriptions to ensure that your video is indexed, ranks higher on search lists and is spotted by more number of people.

SEO can really add fuel to the fire that your video revs up on YouTube.

How to go viral on YouTube…revisited.

So, the mantra for a viral video is – a brilliant idea blended with a dash of entertaining humor, and garnished with a message to create a short and powerful end product.

If you get these proportions right, you get snowballing results.

There are obviously ways to market a video well so it goes viral on YouTube, but the substantial return comes from very professional videos that leave a lasting impression.

Always remember to build that quality product first (in this case a viral YouTube video), and the rest will follow.

Think positive thoughts.
Applaud yourself for going viral on YouTube.

Beach photo by M Hooper