Why do some videos on YouTube get millions of views while others dwindle in obscurity? We explore a humor-based video that earned more than 5 million views in less than 6 months for viral video tips.
Video content creation firm, Epipheo, explains people feel compelled to share information they come across which sparks a shift in perception.
What makes us share a funny video, forward an email or tell a story to a friend about something we read?
What do you think about before planning and producing YouTube videos aimed at influencing potential new customers?
What motivates us to share videos with each other?
We share things that bring us joy and allow us to change the direction of our awareness towards a more pleasant feeling. YouTube isn’t the #2 search engine by accident; it’s a breeding ground for happiness, discovery and new states of awareness.
We can escape from the daily grind of work for a good laugh, learn how to fix something that’s been broken and see how others feel about things in their world. YouTube allows us to be part of the experience by uploading our own videos, sharing our discoveries with friends, commenting, rating, creating playlists, sending out personal messages and even adding annotations to a video! It all makes us feel like an active participant vs a passive viewer which I think gives us a level of satisfaction akin to playing football vs watching it from one’s couch.
Elements of a successful viral YouTube Video
Let’s look at this video:
Baby Monkey (Going Backwards On A Pig) – Parry Gripp
- Views: 5,541,733
- Uploaded: September 14th, 2010
- Video length: 00:59
- Number of comments: 4,810
- Number of likes: 20,976
This video shows a small monkey gripping onto the back of a small pig for what appears to be dear life. The monkey is facing backwards and that has become part of the YouTube video title. There is a song playing which repeats the video title with an upbeat, bouncy chorus. This video is less than one minute long and I don’t know about you but I couldn’t stop laughing or take my eyes away from the screen! It contains several unexpected and uncommon characters because truthfully, have you ever seen a baby monkey in person? I haven’t.
Now before we explore the meaning of this video, let’s consult Occam’s Razor - ”the simplest explanation is most likely the correct one”.
Cute animals + catchy origional song = viral YouTube video
In fact, taking a closer look at the video poster, we can see that ParryGripp uploaded a video in 2009 called, Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom – Parry Gripp, and it has over 12 million views. This one? Small furry animals eating things:
This is just one of many recipes to deliver a video to YouTube that creates a shared experience.
Passing it forward: Sharing “mind shifts”
After watching videos like these, you probably are smiling. You feel happier and more relaxed.
This means the video pass the viral test! Who is the first person you think of that would appreciate these videos? You most likely feel eager and excited when you think about how the person will react when they click and watch. It’s a great thing to see and you now have the opportunity to share the same feelings all over again when the two of you talk about it. To know we are the vehicle by which a smile was delivered is almost as good as being the one who made the video since we feel just as clever!
“We are on the internet to have a shared experience.”
“A new way to learn, communicate, think, live, work, love, discover, be.”
Summary for YouTube marketing strategy
Here’s our advice for the secret sauce:
A YouTube video with absurd scenarios, upbeat music and interesting character interactions but don’t forget; you still need to make sure to provide a value-based, educational “mind shift” for viewers. Focus on creating a shared experience while educating the potential viewer (consumer) and providing value from the perspective of the person who clicked the play button.
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