What Makes a Video Go Viral?
By Internet Video Gal in Online Videos
Whenever a new viral video sensation hits the internet, it might seem a bit random and unpredictable.
Why, out of the 60,000 videos uploaded to YouTube daily, does this or that one become super popular? This video of the wedding couple dancing down the aisle is a perfect example. It has nearly 32 million views! Why?
Most videos on YouTube don’t get anywhere near 32 million views. I think most folks are lucky to get 1,000.
What makes a video stand out from the crowd? Dynamic Logic studied popular online videos and concluded that the acronym LEGS answered the mystery.
LEGS stands for:
- Laugh
- Edgy
- Gripping
- Sexual
To that list I would like to add:
- Unusual
- Real
- Something People Can Relate To
- Compelling
- Joy Inducing
Of course URSPCRTCJI doesn’t spell an easy to remember word, but I still think all those attributes go into viral video sensations just as much as the LEGS attributes.
For the wedding dance video REAL, JOY INDUCING, and SOMETHING PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO seem to me to be the characteristics that propelled it to 32,000,000 views!
If you are trying to manufacture a hit video, the hardest one of these attributes to include would probably be REAL.
No matter how much it is studied and quantified, there is no doubt in my mind that it’s not entirely predictable because let’s face it, RANDOM is indeed part of the equation!
But as a producer, it pays to know what common traits are found in popular videos. Then, you can make sure those traits are part of your video. Sorry that URSPCRTCJI is not as easy to remember as LEGS. You’ll just have to write it down I guess!
Thanks for reading Video Production Tips
Lorraine Grula
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4 Comment(s)
By Teeb on | Reply
You should check out Viral Video Film School. Maybe not as informative as your piece but entertaining and sometimes viral itself:
http://current.com/vvfs
By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi Teeb
Are you referring to viral video film School on current TV? I think they are hilarious. Thanks for pointing them out!
Lorraine
By Kris Simmons on | Reply
Great points Lorraine. I would also add that you don’t have to produce a mega hit on youtube or any other social media platform to get noticed. A few thousands views per video can bring in a flood of business. As you said in your post, I think as long as you adhere to the main principles, you’ll be ahead of most when it comes to producing and distributing viral videos.
By Internet Video Gal on | Reply
Hi Kris.
You are so right. You do not need the ten zillion view video to have it be worthwhile. Actually, I think for marketing purposes, you do not need to worry so much about a video going viral in the way Susan Boyle did or the dancing wedding couple. That is wonderful and all, but few businesses will achieve that and video can help you get lots of traffic and business even if it is not a viral sensation. I think viral sensations and business videos are examples of video being used in two entirely different ways. For business and marketing, I personally think the best and most effective videos are ones that would never go viral…simple talking head videos introducing yourself to your customers and giving them a call to action and way to contact you. Adding interactivity to a talking head is sufficient for that.
Thanks
Lorraine