Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Viral Video


Viral Video Star Hits Big Screen by Nina Metz, was the first article I read.

This article addressed how a viral video can make someone famous, over night!

This is exactly what happened to Jack Rebney when he had a video go viral. He was an overnight sensation when outtakes of a commercial he filmed more than 20 years ago were posted to Youtube and became a huge hit! As a result many film directors are interested in making a documentary of his life. Now at 80, Redney is still surprised that those crazy out takes give him so much attention.

I loved reading this article. It got me thinking of how crazy it would be to be in his position! It also reminded me that Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian both became famous, virtually overnight as well, after their sex tapes went viral. (Does it seem like more now than ever people are becoming famous for nothing?)

The second article I read was by Dan, author of The Secret Strategies behind Many "Viral" Videos. His article states that almost all videos with over 100,000 views did not get that many viewers on their own. (No kidding?!)

According to this article there are nine key strategies that professionals use to help make videos go viral.

1. If a video goes viral, someone meant for that to happen.(Isn’t that common sense?!)

2. Below are some key things that will help you in your efforts to make your videos go viral:
Make it short: 15-30 seconds is ideal.  People are more attracted to bite-sized clips rather than long stories.
Make it shocking: The shock effect makes a viewer want to investigate further, and viewers tend to share shocking videos they see with their friends giving your video more publicity.
Use fake headlines: “Holy shit, did that actually happen?!” (Please use a classy headline like that...)
Design for remixing: Try to create a video that will be easy for others to remix. That will allow others to "spread" your video as well.
Don’t make an outright ad: If a video seems like an ad, viewers are more likely to shut it off and not share it. (Can you think of the last time you shared an ad? Didn’t think so.)
Appeal to sex: It’s no secret, sex sells. So if all else fails, use sex appeal. Your video will, without a doubt, get more views if you have an attractive girl or guy in it. (As previously stated it worked for Paris Hilton.)
3.The amount of views is the most important factor in making a video go viral- So the most important part of this process is understanding how to get people to view your video. It’s important to consider this question: How will people find out about this video? The best way to do this is to know your audience. What type of social media are they using? Reaching out to various mediums is very important. The more attention you can get the better. Whether it’s using facebook, twitter, youtube, ect it’s important that you get your video out to as many mediums as you can.
The rest of the steps address secrets on how to make your video go viral with interesting ideas. Clink on the link if you’re interested in learning more!
The article was very interesting and gave great information. Before reading this article I had no idea of the process and hard work it takes to make a video go viral.

2 comments:

  1. I totally agree with the 3 items you listed. How fun would it be to become a viral sensation though? Let's be honest.. we would all love it!

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  2. HAHAHAH Kenzie! you would love the Viral Sensation! Sadly, Im just as guilty. I'm trying to get my music recognized on youtube ANNNNND its not working. 7 views and counting....those 7 are all me. Whoops.

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