They're here! More Muvipix.com Guides by Steve Grisetti!
The Muvipix.com Guides to Premiere & Photoshop Elements 2024
As well as The Muvipix.com Guide to CyberLink PowerDirector 21
Because there are stories to tell
muvipix.com

Getting your video viral

Hardware, software, and methods for displaying & distributing your creations.

Getting your video viral

Postby sidd finch » Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:52 pm

Excerpts from the article: http://techcrunch.com/2007/11/22/the-secret-strategies-behind-many-viral-videos/

The Secret Strategies Behind Many "Viral" Videos by Dan Ackerman Greenberg, co-founder of viral video marketing company The Comotion Group.

Have you ever watched a video with 100,000 views on YouTube and thought to yourself: “How the hell did that video get so many views?” Chances are pretty good that this didn’t happen naturally, but rather that some company worked hard to make it happen — some company like mine. I will share some of the techniques I use to do my job: to get at least 100,000 people to watch my clients’ “viral” videos.

Secret #1: Not all viral videos are what they seem
The videos were 10-20 seconds each, were shot from what appeared to be a camera phone, and captured a series of unexpected and shocking events that required professional post-production and CGI. Needless to say, the studio had invested a significant amount of money in creating the videos but every time they put them online, they couldn’t get more than a few thousand views.

2. Content is NOT King
Make it short: 15-30 seconds is ideal; break down long stories into bite-sized clips

3. Core Strategy: Getting onto the “Most Viewed” page
Forums: We start new threads and embed our videos. Sometimes, this means kickstarting the conversations by setting up multiple accounts on each forum and posting back and forth between a few different users.

4. Title Optimization
Titles can be changed a limitless number of times, so we sometimes have a catchy (and somewhat misleading) title for the first few days, then later switch to something more relevant to the brand.

5. Thumbnail Optimization
If a video is sitting on the Most Viewed page with nineteen other videos, a compelling video thumbnail is the single best strategy to maximize the number of clicks the video gets.

6. Commenting: Having a conversation with yourself
A great way to maximize the number of people who watch our videos is to create some sort of controversy in the comments section below the video. Everyone loves a good, heated discussion in the comments section — especially if the comments are related to a brand/startup.

7. Releasing all videos simultaneously
If we have multiple videos, we post all of them at once. If someone sees our first video and is so intrigued that they want to watch more, why would we make them wait until we post the next one?

8. Strategic Tagging: Leading viewers down the rabbit hole
For the first week that our video is online, we don’t use keyword tags to optimize the video for searches on YouTube. Instead, we’ve discovered that you can use tags to control the videos that show up in the Related Videos box. When views start trailing off after a few days to a week, it’s time to add some more generic tags, tags that draw out the long tail of a video as it starts to appear in search results on YouTube and Google.

Conclusion: You simply can’t expect to post great videos on YouTube and have them go viral on their own, even if you think you have the best videos ever.
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." ..... Ferris Bueller
User avatar
sidd finch
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 6542
Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2007 5:20 pm
Location: Cyberspace

Re: Getting your video viral

Postby momoffduty » Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:46 pm

I've often wondered about number 6. Some conversations are rather odd. One viral video that stands out is the Levi commercial where people are jumping into their levis.
aka Cheryl
Intel i7 3770, Windows 7 Pro w/SP1, 64 bit, Intel 520 Series SSD, 32G RAM, 2 – 2T RAID, (1T external), GTX 550 Ti graphics
User avatar
momoffduty
Moderator
Moderator
 
Posts: 7590
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2007 10:43 am
Location: near St. Louis

Re: Getting your video viral

Postby Bobby Lin » Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:52 pm

I definitely agree with #2; it's important to keep things snappy if you want to be viral! Also, #4 brings out a huge point: the perfect title just might make or break your video's "virality." I think this article is a great resource to check out for more info on creating viral titles:

I really liked your tips--very practical. Thanks for sharing!
Bobby Lin
New User
New User
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 6:32 pm

Re: Getting your video viral

Postby Steve Grisetti » Wed Apr 20, 2016 7:27 am

Interesting strategy, Sidd!
HP Envy with 2.9/4.4 ghz i7-10700 and 16 gig of RAM running Windows 11 Pro
User avatar
Steve Grisetti
Super Moderator
Super Moderator
 
Posts: 14439
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2007 5:11 pm
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin


Return to Video/Photo/Music Viewing and Sharing 


Similar topics


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests

cron