How to make your YouTube video go viral in 10 steps

Creating videos that go viral has become something of a science, thanks to the hard work of social media marketers and psychologists who have dedicated their careers to this topic. It’s not just about creating funny or interesting content; it’s also about pinpointing your target audience and using their triggers to provoke an emotional response. But as with most things in life, there are no set rules for going viral, but there are a few tips and tricks you can follow to give your video a higher chance of becoming popular.

Whether you want to grow your personal brand, increase your company’s visibility, or just give yourself something new to put on your CV, there are plenty of benefits that come from creating a YouTube video. If you’re lucky, it might even go viral! Here are 10 ways you can make that happen…

Have a plan before you start filming

Before you even think about putting on your director’s hat, you need to map out exactly what your video is going to consist of. YouTube is a visual platform, and the majority of your viewers will be watching your video on a small screen, so it’s important that you create something that’s easily digestible in that format.

This means you’ll need to have an intro, a main body, and a conclusion. It might sound easy, but many people forget to include a call to action in the conclusion, which can mean that all your hard work goes to waste. It’s also a good idea to include subtitles if you’re planning on uploading in a language other than English to attract a wider audience.

Start with a video script

YouTube is a visual platform, but the written word still plays a huge role when it comes to video content. This means that your script should be as detailed as possible; you want your viewers to be able to watch your content and understand exactly what you’re trying to get across. You might think that simply speaking off the top of your head would be enough, but it’s a lot harder to get your point across naturally when you’re not reading from a script.

If you’re looking to upload content to your channel on a regular basis, you could always try creating a vlog. Vlogging is a great way to build a community around your channel, and it’s also a great way to get rid of any nerves you might have about public speaking. Vlogging is all about being yourself, after all, and that’s always going to be more authentic than reading from a script.

Pick the right topic and themes

One of the most important steps when creating a viral video is picking the right topic. This means you need to find something that’s relevant to your audience, something they care about and would want to see more of. Think about what your audience would like to see; it doesn’t have to be something grandiose or over-the-top; something small and relatable will also do the trick. It just needs to be something that people can relate to and find value in.

Once you’ve found the topic you want to focus on in your video, you also need to pick a couple of themes that you want to explore. You want your video to be memorable, and a simple way to do that is to use the same ideas in several different ways throughout your video.

Don’t skimp on production quality

You don’t have to be Hollywood-level production values, but you do need to take the time to make sure your video is presented as well as it can be. This means taking the time to select an appropriate location, working with the right equipment, and making sure that you edit your video properly once you’re done.

It might sound like a lot of work, but it’s important if you want your video to be taken seriously and reach a wide audience. If your video looks and sounds unprofessional, few people will take it seriously, no matter how great your content is.

If you don’t have the right equipment, don’t worry. You can rent cameras, lights, and other necessary equipment from websites like BorrowLenses and KitSplit. This is a great way to make sure that your video looks as professional as possible.

Use effective audio

A good portion of your video’s impact will come from its audio. This means that you need to make sure that your speech is clear and your volume doesn’t drop below a certain level. You also want to make sure that there are no loud noises or unintended background sounds that are interrupting your speech. You don’t want to be so loud that your viewers’ ears start to hurt, and you don’t want to be so loud that your audio gets cut off by the video’s audio limiter.

The best way to make sure that your audio sounds as good as possible is to record your video in a quiet environment and make use of a mic. If you’re going the DIY route, you can use a regular computer mic, but if you want your audio to be as effective as possible, you might want to invest in a good quality microphone.

Produce B-roll and additional footage

Once you’ve recorded your video, you need to make sure that you have plenty of B-roll and additional footage to work with. B-roll is footage that fills the gaps between your main video segments, showing the locations you spoke about and providing visual context for your video. It’s important to have this footage, as it’ll make your video look more professional and give your editor a few more tools to work with when creating the final product.

If you’re filming on a DSLR, you might also want to consider recording time lapse footage. This is a great way to show the passing of time, such as a sunset or a city coming to life. You can then use this footage as B-roll, or you can even make a standalone video from it if you want to.

Add visual elements that trigger emotion

Once you’ve created your video, it’s time to add the finishing touches. A big part of going viral lies in the psychology of your audience; you need to trigger an emotional response in your viewers and make them want to share your content with their friends.

To do this, you need to include visual elements that appeal to your audience’s emotions. Now, this doesn’t mean that you need to create a tear-jerker; in fact, the best type of video to go viral is one that has a positive and inspiring message. You just need to make sure that your video has an overall positive vibe and that there are elements within the video that bring this feeling to life.

Don’t forget to ad merchandising!

Once you’ve created your video and it’s ready to go live, there’s one last step you can take to help it go viral: ad merchandising.

This means that you need to add links to your social media platforms and website in the video description so that people can easily follow you and find out more about you and your content. You also want to make sure that your video has a strong title and summary, something that would entice people to watch the video and share it with their friends.

Ad merchandising is important, as it’s one of the easiest ways to grow your audience and get your content in front of as many people as possible. If you follow these 10 tips, you’ll be well on your way to creating a viral video of your own.

Once you’ve created an awesome video, you can put it on social media and hope it goes viral, but there are also a few extra things you can do to increase your chances of going viral. When creating your video, try to make it as relatable as possible by using visual cues that your viewers can relate to.

Make sure your video is short and concise (around 2-3 minutes long), and use appropriate language that your audience will understand. If you create a video that is relatable and easy to understand, you’ll increase your chances of going viral by 10x.