The Anatomy of a Viral Video: Ideas for YouTube, Facebook, & Instagram for 2020

Last Updated: December 16, 2021

Viral videos and memes seem like the next best trend in digital marketing. And while you’re probably eager to invest in viral videos that attract a lot of attention in a short duration, let’s look at how to go about it. In this quick guide, we discuss:

  • What is a viral video?
  • 7 ways to go viral in 2020
  • 3 examples from 2019 to inspire
     

We all know that memes and viral videos are great to grab eyeballs and entrench your brand in the customer’s memory. Research suggests that videos now play an overwhelming role in determining purchase decisions. Over 40% of people Opens a new window globally say that they have bought a product discovered on YouTube. More than half say that an online video was crucial in helping them choose between brands.

But creating a viral video isn’t easy. You must be equipped with the knowledge of a viral video, and how it applies to your brand. To leverage social media channels such as YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook for videos to increase brand recall, consider a viral video marketing strategy in 2020. Let’s understand how they work.

Learn More: Snapchat and TikTok – Social Media Marketing Trends for Gen Z and MillennialsOpens a new window

How Does a Video go Viral?

A viral video can be defined as an online video (on Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube) that garners an exceptionally high number of views, shares, and engagement in a short period. It will ideally,

  • Garner an online chatter. Your audience should be actively reacting, commenting, and sharing the video across various platforms.
  • Have a short shelf-life. That’s why most brands keep a regular flow of video content going across channels, maintaining relevance.
  • Reach a variety of platforms, including LinkedIn, Reddit, Twitter, or even get coverage in offline channels such as television.
     

But, how exactly do videos go viral? The most organic way is by the sheer number of views it racks up on a platform like YouTube or Facebook. If your video gets over 5 million views in a week, you have successfully gone viral. Another idea is reaching out to influencers. Influencers bring a massive audience of their own, and having them share your video is a fail-proof way of getting views.

Interestingly, most videos have gone viral purely by chance – no one could have predicted that the Linda Listen video, would go viral and even win a spot on The Ellen DeGeneres Show!

But there are a set of best practices you can follow to nudge your videos toward virality in 2020.

Learn More: The Importance of Video Content on Social MediaOpens a new window

Getting Started with Viral Video Marketing: 7 Ideas for 2020

While viral videos may seem attractive, it’s vital not to lose your brand identity in pursuit of views. Looking at the top viewed videos on YouTube, you’ll find that they mostly comprise music and appeal to children. This may have nothing to do with your brand!

That’s why we recommend setting your own benchmark for what makes a video viral and remember the following ideas:

1. Stick to less than two minutes
 

Even a few seconds-long clip can work wonders. Technically, this refers to a viral clip that’s easy to share across platforms without consuming a lot of bandwidth. Your customers will likely watch the video on a smartphone, and an overlong video that takes time to load is a strict no-no for going viral.

2. Figure out how you can stand out
 

This is the hard part – with so much content available, how can you ensure that you don’t get lost in the crowd? Start with a careful market analysis and see what competitors are doing. Then, find the gaps and do something entirely different to capture your customer’s attention. Your viral video should hit that “sweet spot” between what customers want and what they don’t expect.

3. Try out a controversial angle
 

An effective way to stand out is to encourage a degree of controversy among viewers. You can even combine this with a social message. For example, the UK Army’s recruitment advertisementOpens a new window for millennials called them “snowflakes”, “phone zombies”, and “selfie addicts”. The ad went viral in its segment and resulted in high number of conversions.

4. Always have a hook
 

This is the first thing to remember when creating a viral video. The hook can be anything that sparks an emotional response from the viewer. A video of a father dragging his daughter across the airport went viral this year with several million views. The reason is simple – every parent has felt such frustration at some point making relatability a guarantee.

5. Take advantage of topical ideas
 

When it comes to viral video marketing, it’s all about the content and relevance. In other words, ain’t nobody got time to view your brand’s video in high def, so it is best to take your idea to market quickly without worrying much about quality. Timing is critical for viral videos, striking when the iron is hot to be relevant and witty. Is there a trend currently popular in your industry? Or, is your audience talking about a recent event? You can weave topical elements like these into your video marketing strategy to become part of the larger conversation.

