The Power of Viral Videos: 5 Tips for Creating Videos That Promote Your Music

Music videos have been around much longer then most would imagine. In 1894 Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern promoted their song "The Little Lost Child" with live performances accompanied by still images projected for the entertainment of the crowd. While this is seen as the first example of visual imagery combined with music in this manner, this was very influential in the creation of the types of music videos we see today. More popular examples began to emerge in the 1920's and most notably in the '60s with The Beatles' video for "A Hard Day's Night" as well as a variety of other songs, The Monkees TV series which included the groups songs combined with various film segments, and not long after many other artists started following the success of these groups with film segments to accompany their music. In 1981, music videos found a special place in music lovers' hearts with the launch of MTV which premiered with the video for "Video Killed the Radio Star." 

With the success of MTV, music videos began to flourish as a popular marketing tool for musicians everywhere and were further used as a creative outlet for artists to entertain their listeners and leave a lasting impression in their memory. I'm sure this isn't hard for anyone to believe but if you aren't convinced that music videos were a major attraction for fans check out Thriller and the variety of user created content related to this video and get back to me. The popularity of music videos sky rocketed and dominated MTV programming well into the '90s with shows such as "Say What? Karaoke," which displayed song lyrics along with music videos, and Total Request Live, a show where users voted on the top 10 videos of the day. Creating a music video and receiving MTV airplay was a sure sign of success and fame (even if it only lasted 15 minutes). However, at the turn of the 21st century MTV's title as Music Television began to slip and the once music dominated channel has now slipped into a station focused on reality and not-so real programming that only occasionally will be focused on music. Has the music video lost its place as one of the most effective ways to captivate your audience as a musician? Absolutely not.

As we have all seen, the internet has grown into a powerful tool for communicating with a large audience and a great place to create and share content. With a variety of sites that allow users to upload and share videos it is easier then ever to create a music video and receive a great deal of exposure from it. The best part is social media sites such as YouTube and Vimeo allow musicians to share their music videos with a mainstream audience and cut out the bias that television networks have been known to show towards major label artists. All you need is a good song (or in some cases an awful song, just ask William Hung) and a video that captivates your current and future fan base and they'll do the rest of the work, sharing it with their friends and various connections they've made in their social networks. A perfect example of this is from the group Ok Go for their video "Here It Goes Again:"

Ok Go created this video using a video camera, 8 treadmills, and some well choreographed moves in 2006 and since then have received over 48 million views on the original video uploaded on YouTube (which seems to have since been removed and replaced with the same video on their labels account) making it the number one favorited music video and the 42nd most viewed video of any type on the site. So as you can see you don't need flashy clothes, exotic settings, and Michael Bay caliber special effects to receive mass exposure anymore. The internet community has become a place where users value realistic content that provides entertainment and value to their web-surfing experience.

So, now the moment you've all been waiting for... how can YOU create a video like Ok Go did, that rakes in over a million views in its first week and drives users to further seek out and purchase your music? Well, unfortunately there's no automatic formula for creating a viral music video. Luckily there have been a lot of artists who have found success with sites like YouTube and have allowed us to come up with five things you should keep in mind when creating the next YouTube sensation.

If you think putting your next song over a choreographed video of you and your band mates jumping from treadmill to treadmill will get you a million views, you're wrong. Hundreds of thousands of videos are uploaded on YouTube daily (according to YouTube's Press Room section) so what is going to make users want to watch your video over the other millions of videos out there? And more importantly, after watching your video, what is going to make users want to share your video, look for more info about your music, and stay tuned for follow-up videos? Creativity and originality are the keys to success with this particular form of media. No one wants to see another video of someone playing a mediocre song in their parent's basement while their surplus of cats claw at the furniture in the background. Ok Go came up with an original and creative concept that sparked the interest of users and made them think "This is so cool! I've gotta show my friends this!" 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you've got to come up with a brilliant idea that has never been done before. Many artists have gained popularity by simply showcasing their talent in front of a camera. Take Bo Burnham for example. At the age of 16, Bo started filming funny songs he had written and performed in his bedroom and posted them on YouTube. The videos consisted of Bo sitting at his keyboard or playing the guitar while singing hilarious lyrics on topics ranging from "My Whole Family Thinks I'm Gay" to "New Math" a song using clever wordplay and puns that made math seem dirty and made filthy lyrics seem brilliant. 

As you can see, Bo's actual videos may not seem to have anything particularly flashy or attention grabbing but he captivates the user with his music and his performance style which gives the impression that Bo Burnham is just your average guy and he's not trying to be something that he's not. It's important to find a balance between visual entertainment and personal transparency. Don't try to be something that you're not, it will be very obvious to viewers at home if you're trying to imitate videos that have already been successful. 

Every video that has gained popularity on the internet has added value to the viewer's life in some form whether it's obvious or not. As an artist, the main goal is to provide entertainment to your fan base. Whether this is through showcasing your talent or providing a visually entertaining video, your content must be seen as valuable to your audience. If you're playing a boring song and your video lacks enthusiasm then you're not entertaining your audience and the value they're looking for is lost. 

Another great way to add value is to incorporate your music into a video that provides value beyond the form of entertainment. Recently, I posted an article on the best iPhone apps for musicians. While researching different apps I found a video from a group called The 88 who created a video showing the band recording their song "Love Is The Thing" using the iPhone application FourTrack.

