Why This Video Will Never Go Viral

For two months, I've been researching why videos go viral. I came up with eight principles based on the research, ranked in importance.

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The eight principles:

#8

A video is more likely to go viral if it is deliberately marketed to the appropriate demographic. In other words, if ads are strategically placed to reach a lot of people guaranteed to already like the video, it will spread. So ad agencies, for better or for worse, are still relevant.

#7

A video is more likely to go viral if it is made highly visible by tastemakers

A video will be more likely to go viral if a person who thousands if not millions of people trust and admire share it. Whether it be Jimmy Kimmel sharing the quirky double rainbow video or trying out a restaurant in a new city simply because it is crowded, people are hesitant to try new things out unless a tastemaker says it checks out. An obscure rock band likely could not get most of their own friends and family to listen to their music or come to their shows. However, if MTV suddenly did a feature on the band their friends and family would be telling everyone they knew about it!

#6

A video is more likely to go viral if people are rewarded for sharing it

A video will be more likely to go viral if people know they will get any type of external reward for doing so. This even goes for what Jonah Berger calls “social currency.” People will share a video that makes them look more exciting, more intelligent, more compassionate, etc. Also, if a video gives people a strong sense of control, it will be more likely to go viral.

#5

A video is more likely to go viral if it is concise

With the exception of perhaps compilation videos, the vast majority of viral videos are under ten minutes. According to one web site, nine of YouTube’s ten biggest non-music viral videos of all time are six minutes or less. They even have short titles. Because of the vast amount of videos online, this makes sense that a video designed for a short attention span will spread more easily.

#4

A video is more likely to go viral if it tells a story

People are naturally drawn to narratives. If a video has a clear beginning, middle, and end, it will spread.

#3

A video is more likely to go viral if its subject matter is something that is already constantly on everyone’s mind.

Whether it be parking a car, Cheerios, Fridays, or music, a video that contains something that is routine already, also known as a trigger, will be more likely to go viral. In addition, if a video contains useful advice, it will be more likely to spread because what is utilitarian is inherently universal. The reason why Laura in the Kitchen, a YouTube cooking channel, has hundreds of millions of views is because everyone eats and nearly everyone cooks. This is also why so many people make videos about what is trending in the news cycle.

#2

A video is more likely to go viral if it creates opportunities for community participation

If a video is easy to imitate, make fun of, or talk about, it will be more likely to go viral. Rebecca Black’s “Friday” became the world’s biggest inside joke long after it first went viral because it created many opportunities for community participation, for better or for worse.

#1

A video is more likely to go viral if it creates high-arousal emotions.

If it arouses emotions that get us excited, then it will go viral. While it is generally preferable that the emotions are positive, if someone is fired up enough then negative emotions could work. The best emotion? Surprise. If a video defies expectations or prejudices, it is more likely to spread.