How to Make Your Content Go VIRAL! The number one rule in marketing is to create crisp, compelling content from the heart but without any intent of it going viral. Initially, that may sound confusing but in our case, that s what actually happened. We produced a commercial dedicated to the truth behind the story of every entrepreneur. On Halloween night 2015 we posted, The Life of an Entrepreneur in 90 Seconds. This guide was created for you to accompany the information I shared in a Valuetainment episode titled, How to make Your Content Go Viral. This document will serve as a guide for you and your marketing team to assess whether you are on the right track to potentially experience what we all hope for - viral status. Please enjoy the content, share with other entrepreneurs and if you haven t already, subscribe to Valuetainment on YouTube. -Patrick Bet-David http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 1
The Different Types of Content That Go Viral: This section explains the basic types of content that triggers viewers to like, share and engage with content online. Many brands make the mistake of trying to be all of these and instead confuse the viewer. What you want to do is figure out what the one thing is that you want your viewers or audience to remember you for. FOCUS ON THAT! For me and Valuetainment the main thread is entrepreneurship; our unique identifier is teaching entrepreneurship in a way that provides Value and Entertainment. (See what we did there? Go and do likewise!) 1. Funny Content You better have your camera ready at all times to capture these moments. a. Cats b. Dogs c. Pranks d. Jokes e. Humor (FouseyTube, VitalyZTV) 2. Fights Hopefully you re not the one involved. a. Bullying b. Girls Fighting c. Guys Fighting 3. Making fun of someone Usually not a good idea. a. Making fun of athletes or politicians 4. Embarrassment / Self-Deprecation We all have that one moment that we regret or wince about. 5. Controversy / Change / Conflict Enough said. Food for thought: Media companies make their money sharing three kinds of stories. They constantly have to find the negative in tings. Bad news is http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 2
typically shared with 11 different people and good news is typically shared with 3 people. 6. Fear We all know people that thrive on this information. a. End of the world is near b. Aliens are taking over c. San Andreas (Hence the movie) 7. Creativity It pays off to be creative. Not annoying. a. Dollar Shave Club b. Old Spice c. Pepsi commercial with Jeff Gordon or Kyrie Irving 8. Sex Whether we like it or not, it works. a. Attractive people attract people. b. This does NOT mean use Porn. c. By nature, we are attracted to good looking people. 9. Trust We love brand that we can trust over new ones. a. Someone who is a voice of reason in a particular area or expertise. b. It takes some time to become a voice of reason. 10. Correcting an Injustice Be a man or woman on a mission that is greater than you. a. Kony 2012 was a great example. Unfortunately the creator ruined what could have been a very strong channel and persona online. http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 3
The Toughest Type of Content to Go Viral- without boosting! 1. Value 2. Education 3. Ideas Who s doing it right when it comes to Value, Education and Ideas? Why? a. TEDx b. Khan Academy They focus primarily on one area of expertise and channel their efforts to maintain a consistent brand and value. 26 Keys to Make Your Content Go Viral 1. Tell a Story: a. Think of your content or video like a movie b. Remind me of a time in my life with the words and images you are using. c. Make a connection with me 2. Know Your Audience a. What are they thinking about? b. What do they want? c. How can you make the best connection? 3. Be Specific a. What do you want people leaving with? b. What will they say to others about your message? c. Being specific about the message, increases the chance that your content goes viral. http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 4
4. Be Loved or Hated but NOT Liked. d. Example: In other words, Be Original!! However, you don t necessarily always have to be liked. 5. Volume a. Create a ton of content to eventually catch traction b. It can t just be a large quantity of videos with no quality. c. It is not an overnight thing. d. Your audience doesn t take you serious if you start putting up content and then you stop. e. Keep growing your fan base. 6. Consistency a. Start with what you can handle and add more as you go. 7. Keep Growing Your Fan Base a. Find ways to attract, maintain and engage with your audience. 8. Timing a. What is relevant in the media or market? b. Match calendars and Holidays c. Movie Openings d. Super Bowl e. Academy Awards f. Inauguration g. Debates h. Professional Fights 9. Have Influencers on Your Side a. Joel Brown on addicted2success.com said one tweet from Dwayne Johnson about an article written on him changed the dynamic and traffic to his site overnight. http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 5
10. Study Human Nature (Image by Buzzsum/OkDork) a. Understand the basic and important emotions that you ll audience will want to experience. 11. Have a Bigger Net a. Try having your content on different platforms until you find the one that works for you. 12. Try Different Outlets a. Upload directly on Facebook b. YouTube is tougher to go viral on http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 6
c. Direct upload is quicker on Facebook 13. Don t be General on What You Teach a. Don t be like everybody else b. Take your top 3 topics you re good at and decide to be the expert in one of them. c. To get clear on your purpose go take the Ultimate Self Discovery Questionnaire. 14. Catchy Titles vs. Searchable Titles a. Catchy Title is more effective with a bigger following and a Searchable Title is more effective when you have a smaller following. b. How To or Keys To are titles that do well on YouTube. c. Create Curiosity 15. Defy the Myth of Large Articles or Videos a. If a 3 hour movie called titanic can go viral, so can your 13 minute video. 16. Be Entertaining http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 7
a. Let your personality be seen in the articles or videos you are producing. 17. Call to Action a. Tag an entrepreneur b. Tag a single mom c. Tag a student d. Tag an artist e. Please subscribe f. The key: If within 5 minutes it s not catching traction, there may be an unclear call to action. 18. Accessibility a. Make it easy to find and easy to share b. Facebook videos are now competing with YouTube videos. 19. Be Real and Genuine a. Don t act like you are somebody else. b. Imagine you are having a cup of coffee with good friends. c. Stop trying to be too professional. 20. Be Visual a. People are visual b. If it s a blog, use pictures. c. If it s a video, use images. d. Example: My Love Letter to California 21. Be vulnerable. a. This can t be an act. b. All great actors have a sense of vulnerability. 22. Don t Try to Go Viral a. If you re trying to go viral you won t get viral. (If you do it s most likely by accident) b. It s almost like the girl who is attracted to the guy that doesn t give the girl any attention. http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 8
23. Cup of Coffee Mentality. 24. Luck a. Act as if the camera isn t there and you re simply speaking to ONE person. b. Not an audience but ONE. c. Write as if you re telling a story to someone not writing a Shakespeare play. d. Check out Casey Neistat and study how he tells stories. 25. Magic a. Just create good content and keep improving and you ll get lucky. a. This will normally be out of your control. b. A dedicated team, a commitment to your brand, a desire to impact the space you re in; that s where magic is cultivated. I hope this guide helps you and I d love to know if you have any feedback, thoughts or comments. You can tweet me @patrickbetdavid or you can email my team and send your feedback and hopefully success stories to marketing@patrickbetdavid.com. Oh, hang on a second, there s one more thing my necessary lawyers told me I need to make a disclaimer. Here it goes: this information will not necessarily cause your brand, channel, or persona to have a viral explosion online but it will definitely educate you so you can make your content the best it can be and maybe, just maybe, something will go viral. I am rooting for you! Please keep in mind the points made have been implemented by our team over the years and consist of our own of trial and error, research and tips from experts. All of it will certainly help you by putting you in the best possible position to become a wellknown, established brand. Go for it! 2012 2016 Valuetainment and Patrick Bet-David All rights reserved. No animals were harmed making this document. http://www.patrickbetdavid.com 9