A viral video is a video clip that gains widespread popularity through the process of Internet sharing, typically through email or Instant messaging, blogs and other media sharing websites. Viral videos are often humorous in nature and include televised comedy sketches such as Saturday Night Live’s Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box; amateur video clips like Star Wars Kid, the Numa Numa videos, The Dancing Cadet, The Evolution of Dance, the “Benny Lava” video; and web-only productions such as I Got a Crush… on Obama. Some “eyewitness” events have also been caught on video and have “gone viral,” including the Battle at Kruger.
With the proliferation of camera phones, many videos are being shot by amateurs on these devices.[original research?] The availability of cheap video editing and publishing tools allows video shot on mobile phones to be edited and distributed virally both on the web by email or website, and between phones by Bluetooth or MMS. These consumer-shot videos are typically non-commercial videos intended for viewing by friends or family.
Make it short: 15-30 seconds is ideal; break down long stories into bite-sized clips
Design for remixing: create a video that is simple enough to be remixed over and over again by others.
Don’t make an outright ad: if a video feels like an ad, viewers won’t share it unless it’s really amazing.
Make it shocking: give a viewer no choice but to investigate further.
Use fake headlines: make the viewer say, “Holy crap, did that actually happen?
Submit your video to YouTube, Blogs, Forums, MySpace, Facebook, Email Lists and Friends to get the word out.