So-called viral videos have been around for nearly two decades now, but it seems as though such content has greatly increased in the past year. Many folks have tried to capitalize on viral videos, but there are very few examples of success. How can one go about creating video content so popular as to be termed viral?
First, let’s be clear, there is no real measureable definition of "viral." Many viral videos are hosted on YouTube and register "x million" views, but there is no established benchmark to say a video has gone viral. If your goal is to go viral, set your benchmarks of success before starting. This could be a million hits, or it could be a thousand, depending on your audience.
One clear characteristic, however, is that videos go viral through some means of electronic distribution. In the old days this was primarily email or message boards ("‘Star Wars’ kid," "dancing baby"), while contemporary methods include social media sites ("talking dog," "Kony").
Unfortunately, for those looking to create such content, common characteristics of the most popular videos are that they are unintentional, impromptu and produced by amateurs. Trying to re-create this effect can be difficult if not catastrophic. Of course, most viral videos have a heavy dose of humor, both intentional and unintentional.
One notable exception is "Kony 2012." As most know by now, the video is intended to further expose Joseph Kony, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court, with the ultimate goal of his arrest. Unlike most other viral videos, "Kony" is a slick, professional production. The video has gotten even more publicity after the bizarre arrest of its producer last week.
How to go about distribution? Most viral videos become popular via social media sites. A successful viral video attracts the attention of folks whom Malcolm Gladwell would refer to as "connectors." Anyone on Facebook knows at least a handful of these folks. We all know who they are, people who have hundreds if not thousands of "friends."
Posting a video to a connector’s wall instantly gains you the opportunity to be seen by all of his/her friends. And these friends will repost the video to their pages, maybe even a message board or two, and a viral video has been born. This is not unlike the old TV commercial "and they told two friends … and they told two friends," except it is magnified exponentially.
This approach can be augmented by adding keywords to videos you want to go viral. As videos get talked about, more folks want to see what all the fuss is about. For example, searches for "Kony" or "talking dog" immediately bring up the associated viral videos.
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John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 20 years of information technology experience in Hawaii and around the world. Reach him at johnagsalud@yahoo.com.
