Viral videos step by step

· Algorithms matter:

Most social websites operate based on algorithms – this means you need to trigger those algorithms in order for your content to start spreading. What you can (and should) do to enable this is to ask your friends to share your video on their social media profiles, like it and, most importantly: comment on it. Another essential aspect is getting people to watch the whole video, not just the first few seconds. The most crucial factor is that all those things need to be done as soon as the video is published. Back links can also do the trick, so don’t forget to ask your fellow bloggers for a favor.

· Content is king… most of the time:

Assuming you want to create a video that does more than induce a few laughs, content is key. After all, what does going viral mean if not for people to want to watch it over and over again. It needs to evoke an emotion in viewers, make them react by leaving a comment or sharing it with their friends. Length plays a big role in it: make your videos under 2 minutes and edit them well. Also, don’t be shy to use storytelling! The most successful brands do. Google’s Parisian Love is one of the most genius creations when it comes to telling a story in less than a minute

· Mind your keywords:

Lots of people forget that the title and description of the video matter. They need to include keywords related to your topic and industry, so people can easily find the video when browsing online. After all, Google can’t pick up on it if you don’t use appropriate keywords. Make sure your title is catchy – use Google Ad Words or Word tracker to see what people are searching for in your niche. Try using the word “video” in the title – it has proven to give good results. This video is a great example of keyword usage – it even includes links to similar viral videos the owner posted before.

· Comments and annotations:

How to make your video go viral? Start with enabling comments.  Adding annotations is also a great way to ensure engagement, as people like seeing them pop up during the video. They allow you to start a dialog with your audience – you can use them as a call to action, but make sure they enrich the video and don’t distract from the main idea. Also, don’t overthink how many views is viral – when you see lots of people you don’t know sharing and talking about your video, you’ll know it’s viral.

· The art behind going live:

Surprise, surprise – it does matter when you publish your video. Turns out prime time television has the right idea – viewership usually peaks during weekday evenings, which means it’s a good idea to post your videos in the afternoon to give YouTube time to deliver them to subscriber feeds. On Saturday and Sunday it’s the opposite: studies show posting between 9 and 11 am has the best effect. Try releasing your video on Monday or Tuesday: it’s no secret people at work watch viral videos on YouTube. Give it a week to gain momentum! This girl did it and ended up having 800k views in one day, which happens often with viral music videos

All in all, going viral takes a lot of work. If there’s one thing you have to understand before you start – it’s how the whole process works. From then on, it’s all up to you (and the rest of the world)