If you are interested in making some serious money or garner some followers to your YouTube or other video platforms watch this video.
Being Rickrolled is not always the funniest thing, but this video is completely viral, so, “What makes a video viral?” After some research, I have found that not all viral videos are created equal, but can be broken down into categories. These categories can fluctuate, except for one, Music videos! Just by looking at the sheer number of views on YouTube, it is clear that music videos are king of viral. You may be asking, “I do not know how to sing or how to play an instrument!” Do not fear my musically inept friends, for there are other categories that can make you go viral! I will refer to, “The 7 Most Viral YouTube Video Topics Of All Time” that has ranked a list of categories that people have found to go viral. The list ranks as such:
- Music Videos
- Kids and Babies
- Surprising Talent
- WFT?!
- Offensive Comedy
- Sex (talking about)
- Pets and Animals
Let me rewind just a little here. Having a category is a good starting point but it does not represent anything other than that you have begun your quest of online fame. What you really need to ask yourself is, “What is my intention?” or “What is my goal?” Jonah Berger and Katherine L. Milkman, have tackled the question, “What makes content go viral?” and “What are their characteristics?” They can explain to you more in detail about what other have accomplished and the steps they have taken. Here is a sample of some of their research:
- Positive content is more viral than negative content.
- The arousal factor—positive or negative—is more viral than content without emotion
- Practically useful content may be more viral because it provides information.
They also give a unique way of coding your video (content) in order to determine how effective it will be. They are listed as:
- Anger (People can be angry at certain things where others do not)
- Anxiety (Same effect as above but with anxiety)
- Awe (“It involves the opening or broadening of the mind and an experience of wow that makes you stop and think.”)
- Sadness (Mixed effect with people)
- Surprise (Mixed effect)
- Practical Utility (Useful material that can be beneficial to the person)
- Interest (How much interest it invokes in the person)
As you look over these, you can start to fine-tune your content as to achieve the desired effects to your target audience. Try some of these techniques out and play around to see what you feel is the most effective way to go viral.
Side note: I miss the old day when viral videos were innocent and genuine. Now, when you see viral videos, you cannot but help to question if this is staged or a viral ad. The true viral videos are the ones where Charlie get his finger bitten, Leeroy Jenkins does it the LEEEEroy way, and Charlie the Unicorn finds the candy mountain, among many others. I would like to consider a different word for true viral and that would be Pure Viral.
The 7 Most Viral YouTube Video Topics Of All Time: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/youtube-video-topics/11125
What Makes online Content Viral?
http://ldi.upenn.edu/uploads/media_items/virality.original.pdf
Charlie’s finger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OBlgSz8sSM
Leeroy Jenkins:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkCNJRfSZBU
Charlie the Unicorn:
DJ blakely 
Oh man, the good old days of Charlie the Unicorn and Leroy….. those were good times lol. I liked how you broke it into categories, I guess I never really thought about where all the videos fit, and the ones i can think of DO fall in those categories!
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