What makes a video go viral? One Australian company recently tried to find out through a series of fake videos depicting things like a snowboarder getting chased by a bear and a hunter getting attacked by a lion.
In total, the Woolshed Co. released eight videos, which received more than 205 million views overall. So aside from the obvious shock factor, what worked for these videos?
The Keys to Viral Success
First, they received a fair amount of coverage in the press. Some reporters even debated on air whether or not the videos were real or just doctored to look like those extreme events were happening. And the company believes that debate created even more buzz for the videos, causing some viewers to go see for themselves whether or not what was depicted in each video was actually happening.
In addition, the Woolshed Co.’s managing director told the Guardian that it’s important to treat each video as entertainment, and to include a good thumbnail image and headline.
Small businesses that want to use video marketing could potentially learn from this experiment. You don’t have to fake a shark attack or do anything quite that extreme. But if you are able to entertain people and maybe even create some sort of debate or conversation around your videos, you could very well increase your viral reach.
Image: Woolshed
Aira Bongco
As with stories in news, it has to be newsworthy. If the video is worth mentioning, then it will make it to mainstream media and become viral.
Annie Pilon
Yes, for sure. But those little details like a headline and image can go a long way too