How does a video go viral?

PLEASE COMMENT WITH YOUR THOUGHTS! A cockroach has a good question. He wants his video to be as cool as the wedding dance video from St. Paul, Minnesota. Help him go from the obscurity of the MSM and WCCO-TV to internet fame. BE THE COCKROACH!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• media
• viral
• video
• viral video
• internet
• marketing
• WCCO
• WCCO-TV
• Minneapolis
• DeRusha

[LadyLeaMarie]

I think it's something that get's us in the heart. It's either heartwarming or something that makes us happy. We're looking for something to cut through all the darkness and sadness and when we find it, we can't help but share it with our loved ones.

[cookingfordads]

1 thing, luck and hard work. I guess that's two things. :-)

[peekproductionsvideo]

Like the Mentos and Diet Coke fountain to music video...or Blendtec's "Will It Blend" videos where you see him blend downhill skis to dust. You see it and want to share it. That is how web videos go viral.

[peekproductionsvideo]

The video must be stunning and remarkable in some way, like a wedding video in which the dress catches on fire and the groom is a fireman. Something in which people say, "you've gotta see this."

[waitingline]

I think the answer lies somewhere in Malcolm Gladwell's book, "The Tipping Point".

[threevolts]

two words: more cute kittens

[lizgiel]

The cockroach should begin swearing/harassing innocent bystanders on the street. Or he might consider auditioning for "Britain's Got Talent."

Whatever it may be, he should use Jason DeRusha's network of VIP Internet celebs to help promote his video.

In all seriousness, I agree with the earlier Twitter conversation about this between @threevolts, @taulpaul and others. The short answer being that there is no formula for viral. It's up to an audience to create.

[InTheLoopShow]

One other thought: The reality of going viral kind of calls into question what "viral" really means. For example:

"Lazy Sunday" was considered a huge viral hit. But how viral can it really be when Saturday Night Live has already put it out to a built-in audience of millions? That's a pretty hefty head-start.

Not sure, of course, how this applies to the MN wedding dance video, which is probably what prompted this question. Maybe...it's the real deal, the elusive truly viral example?

[brittanykald]

Facebook. (and the like)

We share what we want others to see, and sometimes they do the same. Therefore, a viral video can be born.

[InTheLoopShow]

In our experience the answer is often surprisingly "old media:" Getting seen by a taste-maker with a large, established audience. Our videos with hits in six-digits got that way because YouTube *featured* them. My Fox9 blog post wasn't really viral until it hit Fark. I'm sure there are some "organic" examples of truly viral content. But often stuff goes viral when someone important declares that it's worth your time.