Going viral on any platform takes a lot of work – and luck. If you catch the attention of someone famous, even just in your niche, you may go instantly viral. But for a lot of people, their content isn’t going viral.
Why?
A lot of luck is involved. You need:
- To post at just the right time
- The algorithm to be in your favor
- Great content
- People watching and engaging with your video
If you create 10 videos, one may go viral. And if you post 100 videos, none may go viral. Over time, if you keep posting, you’re increasing the odds that one of your videos will eventually go viral.
But if you use the tips that we’re going to share below, you’ll increase the odds of going viral faster.
11 Tips to Go Viral on YouTube in 2024
We’re going to share time-tested tips that can help you go viral in 2024 and beyond. Our first tip is the secret weapon that a lot of influencers will never admit that they use but that we know better than anyone.
1. Buy High-Quality YouTube Views
YouTube views are a magical component of every channel’s growth. Why? The more views that you have, the more YouTube’s algorithm will begin to promote your content. One secret from influencers that they never like to share, is that they buy views.
We sell real, high-quality views that are:
- 100% authentic and real accounts
- Delivered in 4 – 6 days
- Available in 500 to 1M view packages
If you want to go viral, your video may only need a small number of views for the algorithm to promote it further and help you go viral. We can even split your views amongst numerous videos to push a few of them to go viral at once.
Plus, it looks more natural when views are spread out.
2. Understand What “Viral” Means in Your Industry
Viral! What does viral even mean? If you look at a dictionary, it’s the rapid circulation of a post or video from one user to another. Based on this information, if your video is watched by a lot of people and shared rapidly, it is viral.
But, viral in one niche may mean 1 million views, and in another, it may mean 25,000 views.
You need to be a sleuth and begin researching the largest channels in your industry and then viewing their most popular videos to see:
- How many people watched the video
- When the video was posted
After analyzing dozens of videos across multiple accounts, you’ll begin to understand the viral potential your videos have. Your video may go viral if it has 10,000 views, but you need to know the baseline before you can judge for yourself.
3. Create Content on Controversial Topics
Controversy sells, and this is why media companies are always trying to hop on the latest trends. You don’t want your entire channel to be based on random controversial topics because the magic will eventually fade.
But you do want to:
- Use social listening tools
- Set up Google Trend alerts
If you find some controversy, try adding your opinion on it so long as it remains within YouTube’s guidelines. You can also opt to take a different stance. Instead of going with the crowd, go against them.
For example, if everyone is stating that they love bacon, you can create a whole series of videos on why you hate it.
4. Focus Heavily on Thumbnail Creation
If a lot of people see your thumbnails but never click on them to watch your videos, it’s a missed opportunity. What do you think went wrong? Thumbnails that don’t entice users are a direct result of something that you can change.
We recommend that you try one of the top thumbnail makers in 2024.
But this is just scratching the surface of what you need to do. You also want to do a few other things to improve your thumbnails:
- Spread out the elements on your thumbnail to avoid overcrowding.
- Add in a human component that shows emotions, such as your face in utter shock.
- Study the way that Netflix makes its thumbnails and try mimicking the strategy.
- Accurately represent the content in the video, or it can turn subscribers away.
You’ll want to experiment and learn what works with your audience and what does not. If you know the channels of your direct competitors, you can learn a lot from the thumbnails that they use on their most popular videos.
5. Write Titles Like a Boss
Titles hold so much power because they encourage others to click on the videos that you create. You want to master the art of titles because, aside from your thumbnail, they’re the only thing that will cause people to click.
But how?
A few tips that will help are:
- Limit your title’s characters to 70 because it’s the max that most videos will allow, even though there is a 100-character limit.
- Use the words that your audience knows to create connections, such as “kiddo” or “doggo” for a parenting or dog channel, respectively.
- Avoid being too “clickbaity” because you risk the video falling into the misleading classification of videos, which is something that YouTube is against.
- Add power words, such as profitable, tips or best-selling that can invoke emotions in the reader. You’ll want to look up lists of power words that you can add into your titles.
- Ask questions when it warrants it.
