What Makes A Video Go Viral?

YouTube has changed more in 2024 than in the 5 years before that. This comes with challenges for creators to keep their channel alive or for businesses to actually get a return on their content efforts.

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A Simple Breakdown Of What Makes YouTube Videos Go Viral

I break down 4 strategies used by dying channels to go viral multiple times, gain hundreds of thousands of subscribers and perform a complete 180 within months of implementation.

The Importance of Targeting: Stefanovic

Four years ago, Stefanovic’s channel had fewer than 500 subscribers, with each video averaging a few thousand views. His content lacked a clear niche, which hindered growth.

The breakthrough came when he focused on sharing insights on data analysis (his expertise). His “day in the life” video received over 800,000 views, followed by another video with over 200,000 views.

This success was a clear indication of demand, prompting him to continue in this direction. His most significant growth spurt occurred when a guide he posted amassed over 2.6 million views, propelling his subscriber count from 40,000 to 140,000 in just six months.

From niche chokehold to viral content

Despite his success in the data analysis niche, Stefanov faced a challenge: his passion for other topics didn’t translate into views. His travel videos, lifestyle vlogs, and self-improvement content didn’t resonate with his audience.

By experimenting with positioning his interests in a way that would attract a broader audience. By targeting overarching topics like tech jobs, entrepreneurship, and online gurus, he managed to engage both his existing subscribers and new viewers.

This strategy led to doubling his overall channel views, from 4 million to 8 million monthly views.

We cover 3 more case studies in the full edition, sign up here: https://www.playstack.co/playstack-newsletter

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Worth Watching

Part of what I do daily is consume a lot of content and here are some of my favorites:

• Billion Dollar Creator - How "Flywheels" Took My Business From Zero to $320,000,000
• The Futur with Chris Do - Stop Hiding Who You Really Are: Be Authentic W/ Corey Poirier
• How Ridiculous - Extreme Soccer Golf Down A Ski Mountain!
• Makari Espe - I walked 30,000 steps a day for one week to feel something

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