Ever get that feeling that going viral as a small YouTube channel is like trying to climb Mount Everest? Well, with the right strategies, even the tiniest creators can actually see enormous success.
YouTube virality is not a thing of luck; it entails premeditated steps, a smart content strategy, and a deep understanding of what really works in terms of engagement.
In this video, I give some actionable steps one can apply to make a viral video on YouTube with limited subscribers. Be it that you are just starting to create or have already uploaded some of your videos, the tips below will give you quite an edge over competitors.
1. Create Compelling and Engaging Content
Your content is the backbone of your channel, and without great videos, going viral just isn’t very likely. Here’s how to create the type of content that will make it with an enormous audience:
Select Popular and Evergreen Topics
The first vital thing that you need to do to make your video go viral is to create a video on trending topics and evergreen content. Trending topics bring visibility in a very short time, while evergreen content continuously brings viewers for a long period.
Value in every single video: what viewers are always expecting is something of value: to be either entertained, educated, or inspired. Make sure every video delivers one kind of value or another and that it will keep the viewer satisfied.
Strong Storytelling
A video that tells a good story keeps viewers glued. This is because the magic of storytelling can convert an otherwise desperately mediocre video into an sharable and viral one. Make sure your video has an opening, climax, and end with clear call-to-action or key takeaways.
Optimize for Watch Time
The most important YouTube metric is the watch time, and the more this increases, the higher your chances of going viral. Keep your audience engaged throughout your video; pace your content, include visual effects, or cliffhangers that will keep them begging for more.
2. Optimize Your Video for SEO
SEO is not only for websites; it is equally important on YouTube. The more you optimize your content for search, the better your videos will appear in search results and the more viewers they will gain.
Keyword Research
Google, YouTube is a search engine. Leverage tools such as the YouTube search bar, Google Trends, and other third-party tools like Ahrefs or TubeBuddy to find popular keywords relevant to your niche.
Optimization of Titles
Your title is one of the first things users will notice in your video. It should be worth the click but not clickbait. First, make use of relevant keywords but make sure your title is no longer than 60 characters.
Attention-Grabbing Thumbnails
An attention-grabbing thumbnail can go through the roof in CTR. Custom thumbnails bold in text, having a human face, or an action shot does exceptionally well as compared to generic ones.
Tagging and Description
Add relevant tags so that YouTube will get an idea about what your video is related to. Use the same keywords in your video description and make sure to always write a detailed description with a CTA.
3. Always Keep Your Audience Engaged
The most important thing for the virality of any video is audience engagement. The more you interact with them, the better the chances of your content being shared by them to go viral.
Respond to Comments Try to respond to every comment that is left on your videos, but especially in the first hours of uploading. It builds a community and Viewer loyalty.
Use CTAs Have your viewers like, comment, and subscribe at the end of your videos. This will cue YouTube that there may be more engagement with this video and that your video is taking off.
Use Community Posts
The Community Tab on YouTube is a powerful tool in communicating with your audience in between new video uploads. Use this for polls, asking questions, or promoting future videos.
4. Partner with Other YouTubers
The collaborations will right away give your channel momentum and expose you to a higher number of audiences. Just go out and connect with creators in your niche with some ideas of how you might collaborate with them. Find creators with similar-sized audiences or slightly larger than yours for balanced, mutually beneficial partnerships.
5. Promote Your Videos on Social Media
Social media can never be underestimated when it comes to the virality of a video. Spread your content across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even on Reddit. The more the content is exposed to people rather than just the audience on YouTube, the better the chance to go viral.
Leverage Instagram Stories
Use Instagram Stories and Reels to give teasers about your YouTube videos. This will hype things up and route traffic to your channel.
Participate in Niche Communities
Join smaller communities on sites like Reddit that relate to your content and drop it there. But don’t be spammy; provide value in the community by participating in discussions before dropping links.
6. Pay for Views to Boost Social Proof
One of the easiest ways to give your video more visibility is to pay for views to give it some social proof. Websites like Instant Famous allow you to purchase views to instantly give your videos an advantage over the competition. The more views you have, the more your video might seem credible, and hence, organic views will increase. Of course, this shouldn’t replace the organic ways of growing but can be a decent way to kickstart your viral campaign.
7. Leverage YouTube Shorts
With the rise of YouTube Shorts, the arsenal of creators to become viral has added one more arrow. The Shorts are short, bit-sized vertical videos less than 60 seconds, and YouTube aggressively promotes them. Even small channels will start seeing enormous traffic from Shorts when they match a trending topic or present fast, fascinating content.
Create Snackable Content
Concentrate on short-form content that should be catchy to your viewers within the first couple of seconds. Be it a quick tutorial, behind-the-scenes action, or just a funny moment; your content needs to be fast and highly engaging.
Hashtags Included
Just like on Instagram, Shorts will get the plus of using relevant hashtags. Always remember to use #Shorts among other trending hashtags for discoverability.
8. Analyze and Improve Through YouTube Analytics
Your YouTube Analytics are gold, packed full of information about how your videos are performing. That’s where you can based decisions on future content.
Tracking Key Metrics
Follow your watch time, click-through rate, and audience retention. These metrics will let you know what works and what doesn’t.
A/B Testing
Try different video lengths, try different titles, and try different thumbnails; try different formats. In time, you get a feel for what works for your content to kick off.
Conclusion
A small channel can go viral on YouTube. If you concentrated your efforts on creating captivating content, optimized it for SEO, engaged your audience with it, shared it across all social media platforms, and augmented the initial views with other services like Instant Famous, you will considerably improve the chances of your material going viral. Also, don’t forget consistency and patience, and update your strategy regularly based on your analytics. The road to viral fame may be long, but it is well within reach with the right tactics.