For example, Ryan Reynolds’ liquor brand, Aviation Gin, created an adOpens a new window as a hilarious sequel to a much-criticized and talked-about exercise bike ad within a turnaround time of 15 days! You can also take inspiration from individuals on TikTok that had low-quality videos go viral in 2019.

6. Adopt a positive tone
 

Research suggests that people are more likely to share videos that make them feel happy or amused. You can even aim for a more inspiring tonality that urges viewers to discover the best in themselves. An upbeat flavor is often the secret to a video’s virality, and this aspect is common to all the examples we cited in this article.

7. Share your video far and wide
 

Viral videos may be all about organic shares, but you can get the process started by picking the right channels. Viral videos on Facebook, apart from YouTube, are an excellent idea, given Facebook’s preference for video content and its massive user base. You can also create viral video stories for InstagramOpens a new window – these work particularly well for viral clips. Reddit is another effective platform, as it boasts an exceptionally high organic engagement.

These are tried and tested ideas for going viral – take a look at some of the best viral videos of 2019 for inspiration.

Learn More: How to Use Metrics to Defend Your Video Marketing SpendOpens a new window

Viral Videos in 2019 and What You Can Learn From Them

Let’s look at three of the many videos that went viral in 2019. They may not have the highest number of views, but they helped position their product/brand memorably.

1. Actor Ryan Reynolds posts the full movie before the official release
 

… or so the video title would have you believe! The production house subverted the audience’s expectations by releasing a 102-minute long video, urging viewers to believe it was the full movie. In reality, it was just the movie’s protagonist dancing for the entire duration of the clip. As our viral video idea #3 suggested, this carefully balances audience desires with a sense of surprise to create a lasting impact.

Ryan Reynolds Apparent Full Movie Video

The takeaway here is that a viral video must surprise your viewer – even shock them into having an emotional response. You can call this a “thumb-stopping quality” where the viewer stops scrolling down as their attention is arrested.

2. Red Bull features two people jumping into a moving airplane

 

Red Bull’s This Is What You Do When You Miss Your Flight
 

The length of Red Bull’s exciting video is 1 minute 40 seconds (following our viral idea #1), so that it can be shared across different platforms. It features two people jumping off a cliff and into an airplane, reversing the idea of sky-diving while subtly hinting at Red Bull’s value proposition. The title also espouses relatability and talks about a situation that everyone has faced – and one that usually leaves us emotionally impacted!

3. BuzzFeed Tasty’s entire video marketing strategy is based on viral

 

BuzzFeed understands that a viral video’s shelf-life can be very short – which is why it focuses on frequency. It shares videos multiple times a day, often with intriguing content like sushi for cats and breakfast based on children’s drawings. Tasty also shares viral videos on Facebook where it has gained a huge audience. BuzzFeed’s social video offerings now make up over 50% of their revenuesOpens a new window .

 

Screenshot of Tasty’s Video Marketing Strategy On Youtube

Screenshot of Tasty’s Video Marketing Strategy On Youtube

The takeaway is clear – because viral videos are so unpredictable, you can create a library of short, interesting videos, ensuring that your audience is constantly engaged. While a single video doesn’t enjoy the spotlight endlessly, viewers are sure to come across your brand when browsing online content.

Over to You

A final highligt to remember when planning your video marketing strategyOpens a new window is that going viral cannot be the only aim. With a little bit of innovation, and an accurate understanding of customer sentiment – as well as the current trend – you’ll be able to create videos that truly resonate with viewers. And you can always maintain a regular frequency of content, ensuring your customers keep coming back to your brand in 2020 and beyond.

Do you think viral videos should be a marketing priority? Tell us about your experience on LinkedInOpens a new window , FacebookOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window

Chiradeep BasuMallick
Chiradeep BasuMallick

Contributor, Ziff Davis B2B

Chiradeep is a content marketing professional with 8 Years+ experience in corporate communications, marketing content, brand management, and advertising. Over the course of his tenure, he’s worked on several big-ticket projects, led and trained a variety of teams, and been instrumental in driving delivery quality, timeline adherence, and talent harvesting.
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