Not only did The 88 create an entertaining video but they also demonstrated a valuable way for musicians to use the iPhone to enhance their career. So now, The 88 has reached out not only to its fanbase, but also iPhone users interested in music, other musicians, and even technology junkies. The more appealing your video is to a variety of users the better. Normally, I may not have stumbled across this video but since I was looking for iPhone apps that musicians found helpful I was able to find a video that demonstrated how helpful this app was but more importantly for the band, I discovered a good song! The 88 most likely didn't film this video with the intention of reaching an audience whose main focus is technology but (whether intentionally or unintentionally) they created a video that showcased their talent as well as created value to iPhone users and musicians around the world. Start thinking of concepts for music videos that could be seen as valuable for your viewers. You may think of a special way to use video to combine your music with something that is valuable for your viewers or the entertainment/performance that you provide with your video may be all the value they need.

While we have focused on making a video that grabs the attention of internet users across a variety of networks, it is important not to let your music be overshadowed by video footage that is irrelevant or too distracting. It is important that your video focuses on what you want the viewer to remember which is you! Ok Go's video was entertaining but the whole time you're reminded that it is the band performing to their own music and even though the choreography is cool you're not blocking out the music playing over it. If you piece together footage of your friends making intricate trick shots on the basketball hoop in your driveway it may attract a crowd, but chances are your song is going to get lost amongst the footage because the average viewer will be tuning in to see someone make a shot from across the street and won't be interested in the music that's playing. 

Are you pulled in by the music in the background? If I hadn't brought your attention to the fact that a song was playing would you even be able to remember the tune after the video was over? Keep in mind what you want your viewer's reaction to be, whether it be to seek more information/music, share with friends, etc. Which brings us to our next point...

Most of the video-sharing networks out there already include the tools needed for a user to instantly share a video with all their contacts. But more importantly, you need to make sure your video has an element to it that makes users WANT to share your video. There are so many videos out there and users tend to be very picky with what they share on Facebook, after all your cyber popularity could be easily damaged by sharing a lame video with your friends, right? But seriously, if you want people to spread the word you have to give them something to spread, whether it's incorporating the techniques previously mentioned or it's simply something that creates conversation, your key to success is creating a video that includes an element users want to share. It can be how to incorporate technology into your career, a funny video that goes along with your music, or in the case of David Patten a talented rendition of popular songs. Patten films himself covering popular songs from artists such as Beyonce to Wyclef Jean. Check out his Rhianna cover below:

Patten shows off his talented voice and his versatility with different instruments to cover different genres of music. Patten has used mainstream artists music to drive traffic to his covers while also marketing himself and his own music in the mean time. Covering a well known song gives viewers a sense of familiarity and willingness to check out your video. Remember, millions of videos already exist with song covers though, so if you don't have something that is unique and worthwhile to watch, tacking on a mainstream artist's name won't help. 

Lastly, remember to include information on where your viewers can hear more, find more information about your group, and contact you. Displaying all of this in the information box located to the right of your video on YouTube is a good idea but not everyone is going to look there. Include links to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as your official page or MySpace at the end of your performance. Take a look at the last ten seconds of The 88's video I posted. The music continues to play while any information you would need to find out more on the band is displayed. If a viewer is still watching your video by the end, chances are they will check out your website to get some more info on your music.

The best part about video-sharing sites such as YouTube is not only the ability to reach a large and diverse audience but the ability to get free feedback that is comparable, if not more helpful, then the type of information you'd get from doing research with focus groups costing thousands of dollars. The comments section on your video is like one large focus group. Members openly and honestly give their opinion on your video whether you like it or not. You may not be able to control what they're saying but you can most certainly participate in the conversation and use their feedback to adjust your strategy for creating videos in the future. Actively communicate with those taking the time to comment on your video. At the very least, you find out your video sucks in the eyes of the YouTube viewers, but you may be able to pull more constructive criticism out of them and even convert a few viewers that were on the fence into fans. Don't be pushy and overly defensive, that's an easy way to drive off helpful comments. Be real and thankful for those willing to give their time and opinion on how to improve your future videos. Chances are your first video isn't going to blow up into the next YouTube sensation so it's important to learn from what the viewers have to say and use it to work towards creating the next YouTube video to have viral success.

Last but not least, video hosting services provide a variety of other benefits beyond a place to share your work. Underneath your video there is a tab labeled "Statistics & Data" that will show the number of views your video is receiving as well as landmark dates such as "First referral from YouTube - Homepage." This type of information will help you keep track of where your video is receiving attention, when it has received a significant increase in views, and what has caused the increase. Keeping an eye on these stats as well as stats on some of your favorite videos is a great way to figure out what works in terms of getting your video viewed.

Most importantly, it's worth mentioning that creating a video should be something that is fun for you and you can take pride in. If you're creating a video just because you think it's what's holding you back from becoming a household name, your intentions are going to be blatantly obvious to your viewers. Keep these tips in mind, but don't be afraid to try something different. Content sharing websites are constantly evolving and it's impossible to develop a formula for how to be successful. Use the comment section to share any experience you've had with creating videos or to pick the brains of myself and others in order to create your own viral video!