How to Create Viral Videos in 2022

This may seem like a big ask, but pulling it off properly will keep your viewers on the edges of their seats. Social media is all about trends, and trends can taper out over time, use this to your advantage! There are expectations already built into what the user thinks they are going to see next, take that opportunity to flip them around. Joshua Drury, who has many viral hits with on JustJoshing says:

“Surprise your audience. They’ve just seen a hundred videos and photos while scrolling, the best way to stand out is to do something unexpected”

What can be done that would be unexpected? It wouldn't exactly be a surprise if there was an exact formula, so we encourage you to use your imagination here...

However, for the quickest and simplest solution try incorporating a few funny video effects and sound effects (can be downloaded for free here). Adding a few unexpected composite effects, timed music, or bass drops can go a long way with raising excitement levels and user interactivity.

While decoding what makes for a viral hit is nearly impossible, one consistent factor is the amount of times your audience watches the video. We’ve seen some clever approaches to this, like seamless looping with clever VFX, like this CGI shot from SirWrender with over 202M TikTok views. Other creators start a sentence at the end of their video, and the start of the video is the continuation of that sentence. Whatever your approach, making sure your video is re-watchable will help it gain traction.

Put your audience behind the camera. If the audience feels like they’re in the scene, it will make your content more engaging. POV shots are effective for all genres, whether it’s horror, like @shortestblockbusters, comedy, or anything else!

VFX that look convincing will make your audience stop longer on the video. Our most viewed TikTok video, the meteor strike, has almost 13M views because many people think it’s the real deal on the first watch through.

What is your goal? To get more followers, comments, and views or to promote a cool new product? You should understand that is your end goal. Your primary goal is to get more shares and take your video viral. Be sure to make it easy for your viewer to convert on your end goal, but don't do so at the cost of your primary goal. Keep your video fun and exciting. Only plug a product or request an end goal action after they are already excited about the contents of the video and do so in the least obtrusive way possible.Call to Actions (CTAs) will be most effective if they’re included in the video itself, and presented by a person, naturally, when the user is already interested in the topic at hand. Creators who want more subscribers will verbally engage with their viewers in fun and friendly way to let them know. If you are trying to sell a product on the other hand, avoid using too many extra unnecessary graphics and handles. You don't want your video to look like an ad. Trust your audience, they know how to use Google.

Sometimes a video takes off and you have no idea why. Sometimes a video has all the right ingredients but just doesn’t gain traction. That’s the gamble you take when you work with influencers. Even the creators who have a massive, dedicated audience have videos that don’t perform that well. Don’t blame them, and don’t set your expectations too high. If you sponsor ten influencers, be happy if one of them makes a viral hit. Raghav of ShutterAuthority (nearly 4 Million Subscribers) says:

“The algorithms are way more complex than we could ever imagine…

Sometimes videos just don’t go viral, even if they check all the boxes that make many videos take off.” Raghav also mentions that “Timing is everything. Recreating videos is no guarantee that they’ll perform anywhere near as good as the original.”

You can learn more about his process and how he received more than 1 billion views on one of his videos here.

While success with any one video can't be guaranteed, consistency does count! Keep up an active schedule and post videos regularly. This will not only improve your production skills and give more time to grow your following, but will also provide the social media gods with more info about what types of users to target. Each time you post a new video that you are proud of you are one step closer to one of them going viral.

There are times when you put your best effort into creating somethihg you are certain everyone will enjoy only to find a few users adamantly disagree with your opinions or vision and make it very publicly known. This may seem terrible at first, but it is much better than crickets. Be like a Jedi and stay optimistic and harness that tension. Listen to your users, converse with them, try to reach a mutual understanding so everyone can gain perspective. As they say, all publicity is good publicity.

Whether you’re making a video in-house or working with an influencer, trust your artists. You’re good at what you do, and they’re good at what they do.

If your artist is excited about an idea but you’re not onboard, you may be missing out on a good opportunity. Creative freedom will lead to good results. Influencers will be able to create ads that are authentic to their brand. Your creative directors will be able to try ideas they’ve had in their back pocket for the right client. Don’t play it too safe, viral marketing is always a gamble. The risks are always going to be high, so don’t plug the reward with your own ego.

Unless you are a world-class actor, make sure you are having fun, or at least be passionate about the video that you are creating. Users will see it and feel it in the content of the video itself, through the actors faces, interactions, everything will convey those underlying feelings. If you are spending countless hours in post, make sure to do your filming of your actors on another day when you are rested and in a good mood. But really if you are spending so much time in post you should save yourself some time by using our time saving production tools and resources instead. ;)