Content is Not Always King

If you want a truly viral video that will get millions of people to watch and share it, then yes, content is key. But good content is not necessary to get 100,000 views if you follow these strategies.

Don’t get me wrong: the content is what will drive visitors back to a site. A video must have a decent concept, but one shouldn’t agonize over determining the best “viral” video possible. A concept should not be forced because it fits a brand, but should be fit into a great concept. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Make it short : 15-30 seconds is ideal; break down long stories into bite-sized clips
• Design for remixing : create a video that is simple enough to be remixed over and over again by others.
• Don’t make an outright ad : if a video feels like an ad, viewers won’t share it unless it’s really amazing.
• Make it shocking : give a viewer no choice but to investigate further.
• Use fake headlines : make the viewer say, “Holy shit, did that actually happen?!”
• Appeal to sex : if all else fails, hire the most attractive women available to be in the video.

These recent videos would have been perfect had they been viral “ads” pointing people back to websites:

• Model Falls in Hole on Runway
• Cheerleader Gets Run Over By Football Team
• Dude