Four Tips to Going Viral with Your Video (Part Two)

Last week we looked at the length and tone of your video to keep your audience engaged and willing to help your video go viral. We close out our four tips by understanding the advantages of the lead-in and content.

Craft the Lead-In

Like a lead-in to any written article or oral presentation, cut to the meat of your video and wow the viewer within the first few seconds. A great opening sparks laughter, creates curiosity, induces shock, disbelief, admiration or strong emotion.

Understand why people with five or ten disposable minutes in their day respond to certain web content. They typically want information or they want to be entertained. Because videos are visual they are better suited for entertainment than detailed information. Content that is fun is more "video virable" than laborious explanations and exhaustive research.

Content

By steering clear of making your video play like your company's Power Point presentation or an infomercial laden with corporate speak, logos and references, your video can land agenda-free into the lives of viewers who are just looking for a fun, quick minute. Nobody wants to stumbleupon homework, brochures or sermons.

If you're posting on YouTube make sure to include key tag phrases that give your video a visible ranking in search engines. Set up a personalized YouTube Channel where you can upload additional, related video content so that viewers can follow up and learn more. Include relevant links in the informational portion of your channel and use the written synopsis box for each video to include calls-to-action.

Your video can quickly go viral without you laboring to mention it to every stranger you meet in the supermarket. Fortified with the right mix of qualities, it won't rely on you to replicate its http:// DNA in the inboxes of your target audience. It will know how to get there on its own and it will do so with great flair and plenty of speed.