9 Viral Video Strategies

By Herb Firestone
Marketing Coordinator

Today’s videos both present the same message, namely, in order to create a viral video, you need strategic marketing.

The first is a CNN interview with Stanford University student Dan Ackerman Greenberg, who at age 22. already owns three Internet businesses.

The second is a parody of the CNN interview video remixed by a how to video sharing site called 5 Minutes.

At any rate, hidden away somewhere within are nine strategies for creating viral videos:

Rule #1: Keep it short, 15 to 30 seconds and don’t make an outright ad, because viewers will never share ads. Make it easy to remix so that other YouTube users are able to remix it, add their own personal touches and re-upload it as their own, which is exactly what was done in the parody version below.

Rule #2: Attempt to get your video to the YouTube daily most viewed list by promoting it on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and influential blogs.

Rule #3: Optimize the title and make it catchy.

Rule #4: Manipulate the thumbnail. Otherwise YouTube automatically creates the thumbnail from exactly the halfway point of the video.

Rule #5: Engage viewers to make comments. Speaking of comments, please feel free to make one on this post.

Rule #6: Release all videos simultaneously as opposed to one after the other.

Rule #7: Optimize your video tags and descriptions.

Rule #8: Measure effectiveness with metrics and traffic.

Rule #9: Summarize. (Please see 1-8 above)