8 Ways to Go Viral on YouTube

What to Know

Have a clickable headline and intriguing thumbnail. These are the first impression people have of your video.
Content about current events and the latest happenings is much more likely to go viral on YouTube.
Promote your content on social media. A viral post about your video can make the video itself go viral on YouTube.

This article outlines eight ways to maximize your chances of going viral on YouTube. For tips on going viral in general, check out our guide.

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Write a Clickable Title

Even if you have the most well-produced, most interesting, or funniest video ever made, if nobody clicks on it, it's not going viral.

A video's title is the single most important element of going viral on YouTube. Of course, you should avoid clickbait, but your title needs to be good enough to entice a random stranger to open it without making them feel like the video didn't deliver on the title.

Good titles can be funny, outrageous, intriguing, incendiary, or anything else, but it has to offer something. Look up some viral videos, take note of how their creators titled them, and use that as inspiration for your own content.

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Have an Attention-Grabbing Thumbnail

Like the title, the thumbnail is also one of the biggest reasons your video will or will not go viral. You need to get people in the door, first.

Thumbnails on YouTube have changed a lot over time. In the early days, shoving an attractive person in there was a popular technique. Today, something like MrBeast's 'thumbnail face' is more common.

Take a look at some thumbnails of viral videos, and use that as inspiration (but don't copy them directly). Take care not to make a thumbnail too cluttered, and don't be afraid to spend some money on hiring an artist if you aren't satisfied with your own efforts.

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Decide Whether to Release a Short

YouTube Shorts — Image: YouTube.
YouTube

Shorts are YouTube's short-form videos (similar to TikToks), and the algorithm behind them creates some serious potential for virality. So, if you're planning on making a small video, which is oftentimes best for going viral, you may want to make a Short.

However, depending on the scope and content of your video, a Short may not be the best option. In that case, you can release a traditional video and then edit it down into a few Shorts that link back to the original in a pinned comment.

Regardless of whether you decide to release a video as a Short, make sure you've thought about what format works best for your content.

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Consider Current Events and Trends

You might have an awesome idea for a meme about Avengers: Endgame, and that might have gone viral when the movie came out. But you'll have a better chance of going viral if you're talking about current events.

Check out Google Trends, and keep an eye of what's trending on X and YouTube. It's even worth staying up-to-date on what the latest TikTok trends are, too. If your video is as current as possible, it has the best chance of going viral.

However, don't become too fixated on what's hot, either. Even if something is slightly out-of-date, if you've got a great idea, a catchy headline, and a well-made thumbnail, you're better off with that.

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Be Funny

Lots of content that isn't funny goes viral, but a well-honed sense of humor is a reliable way to do well on YouTube. Plus, it's a lot easier to be funny than it is to have a big budget.

Tugging on the heartstrings, pranks, crazy stunts, hot takes, and all other sorts of viral videos on YouTube have their own drawbacks associated with them in a way that a good, old funny meme doesn't.

Not everyone is a comedian, and that's okay, but injecting as much humor as possible in your videos without veering into cringe can be an effective strategy.

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Don't Bait Rage, and Only Troll Responsibly

Saying something controversial that upsets a lot of people can make you go viral, but it's tough to become a content creator off of rage-bait. When people hate you, they won't want to support you.

However, trolling can be an effective way to be funny and go viral. Be careful, though, there are lots of ways to be a nasty troll, and that'll land you squarely in the situation described above.

Saying things you may not believe, i.e. trolling, if they're innocuous and don't hurt anybody, can be a good way to go viral. Don't go too far, however, and make sure the joke is always on you, not a stranger.

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Post to Social Media

What to share on social media — Engage, inspire and entertain your social media followers. Credit: Matt Chalwell | Getty Images

As an unknown, your social posts likely won't get much traction, but once you've uploaded your video, linking to it wherever you can only increases your chances of people finding and watching it.

Don't be afraid to make more than one post, but make sure to spread them out across different accounts and platforms. Nobody likes spam, and too many posts from a single account looks desperate.

Social media is a powerful tool, and there's always a chance your post will blow up. If it does, you're well on your way to success and in a better position for your next project to go viral.

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Collaborate With an Established YouTuber

There are a lot of YouTubers nowadays. Maybe you have a content creator friend, or maybe that guy you went to high school with has a channel now. Many creators want to support people just starting out, so it doesn't hurt to (very politely) ask.

Approach established YouTubers with a collaboration that makes sense for their brand and doesn't require much time, energy, or investment from the creator in question, and you may be surprised by the results.

Be sure, though, that your proposal makes sense for the creator. A successful YouTube channel is a business, not a charity, so it needs to have some upside for the person you're contacting.

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