Tools, tips and techniques to help you create and profit from web video

Popular Web Videos

It started off as a silly little experiment. At first, barely anyone was watching it. And then, it started to pick up momentum. Only a few weeks later, it now gets 3,000+ viewers per day (and growing). Here's how I did it, and how you can do it, too...

First, let me warn you upfront that the implied topic for the video to be discussed here may be offensive to some. I'd like it to be known that I don't consider my to be a sexist (but who does?). Also, I'm not an advocate of internet pornography.

With that said, let's continue...

A few months ago, I had been thinking quite a bit about viral videos - how people discover them, the "secrets" to their popularity, how can they be used to promote business, etc. Although I have put quite a few videos online, until that point, I hadn't made a conscious effort to try and make one "go viral."

In researching popular viral videos (as measure by YouTube and Google Video rankings), I found that most successful videos contain elements of one or more of the following:

1. Silliness - or down-right stupidity
2. Humor - being funny is not the same as being stupid, although the two have been known to overlap
3. Real Life - Not necessarily unscripted, but these videos usually don't have that corporate "big media" feel
4. Short-ish - usually under three minutes, although there are exceptions, such as the monstrously popular video, The Evolution of Dance

So, I decided to try and create a video that would contain as many of the above elements as possible. But I realized there was one additional "element" that, if implemented correctly, could tip the scales in my favor: sex appeal.

The Dirty Truth About Internet Porn

It is estimated that the internet pornography industry generates $12 billion dollars a year in revenue, more than the combined annual earnings of ABC, NBC, and CBS.

It doesn't matter if you're for, against, or ambivalant about online pornography - it's simply a fact that internet pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry simply because there are a lot of people who go online, regularly, to look for porn.

So I decided to create a web video that would take advantage of this fact - but without actually having to delve into the seedy world of internet pornography. And here is the result:

Silly? Yes. Actually, quite stupid.

Humorous? Debatable, but most seem to think so.

Real life? It is if you live in the sticks like I do.

Short? Longer than I would have liked, but under 4 minutes.

Sex Appeal? At least before you start watching, the perception is there - based upon the title and description.

Being Seen at Google Video

If you stumble upon the video at Google Video, you'll see the official title is "Five hot, young naked chicks in the bath tub (sexy content - adult viewers only)" - with the following description next to the video:

This is important, as Google gives you options that can help your target audience discover your video:

1. Video Details - You provide the title, description and an optional text transcript for your video. This is crucial. By using the right keywords (without being too "spammy" about it), you increase the chances of people finding your video via search.

2. Video "Tags" - These are descriptive keywords that you can associate with your video.

3. Video Placement - Make sure you put your video in the proper categories, as many people prefer to browse this way.

4. Allow Embedding and Downloading - Google gives you the option to let people download your video, or add it to their own web site. By enabling these features, you make it easier for your video to be passed around and shared virally.

Note, you can use words to trick people into discovering your video. But if you're doing it for your business, that will probably backfire.

Yes, my video tries to trick the viewer into watching it - but that's the purpose of the video itself. In addition, most probably see the obvious punchline coming, but choose to watch it anyway.

Note: I don't use any keywords that aren't related to the video. I don't use "sex," but "sexy," "naked" and "hot" - all of which are demonstrated in the video.

Promoting Your Web Video

If you want people to find and watch your video, you need to first tell the world about it. Aside from posting my video to Google, the only other things I did were:

• Added it my viral video department here at WebVideoZone
• Told a couple of friends
• Posted it to a few blogs
• And most importantly, submitted it to the video category on Digg.com

Digg is a community news site where "every article on digg is submitted and voted on by the digg community." If enough people "digg" your submission, it makes the front page gets exposed to thousands of people very quickly.

On a whim, I submitted it to Digg the first week they started accepting videos, with the link going straight to Google Video. Within two hours, my post made it to their front page, sending more than 3,000 people to Google to watch it.

Some people hated it. Some loved it. A few were angry that it wasn't what it appeared. Unfortunately, it was deemed inappropriate by the powers that be, and was pulled from the site.

However, that brief surge in viewership resulted in my video breaking into the top 100 of the Google Video Movers and Shakers list the next day. And then word spread. People started downloading it, sharing it, talking about it. And then something happened...

Google brings video to the masses

For the next four weeks, the video was being seen in the range of 500-1000 times per day. But then a few days ago, viewings quickly started going up, and are now averaging 3,000-4,000 per day...

That's because Google did something that is going to have a dramatic effect on video producers and web site owners...

When you search the main Google web site, they now include the option for you to get results from their Google Video database simply by clicking on the "video" link.

This means that if you rank well in Google Video, you will now be getting a ton of people who had no intention of visiting Google Video, watching your video - and possibly being redirected to your web site...

Getting More People to Watch Your Videos - Summary

If I can get a top five ranking for a very competitive term (e.g., "naked"), then you can use the same techniques I did to achieve similarly impressive results.

The secret to getting your video found, is to not sit around and wait for it to be found...

• Post your videos to as many video sharing web sites as you can.
• Include descriptive, keyword-rich details with your submissions.
• Be sure to pass the link to friends.
• Submit and share where appropriate (e.g., blogs, Digg.com, forums, etc.).

And don't forget...

Make sure all videos you submit to a community video web site such as Google Video have within them some kind of contact information (e.g, your URL, phone number, etc.), as well as your copyright.

If you want people to know who made and owns your video, you need to say so within the video. Because once you release it the world, there's no way to get your viral video back again.

[Side Note: Those cute little ducklings belonged to a good friend of mine. I'm sorry to report that shortly after the video was shot, they were visited by a very large and hungry raccoon, and now only one sexy duck remains. But as long as the internet and viral video live on, so too will they...]

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