If you follow just these title tips, you’ll be well on your way to videos that people click on and watch more often.
6. Team Up With Other Creators Who Will Share Your Video
Join Facebook groups or subreddits that allow you to connect with others in your niche. You can and should team up with other creators who are willing to share your videos with their audiences.
And you’ll need to return the favor, too.
Many of the world’s most well-known creators had a group of people backing them that encouraged them to keep going even when things seemed bleak. You need to find your own tribe that will do this for you.
7. Post Often and Consistently
The more often you post, the higher the chances of going viral. YouTube’s algorithm favors creators who are active and post new content regularly.
Start by creating a content calendar and schedule your content ahead of time. Aim to post at least one new video every week.
While it’s important to post regularly, it’s equally important to make sure that you’re creating quality content. It’s better to post a high-quality video every two weeks than a mediocre one weekly.
8. Review YouTube Analytics
To go viral, you need to know what your audience wants to see. What’s the best way to figure this out? Analyze your YouTube analytics data.
See which videos are performing well and which ones are not.
For the ones that are doing well, ask yourself:
- What do these videos have in common? Do they share similar topics?
- What’s the average length of these videos?
- What music, if any, is used?
- How were these videos filmed?
Maybe you find that your vlog-style videos perform best. Creating more vlogs on topics your audience is interested in will increase the chances of going viral.
9. Add in SEO Elements
Sometimes, going viral is as simple as ranking high in YouTube’s search results for specific search queries.
Adding SEO elements to your videos will help YouTube’s algorithm understand what your content is about and make it easier for users to find your content.
How do you add SEO elements to your videos?
- Add keywords to your video’s description and title
- Add the right hashtags to your videos
It’s worth using a keyword research tool like ahrefs or something similar to find out which search terms to target. If this type of tool isn’t in your budget, you can use the YouTube search bar to find potential keywords. Just start typing your topic into the search and see what suggestions pop up.
10. Learn the Power of Hooks
A hook is a powerful way to get people to watch your videos – and to keep watching them. The goal is to draw viewers in within the first five seconds of your video. The right kind of hook can easily make your video go viral, especially because everyone will be sharing your content.
There are many types of hooks that you can use to help your videos go viral:
- Share a fascinating fact.
- Ask the question, “what if?”
- Surprise people with something unexpected.
- Get straight to the point right away. Answer a question or tell people what happened. They’ll stick around to see more, trust me.
- Start with a problem and offer a solution.
- Start with a joke.
- Ask a question.
These are just a few of the many types of hooks you can use to get people to watch and share your videos. Experiment with different ones to see which hooks work best for your audience.
11. Create Enticing Shorts That Drive Traffic to Your Video
YouTube’s algorithm loves Shorts. And if you can find the right topic, you can easily go viral with a Short.
Short-form videos are all the rage on social media, thanks to TikTok, and Shorts are YouTube’s answer to TikTok.
To boost your chances of going viral, make sure that your Shorts include the right hashtags and keyword-rich descriptions. These two practices will ensure that YouTube knows what your videos are all about and that they show up in the search results.
We also recommend taking the time to analyze why some Shorts go viral.
- What characteristics do they share?
- What topics tend to go viral?
Creating enticing Shorts can be your ticket to going viral, but your video must have all the right components.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Always Go Viral?
It’s incredibly rare for every video to go viral. YouTubers with hundreds of thousands of subscribers may get tons of views quickly, but it’s not quite the same as going viral.
You can certainly have more than one video go viral, but it’s unlikely that you’ll always go viral.
What’s Better: Going Viral or Consistent Views?
In a perfect world, you’d have the best of both worlds: a few videos that go viral and others that get consistent views. But if you had to choose between the two, consistent views would likely be better. Why? Because a viral video can get a ton of views in a short amount of time and then never get them again. In the long run, a video with consistent views can outperform a viral video.
What Types of Videos Go Viral Most Often?
Any type of video has the potential to go viral, but the ones that go viral most often are funny videos, prank videos and challenge videos. Everyone loves a good laugh or to see someone overcome a challenge. It’s no surprise that these kinds of videos tend to go viral.
