Content-50% of creating a great viral video is about content and production.  Create something remarkable, something that causes people to stop and take notice – and in doing so to effectively convey your message. 

Special Effects – Anything that features flashy effects (both audio and video) will force viewers to take a closer look and listen.

Humour – Everyone loves a laugh, but many of us like to make others laugh as well; this is what makes comedic videos so viral.

Talent – true talent is rare and always fascinating.  If you can showcase true talent, people will forward your video.

Celebrities – all over the world celebrities are revered, and any videos featuring a celebrity are very viral, in part because there are hundreds of websites that follow celebrities and will embed these videos.  Celebrity endorsements also have a powerful influence on the public’s decision making.

Physical injury/Slapstick – Think ”America’s Funniest Home Videos”, which has been very successful for almost 20 years and revolves entirely around this.

Cute animal/pet tricks – humans are drawn to animals just as they are to food.   It seems to have to do with primitive wiring in the brain seeing that we are animals, and are social beings and gregarious in nature.

Cute babies/kids – one of the draws of online video is that real people capture real moments, and nothing is as straightforward as a baby or child just being him/herself and being adorable without even trying!

Repetition- whether music, rhythm, speech etc…using repetition is one of the oldest ways of drilling an idea into other people’s heads.

Pranks – Think ”Candid Camera” and more recently ”Punk’d”

Spoofs – Limitless possibilities where one can poke fun at famous people or events

The trick, as with any marketing effort, is to both be remarkable and communicate your message.  Use the right package to make your video a hit, and make sure the content is doing what it supposed to do.  Videos that push the boundaries of what is acceptable can be incredibly viral – especially since this content never makes it to network TV.  But be careful not to damage your brand and to obey by the terms and conditions of the respective video-sharing sites.

 In the online video community, discussions around production are typically in reference to video quality – as it relates to camera, sound, compression, and editing.  Some believe that higher production quality is an important component in gaining popularity for ones online videos, while others believe that the popularity of the medium is authenticity, and that lower quality video has a genuine nature that gets lost with higher quality.  Given the plethora of widely seen videos over the Internet, this concept of quality hasn’t seemed to correlate with audience size or popularity.  One thing is for certain: high quality human components of production, such as shooting and editing, make any video easier on the eyes.  Paying attention to lighting, framing the shot, and crisp editing is not only more pleasant, it’s often required to make the picture viewable in a small window and on sites with file size restrictions. Choose production components that fit with your message, content, and intended audience and you should be well on your way to making a lasting mark on them.  Onwards and upwards!

Gopal (The Musical Mad Scientist and Entrepreneur)

www.boom.thevfusiongroup.biz