How to produce a viral video smash hit
Most content creators and video marketers dream that their work will go viral. One of their goals is to share something that resonates well with the viewers, so much so that it spreads like wildfire online. A viral video is an excellent way to get attention for the brand. It’s nearly impossible to predict what will go viral. But certain elements can increase the odds of producing a viral video smash hit.
Lots of user-generated videos on YouTube and Facebook go viral due to the power of social media. Marketers must take note. They can generate the same word-of-mouth promotion for their campaigns. They can also plan for a viral event.
Below are some tips that can boost the possibility of a viral video smash hit.
Keep Things Simple
With a viral video, the goal is to urge viewers to share the content with their friends and followers. So each time the marketing team brainstorms content ideas, ask:
• If I randomly came across this video online, would it grab my attention?
• Would I watch the video from start to finish?
• Would I like it enough to share it with the people that I know on and off social media?
To that end, viral videos must be easy to understand. If the experience takes a lot of time and effort to explain, viewers would likely leave it alone. If it needs an understanding of a backstory, it’s possible that the audience won’t pass it along.
So, keep things simple. Make the message on point, the audio and subtitle crisp, and the visuals clean. That way, even if the viewer has a shorter attention span than most, the video can still catch his attention.
Create Content that Hooks
A video that has a “hook” tends to go viral fast. This hook is that special element that holds the attention of the viewers from start to finish. It can be the storyline, the emotional trigger, the visual effects or the actors in the video. That “hook” activates a visceral response to the viewers.
Think of Dove’s Choose Beautiful video marketing campaign. The brand deliberately focused less on their products. Instead, they’ve successfully created emotional viral videos that connect well with the viewers, even with men.
Associate the Video to One that is already an Internet Hit
Often, when a video hits the internet jackpot, there will be dozens more that jump in on the bandwagon. The video reactions to a viral video can be a mashup, a remix, or a parody of the original content. People enjoy these reaction videos. They like watching clips that reference events or things they’ve already seen. It gives the audience a feeling of belonging. It gives them a sense that they’re “in on the joke.”
That said, marketers need to choose the right viral video to associate their brand with. They can’t just react to every smashing video hit for the sake of having a reaction video. They should associate their video to a viral hit that is relevant to their brand. The timing is also critical. The brand must create a high-quality reaction video that strikes while the iron is still hot.
Associate the Video to One that is already an Internet Hit
Another way to set up a viral video is to associate it with pop culture, something trendy and hot at the moment. For instance, if the brand’s target audience is a group of TV buffs, use current hit shows to make an impression. Think of Stranger Things, This Is Us, The Good Doctor, etc.
Using this tactic means there’s already a built-in fanbase that can appreciate the content. Overall, this is a good thing since, in one way or another, someone will watch the video. The pressure point is to ensure the video doesn’t offend the pop culture itself and its fanbase.
To create a viral video smash hit, marketers need to make the viewers feel something. It can be the right hook. It can be something that makes the audience stop and contemplate things. In any way, if the video evokes an intense emotion that can be linked back to the brand, that’s already a good start.