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The Secrets To Make A Youtube Video Viral

James Hogan
James Hogan Originally published Feb 05, 25, updated Feb 11, 25

Every YouTuber wants to make a viral hit video, but the journey to making a YouTube video go viral is full of surprises—you could hit a million views when you least expect it. There’s no guaranteed formula, but, there are still tricks and tactics on how to make a viral YouTube video.

If you aim to see your video on the trending list, you can start by understanding certain aspects that usually make YouTube videos go viral. Here’s a closer look at how you can increase your chances of creating a viral YouTube video.

In this article
    1. How the YouTube Algorithm Works
    2. YouTube videos that usually go viral
    1. Best Video Editor Used by YouTubers
    2. Tricks to Make YouTube Video Viral

Part 1. What Makes YouTube Videos Go Viral?

First of all, how many views do you need to go viral on YouTube? Actually, the term "viral" on YouTube doesn’t have a set threshold, but most agree that a video can be considered viral when it quickly amasses hundreds of thousands to millions of views in a short period.

In many cases, YouTube viral videos also tend to create a ripple effect, with viewers sharing them across social media platforms. You could say a YouTube video goes viral when:

  • It gains traction quickly
  • It sparks widespread engagement
  • It spreads beyond YouTube
  • It attracts media attention
  • It becomes part of the conversation
creating viral youtube video

To achieve that level of views and impact, the YouTube algorithm plays a crucial role in determining a video's visibility. The algorithm is key to understanding how to make a YouTube video go viral. It is designed to promote content that keeps viewers engaged and encourages them to spend more time on the platform.

How the YouTube Algorithm Works

  1. Relevance: The algorithm analyzes your video’s title, description, tags, and content to match it with user searches and preferences. Proper optimization can help your video show up in search results and recommendations.
  2. Engagement Metrics: Likes, comments, shares, and watch time are strong indicators of a video’s quality. Videos with high engagement are more likely to be promoted by the algorithm to a wider audience.
  3. Personalized Recommendations: YouTube suggests videos to users based on their viewing history and interests. If your video aligns with trending topics or a specific audience’s preferences, it’s more likely to appear in their recommendations.
  4. Trending and Popularity: Viral videos often align with current trends, making them more likely to be pushed by the algorithm to users exploring trending topics.
    how to get viral on youtube

YouTube videos that usually go viral

  1. Comedy or Sketch Videos: If you are wondering how to make a YouTube video go viral, try infusing comedy into your video. Comedy videos are among the most shared, often appearing on YouTube and other social media platforms. They are one of the types most likely to go viral.
  2. Parody: Parodies of popular songs, movies, or TV shows often gain traction because they put a humorous twist on something familiar. Viewers love to share these videos, especially when the parody is well-executed or features unexpected twists.
  3. Reaction Videos: Reaction videos, where creators react to viral content, trailers, or trending news, also tend to go viral. Take Khaby Lame as an example. Just by showing a simple, no-nonsense reaction to overly complicated life hacks, Khaby Lame became one of the most followed creators on YouTube and TikTok.
    trending youtube shorts video

Part 2. How To Make Your Video Viral on YouTube

Next, creating a viral video on YouTube involves more than just posting content and hoping for the best. One key factor in ensuring your video stands out is the use of a video editor. Since you need to create high-quality content and consistently produce videos that grab attention, choosing the right video editor is important.

Best Video Editor Used by YouTubers

Wondershare Filmora is one of the best video editors that YouTubers often use to make viral YouTube videos. Filmora is also perfect for beginners, as it helps them with video editing with minimal effort and no complexities. This simplicity, combined with powerful features, makes it possible to create and upload videos consistently, whether you're producing content daily or on a regular schedule.

filmora best video editor for youtube

Plus, Filmora supports loads of file formats, so it works with just about any video you’ve got. It also offers the capability to upload videos directly to YouTube, which helps streamline your workflow.

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Tricks to Make YouTube Video Viral

1. Create Emotionally Resonant Content

Viral videos often evoke strong emotions such as laughter, awe, inspiration, or surprise. But how do these videos go viral on YouTube? It's because content that resonates emotionally tends to be shared widely. Viewers share it because they connect with what's shown or feel moved by the message. So, ask yourself: "Will this video make people want to share it?"

2. Hook Your Viewers

The first few seconds of your video are crucial; it determines whether viewers will stick around or click away. Use a compelling hook that grabs attention immediately, such as a surprising fact, an intriguing question, or a powerful visual. Your goal is to pique curiosity or create anticipation that keeps them watching.

3. Unique and High-Quality Content

If you want to know how to get a video viral on YouTube, always strive to offer something new or a different perspective on familiar topics to keep your audience interested. People tend to share and engage more with content that either surprises them. To make it appealing, ask Filmora AI Copilot Editing for guidance on enhancing your videos.

enhance videos using ai copilot

4. Optimize for YouTube Search and Discovery

For this, you need to use SEO best practices to make your video easier to find. Use Filmora AI Copywriting to help you write effective, SEO-friendly titles and descriptions for your YouTube videos.

5. Capitalize on Current Trends

If you need some quick YouTube viral tricks, align your content with trending topics, challenges, or viral moments. By staying relevant to what people are already excited about, you increase the likelihood of your video being discovered and shared.

6. Make a Short-form Content

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have shown us how much impact a quick, 60-second video can have. One of the YouTube long video viral tricks is to make it into a short-form video. Use Smart Short Clip on Filmora to quickly identify the most impactful parts of your video and condense them into a bite-sized clip.

create short form videos with filmora

7. Use Eye-Catching Thumbnails and Titles

Your video's thumbnail and title are the first things potential viewers notice, so make them count. Create eye-catching thumbnails that spark curiosity and titles that are clear yet intriguing You can use Filmora AI Thumbnail Creator to help you make it quickly.

8. Consistency and Timing

You never know when your video will become viral. But what you can do is consistently post high-quality content and timing your uploads for when your audience is most active.

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Part 3. How to Maintain Engagement for Your YouTube Channel

Learning how to get a viral video on YouTube is one thing, but sustaining viewer interest and your YouTube channel engagement is what’s important. Once you've caught your audience's attention with a viral video, you need to keep them coming back for more.

  1. Create Series or Recurring Segments: Develop series or recurring content that viewers can look forward to. This could be weekly tutorials, monthly challenges, or a series on a specific topic.
  2. Offer Value: Ensure each video provides value, whether it’s educational, entertaining, or inspiring. Viewers return to channels that enrich their lives or offer solutions to their problems.
  3. Use Analytics to Tailor Content: Regularly review your YouTube analytics to understand what works and what doesn’t. Look at which videos have the highest engagement and analyze why. Use this data to tailor your future content to better match your audience’s preferences.
  4. Encourage Viewer Participation: Create interactive content that encourages viewers to participate. This could be through contests, polls, Q&A sessions, or asking viewers to submit their own video responses.
  5. Refresh Old Content: Update and republish old videos that performed well. This could mean updating the information, improving video quality, or adjusting the content to reflect current trends or new insights.

Conclusion

Now you have everything on how to get viral on YouTube. Focus on creating unique content and grab your viewers' attention in the first few seconds. Then, with a solid grasp of the YouTube algorithm and tools like Filmora, the only thing left is to get started.

Let’s try to implement these YouTube viral video tricks today. Each video is an opportunity to learn more about what works. So keep filming, exploring new ideas, and most of all, enjoy the process.

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James Hogan
James Hogan Feb 11, 25
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