How to Make Your YouTube Videos Go Viral in a Short Amount of Time

What does it take to go viral on YouTube? Creating videos that people want to watch again, share with their friends, and bring all their friends along to see.
What, you ask, is the secret sauce that turns a video into a sensation? Well, there isn’t one. Every day YouTubers drop new content, and every day some of it goes viral. Why? Because those individuals understand what their audience wants to watch.
You don’t need special tricks or insider secrets to make your videos go viral; in fact, keeping things simple is often the key to success. The simplest way to help your videos catch fire is by making sure they meet these three criteria:

People actually want to watch it

There’s a lot of random stuff on YouTube, but only a few subjects are consistently viral. While you shouldn’t restrict yourself too tightly, you shouldn’t be surprised when a video about your obscure hobby doesn’t go viral.

Keep in mind that people are signing up in droves because they have an interest in your niche — if you want to make a splash, you have to bring them videos that go beyond the standard fare of unboxing videos and product reviews.

Generally speaking, the types of videos that go viral are engaging, original content that people would want to watch again and again — and want to share with their friends. That’s not to say you can’t get away with a standard product review, but it does suggest that you should put a spin on it. For example, you can take a product that’s normally boring, and make it exciting by doing something crazy or dangerous with it.

It’s easy to understand and navigate

While it’s important to hook people from the beginning, you also don’t want to lose them. A staggering 80% of people who watch a video will click off if the video isn’t engaging within the first 10 seconds, and if you’re not getting people coming back, you’re not going to go viral.
What’s the best way to ensure people are able to understand and navigate your video? Keep it simple.

Cutting out unnecessary fluff and keeping your narration concise and to the point will help your viewers focus on what they’re watching, and keep them coming back for more. Don’t think you have to get rid of all the bells and whistles, but focus on the most important parts of the content.

It has the potential to hook people and get them coming back

Videos can be as long as you want them to be, but if you’re going for viral status, you’ll want to keep them to the point. You’ll get more views if people can watch the video in one sitting, and you’ll keep them coming back if they can watch it in one sitting twice.

To ensure you’re packing as much punch as possible into a short amount of time, you need to do two things: know your content and know your audience. You need to make sure you know what you’re talking about and don’t rely on generalizations or broad strokes. Instead, you want to be specific and focus on the finer details. You also want to make sure you know who you’re talking to, and make sure you’re addressing your viewers’ needs and desires.

There are plenty of ways to make your videos go viral, but it won’t happen overnight. You don’t have to be an expert, but you do have to be dedicated to creating high-quality content. Create video after video, and you’ll eventually hit on a formula that works.

Making a viral video isn’t a one-time thing — it’s a process. It starts with doing your homework: knowing your audience, knowing what they want to see, and knowing how to best present it. From there, it’s a matter of creating and publishing content. Creating lots of it will increase your odds of going viral, but it’ll take time.