Here’s How To Make A Viral Video

It has long been no secret that video is one of the strongest tools of Internet marketing. The reason is extremely simple: the human brain stores memories in the form of associations (by sight, by ear, by taste, etc.). That is why we remember video advertising more easily than its versions in text or audio.

A competent film sequence has a comparable effect on the brain as Velcro, which has many loops and hooks. The more associations a viewer can relate to themselves while watching a video, the more response it gets.

The world’s largest brands have long moved away from creating purely commercial videos and are working on audience associations, aiming to create videos that become viral with a wide reach.

What video is considered viral?

Many users believe that any video clip on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube with a large number of views is viral in itself. In fact, due to users’ participation in conversations, reposts, parodies, and active media coverage, a video turns viral.

That is why professionals when making an advertisement video are initially focused on the reaction of users.

Of course, not every brand can afford to invest $ 4.7 million in the production of a 1-minute promotional video and invite J.K. Van Damme, as did the Swedish automaker Volvo in 2013, securing a profit of $170 million.

If you do not have such an advertising budget, but still aim to improve sales and brand awareness, increase the quantity of channel subscribers and use YouTube or social media platforms as a full-fledged marketing instrument, read the article to the end and derive your patterns of video content that becomes viral.

Is there an algorithm for making a viral video?

Unfortunately, all templates and schemes that guarantee 100% video virality are a myth and profanity. Otherwise, most YouTube videos would become millionaires.

The good news is that there are some video creation patterns that, coupled with modern technology and proper promotion, can increase your chances of getting into the TOP views. An example of how you can promote a YouTube video is by including a transcript. Transcribing a YouTube video helps people find your video more easily when searching for a specific term mentioned in the video.

Let’s consider them in more detail.

Stage 1. Strategic planning

Like any marketing tool that involves a budget, making viral video content for YouTube requires preliminary preparation:

• setting clear goals – what is the purpose of creating a video (to tell people about a new brand/product, pump loyalty, increase awareness, attract new customers, etc.), what is the major message you want to get across to your audience;
• market research and audience analysis – who you would like to attract to view, who these people are, why they should be interested in your video, what best catches their attention.

Stage 2. Preparation

Generating and evaluating an idea. At this stage, a video maker has to consider the following key principles:

1. focus on the values ​​and internal attitudes of your the primary audience;
2. remember about emotions: surprise, touch, make the viewer laugh, impress him, scare;
3. “blow your brain” with an unexpected approach to solving a problem;
4. allow for parodies, copying, etc. (if applicable);
5. check for the main message in your idea and make sure that the audience understands you correctly.

Script writing

If the video is not staged, but filmed by accident, there is no question of a script. But in the case when you decide to make a video from scratch on your own, write down what should happen and how.

Video of an advertising nature, content, or training, requires a written script without fail. Below are some recommendations.

• Trust the script, not improvisation. By writing the script yourself or by ordering it from professionals, you will be sure that you will be able to control the attention of the audience, convey the key message to them, and place and voice the call to action in time.
• Start right. The audience decides whether to watch the video or close it in the first 3 seconds of viewing. So if your video begins with an appeal to the audience, do it right – show that a potential subscriber will receive a solution to their problem. Make a kind of introduction for 3-5 seconds in the beginning, and then you can say hello and introduce yourself.
• Don’t rush your call to action. The golden rule of marketing says: before you ask a person for anything, give him something valuable and useful. Placing a call to action too early can negatively affect the promotion of a viral video – people will switch to another resource without watching the content to the end, and, therefore, without reposting, commenting, etc. For these reasons, it is better to place a call to action after 30% of video viewing and/or at the end of the video.
• Engage the audience in the discussion. It’s no secret that comments promote a video better than likes. Ask an intriguing question, the answer to which you want to share in the comments. It is important to respond to comments, especially in the early days – this creates a “movement” and hype and involves subscribers in further discussion. Also, it’s useful for promotion as Youtube counts all comments, even replies to “cool” and “thank you”.

As for the duration of the video, here the opinions of professionals differ. Probably, the only right thing would be to record a video according to the needs and degree of warming up of the audience and then test it. As you remember, there is no algorithm for creating a viral video.

Stage 3. Implementation

Shooting secrets

Now let’s look at how to shoot a catchy home video or shoot in a rented studio. The principles are the same in both cases. Until recently, it was enough to take a webcam, record yourself and get new subscribers.

Today, quality requirements are increasing – new technologies allow you to shoot more professional videos, in high resolution, using one or two cameras, and add animation. Agree, watching such a video is much more pleasant.

How to keep the viewer’s attention or “turn on” it at the right moment?

        1. Do a change of angle every 10-15 seconds. This is especially true for training videos – if you just stand in front of the camera and say something for 5-10 minutes, the audience will quickly get tired, and attention will dissipate. Therefore, dynamism is extremely important.

        2. Use sound effects (squeak, white noise) when changing the subject or before asking the audience a question to get their attention. Remember, everything should be in moderation.

        3. Psychologists also believe that audience confidence is enhanced if the author’s pupils are visible. Naturally, this must be used wisely and at the right time.

Processing and installation

YouTube is not television, so no one expects you to have a perfect picture, but at least a little processing and editing should be. They give the video some kind of completeness. Competent animation also improves response.

Music that is catchy and fits the mood of the video is no less important. Find out how to add background music to a video clip.

After processing, you will have to “upload” your video to Youtube (or any platform you want), add a description, check the relevance of the channel design, and add hashtags.

Seeding

This is a separate and controversial topic. Some professionals believe that the viral video is promoted independently, while others consider seeding a mandatory event. One thing is certain – the sowing campaign is necessarily carefully planned.

Important:

• choose the target audience for the distribution;
• find appropriate sites for posting on social networks and blogs;
• act quickly, especially in the early days.

Conclusion

When producing a viral video, it is not necessary to adhere to any strict rules. It is enough to carry out the phased work and the number of factors described above.

Exist many examples of viral videos. Some of them needed significant investment, while others were produced on a small budget. However, they all demonstrate that only something original, amazing, humorous, or deeply affecting may become viral. Success will never be attained with slogans like “best value for good money”.