We get asked all the time if there’s a secret formula for videos going viral – and although such a formula does not yet exist – we can give our best advice for practices that will help get you going in the right direction.
If this hilarious doesn’t convince you just how simple it can be to go viral without spending a dime, nothing will. Austin band, Churchwood, added one of their songs on top of this little gem as a joke! The original video had just 200 likes on YouTube, but once Churchwood added their music to the video and put it on Facebook and YouTube, the views skyrocketed.
So what does this teach us?
Think outside the box: The first requirement is great content. If you want a music video to go viral, it must be viral-worthy. This does not mean expensive, just worthy of someone’s attention for 3 minutes. In order to be shared, the video should to tell a story and/or evoke an emotion. In Churchwood’s example, the emotion is amusement.
Upload everywhere: YouTube, Vimeo, Reddit, Stumbleupon – the more the merrier. The best times to upload are early in the week (Monday or Tuesday) so that you have the entire week to develop. Generally, browsing times are highest in the A.M., with weekends being roadblocks. In addition, be sure to use a provocative thumbnail and properly tag for SEO.
Share: Post the video to all band outlets – Facebook, Twitter, website, etc. then ask your friends to share! Yes, ask. The more comments, likes, upvotes, thumbs up (and any other form of social media praise) you can get on YouTube, Vimeo, Reddit and Stumbleupon, the better. Sharing is caring, ya’ll.
Disclaimer: There are no guarantees for going viral organically. If you are willing to invest a small amount of funds on a promising video, consider using the viral sharing tool, Virool, to guarantee views: https://www.virool.com/advertiser/musicians.
