How to make a viral video

About five years ago, one of my business associates told me that he spent at least an hour a day watching YouTube. At the time, I had no idea what in the heck he was talking about and wasn’t the least bit curious to check it out. These days, I’m regularly posting videos of my own.

It wasn’t the path I planned to take when I started writing this column, but once I began sharing my written stories, I felt compelled to do it visually as well, especially because there’s such a large number of people who prefer watching to reading. And, as it turns out, the process is very similar to writing, it’s just done with a much more expensive pen.

The people reading my column in the newspaper are often not the same ones who are watching my videos on TV or online, and some might wonder what a viral video even is.

Not everyone has access to the Internet or has any interest in it, at all. If this includes you, you might be tempted to abandon reading this column right about now.

But if you’d like to learn what a viral video is and how it becomes that way, I can explain. Sort of. A viral video is one that becomes extremely popular through the process of Internet sharing. How it gets to that level, I have no idea.

My video this week has fun with some of the wildly successful clips out there, but it doesn’t explain how one particular production stands out like a brilliant star and gets passed around the world, while another one of equal or better quality does not.

That remains a mystery.

“It’s like winning the lottery,” one of my friends said, referring to the likelihood of any video going viral.

With 48 hours of footage being uploaded onto YouTube every hour, I think he’s quite right. It’s like being a needle in a haystack that never stops growing.

But, still, a girl can dream.

“If you filmed a baby laughing hysterically or doing something funny, you might stand half a chance,” another friend advised.

Good idea. Those little people are contagious and can result in huge payouts to the parents who film them.

My social savvy friend suggested that I “play the game” and claims there’s a real science to it. Another good idea. I almost paid a social media guru a ton of money in the hopes of increasing my online numbers, but I couldn’t come up with the funds to do so.

I’m not saying I won’t when the timing’s right, as it could be an incredibly smart investment, but at this point, paying someone to jump through hoops to get me more hits just isn’t my focus. And neither is creating short videos that will appeal to the masses. Yes, I want people to read and watch my work, but my hope is that it will grow organically with added media broadcasts and more people sharing it on social media and email.

I’m so grateful to my local TV station and all the newspapers and websites that do showcase my work.

If I never register on the YouTube radar and none of my videos ever goes viral, I’m OK with that.

But having one of them get the measles or chickenpox would sure be nice. Does anyone have a have a baby I could borrow?