Going Viral: Random or a Science?

Think about your favorite viral video. Is it “Charlie Bit My Finger”, Rebecca Black’s “Friday”, someone ranting about something, or a just a cute puppy? My favorite viral videos have to be anything with Gavin in them. Here’s a link to some of his best vines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOCr8eSqXgM.

So, what is a viral video? Well, it’s any video that becomes popular through internet sharing platforms such as social media and email, and it usually happens very quickly. Going viral has become a quick way to get fifteen minutes of fame and anyone can do it. But is there a way to guarantee that your video will go viral or is it all just random?

Well let’s look at some stats:
According to Kevin Allocca, a Trends Manager at Youtube, 48 hours of videos are posted every minute to their site (Allocca, 2011). That means that every hour, 2,880 hours’ worth of content is up loaded. That’s 69,120 hours every single day. Of every single video ever posted, there is a 0.3% chance of going viral (Pozin, 2014).  

With such a small number of videos going viral, there is no way to 100% guarantee that your video will go viral, it’s mostly random. But, if you still want to try, here are a few tips from Forbes and Kevin Allocca to help you reach viral status.
  1.       Be short and sweet- Most videos lose half of their audience within one minute of the video starting, so don’t save the best for the end (Pozin, 2014)
  2.       Get the attention of a celebrate or a tastemaker- These people have a huge following, that can bring your video to a larger audience. Within this audience a community is formed around a common interest (Allocca, 2011).
  3.       Be timely and relevant- Hope on the bandwagon of something that is already popular. This increases the likelihood that your content will be accepted into a culture, and shared rapidly. (Pozin, 2014).
  4.       Participate and be involved- Interact and engage with your audience. If your audience feels like they are heard, they are more likely to share your video (Pozin, 2014).

These tips won’t guarantee that your video will go viral, but they can definitely point you in the right direction.




Allocca, K. (2011, November). Kevin Allocca: Why Videos Go Viral [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpxVIwCbBK0&feature=youtu.be.


Pozin, I. (2014, August 07). 6 Qualities To Make Your Videos Go Viral. Retrieved February 11, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ilyapozin/2014/08/07/6-qualities-to-make-your-videos-go-viral/#63b5c829154e

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 18, 2018 at 7:45 PM

    I never understand why some things go viral and others don't. I think one of my favorite viral videos was the "WHAT ARE THOSEEEEE?!" videos. It was literally started by someone thinking in their head, "wow those are not very fashionable shoes, I'm gonna let them know," and that exploded. I enjoy watching all the parodies of viral videos because you get to see the creativity of many different people. Great post!

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