A viral video is one that gains a huge number of views, likes, comments, and shares (usually from several million to a billion) in a short time (24-48 hours). Such videos quickly become popular, they are actively shared and reshared across social media and the users discuss them actively.
Below are some of the video virality features to get a better impression of viral videos nature:
Short length. Viral videos are usually short so the users don’t need to spend a lot of time watching them and catching the main idea.
Simple and understandable message. Viral videos are usually simple and pretty understandable. They dwell on the situations a lot of people can relate to, and this is another feature that makes viral content popular.
Emotional context. As a rule, viral videos provoke a strong emotional response among the users. This is one of the reasons that make the viewers share, contributing to the video virality.
Simple graphics. The most popular viral videos ever appeared organically, being shot with a smartphone. So, a viral video idea is, in most cases, more important than the quality of the visuals. The only exception is producing viral videos for marketing purposes since in this case the idea, the video content, and branding are equally important.