How To Go Viral

In this post I’ll discuss what I learned from the “Why Videos Go Viral” TedTalk and how you can apply it to your social media campaign.

It was at a friends house who didn’t have cable where I discovered this gem of a TedTalk on a Roku Payer. Kevin Allocca, YouTube’s Trends Manager spends 7 minutes explaining how videos have gone viral on YouTube. This video was uploaded in February 2012, but it is still relevant. If this was a more recent TedTalk, no doubt Psy and Gangham Style would be included.

Most of my friends know that my dream in life is to create a parody Twitter account with thousands of followers or a viral video. #1 on my bucket list really.

The YouTube videos mentioned in this TedTalk went viral, not as soon as they were posted, but it was something or someone that set them off. What can we learn from how these videos went viral? How we can apply these concepts to your social media campaign?

Get a celebrity to endorse your content of course! If you are like most people, you don’t know any celebs and those constant asks for retweets don’t work. So what do you do? Be patient and keep at it! Create meaningful, shareable and dynamic content and your time will come.

What you CAN count on to go viral is…

– Word of mouth: Tell everyone you know about what you are doing. Don’t shove it down their throat, but it’s okay to elbow them every now and then in everyday conversation. Be careful not to force them though, they won’t engage with you, and then what good are they?

– Be consistant: Make sure you are giving your audience reasons to engage with you. If a Facebook fan answers a question you posted, all their friends will see it on their wall too.

– Be Awesome: Don’t half ass it! Produce the best content you can, and your fans will thank you for it.

What’s your go to YouTube video when YouTubing with friends? Mine is an oldy, but a goody, Mufiiiiins.