Going viral on YouTube feels like winning a digital lottery—except people actually do it. The platform's reach is staggering, with some videos exploding overnight—like the fastest-shared YouTube video that racked up 400 million views in just 24 hours.

Let's be real: Only a minuscule fraction of YouTube uploads ever crack a million views. Virality is partly luck—no guide can honestly promise you'll be the next MrBeast. But beneath the randomness, there are patterns among videos that find their audience and take off.

We've analyzed what works and what doesn't to compile these techniques for increasing your odds on YouTube. No guarantees—anyone promising those is lying—but these strategies can help you connect with the right viewers and potentially build toward becoming a full-time YouTuber.

‎

Understanding YouTube's algorithm for viral content

The YouTube algorithm is the platform's built-in search function that connects users with content they're looking for. It combs through billions of videos to show an individual person the ones that best match their interests and search queries, ultimately determining how to go viral on YouTube.

If you want to get more YouTube views, you need to know how the algorithm works:

• Relevance. If you searched “easy hairstyles” and were presented with a list of videos about the mechanics of a car, you'd be frustrated. YouTube's algorithm considers how relevant a video is to the query using the video's title and description.
• Quality. YouTube wants people on its platform for as long as possible. High-quality videos increase those odds—so make sure yours reach that quality bar. There's no need for a viewer to leave if they're enjoying quality content.
• User behavior. It's not just about how long people spend on the platform. YouTube's algorithm also takes into account how people interact with your video. A high number of views, shares, and comments indicate your video is engaging. That's something YouTube wants to promote.

🧠 Hit a creative block? 50+ YouTube channel ideas for 2023

Clarifying viral metrics for YouTube success

Understanding YouTube virality requires analyzing both view counts and how quickly those views accumulate. A sudden spike in views, often exceeding tens of thousands within a short period, is a primary indicator that a video may be going viral. Virality can happen within hours or days, depending on how quickly viewers engage and share according to research on trending content. Equally important are engagement metrics—likes, comments, and shares—that show the content resonates with audiences, fueling additional organic reach. Videos that are embedded on external websites and social platforms can experience exponential gains due to the shareable nature of online media. In short, tracking both the volume and velocity of views helps you gauge whether your YouTube video is on track to become a viral hit.

What makes a YouTube video go viral?

Now we know how YouTube's search engine works, let's explore how understanding the algorithm contributes to creating viral videos that can reach millions of viewers.

1. Create unique and captivating content

Often, viral YouTube videos show things we don't see every day. Take the "it's corn!" video that went viral on YouTube back in 2022. It demanded our attention from multiple angles: it starred an adorable kid, it featured absurd and funny subject matter, and the song was an absolute banger. With over 15 million views, it demonstrates what makes content shareable.

This doesn't mean your video has to slot within a particular type of content. Whether it's educational, entertaining, or inspiring, you can create unique content in any video niche that has the potential to go viral on YouTube. The key is standing out from similar content in your category.

“Our algorithm doesn't pay attention to videos, it pays attention to viewers. So, rather than trying to make videos that'll make an algorithm happy, focus on making videos that make your viewers happy.” —YouTube

2. Ensure high production quality

Prioritize both the video and audio quality in your YouTube content to increase the odds of going viral. Remember: YouTube's algorithm wants its users to stick around for as long as possible. Muffled sound or low resolution videos are more at risk of turning people away, leading to higher bounce rates and lower watch time—two key metrics that determine whether your content spreads virally.

With Descript, creating high-quality video content is simple. You can change the video resolution in a few clicks and remove background noise with Studio Sound. Both take less than 30 seconds.

3. Optimize video thumbnails and titles

YouTube's algorithm uses a video's title and thumbnail to determine how relevant it is to a user's search term. By optimizing (and A/B testing) both of these elements and using the keywords your target audience would search to find your content, like "how to make a YouTube video go viral," you'll increase the chances of going viral.

The fancy word for this is search engine optimization (SEO). It simply means to find the terms your audience is searching for (such as "viral YouTube tips" or "how to viral video on YouTube"), then include them in your:

• Video title
• Description (including hashtags)
• Video thumbnail

📚 Keep learning: 5 ways to use YouTube search trends for your next video idea

4. Master timing and trends

What goes viral often depends on what's popular or trending at the time. If you were to create a "what's in my bag?" video in 2023, for example, you might be a little behind the times. The time to jump on that trend was back in the early 2010s when almost every creator showed the contents of their purse on camera. To go viral on YouTube, you need to identify and leverage emerging trends before they peak.

The same concept applies to timing. If you post new content when people are active on the platform, you can get your first views early and prove to YouTube's algorithm that this new, fresh content is something to take note of. Studies show that the best time to post on YouTube is between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. (ET). For those wondering how to go viral on YouTube overnight, strategic timing can significantly impact your initial view velocity.

5. Build community and engagement

YouTube isn't just known for its video-sharing capabilities; it's known for helping content creators build a community around their content. Viewers can like and comment on your videos, or subscribe to your YouTube channel if they want to see new content from you. These engagement metrics are crucial for any video viral trick to work effectively.

All of these things play a role in YouTube virality. Creators with a strong fan base can prove to YouTube's algorithm that your content is high-quality since people watch new videos as soon as you upload. And, when they like, comment, and share your video, these are user behavior signals that influence how likely YouTube is to show your content to other users. For a video to truly go viral on YouTube, these engagement metrics need to exceed the average 1.9% engagement rate.

6. Enhance video shareability

We already know that YouTube wants people to stick around for as long as possible. But it also wants content creators to drive traffic to the website for them. Videos responsible for driving tons of traffic are rewarded with more visibility, so prioritize shareable content when trying to go viral.

👀 Get more views: The ultimate YouTube publishing checklist to maximize views

Case studies of overnight success

Some YouTube channels attract widespread attention seemingly overnight, as seen with “The Amazing Digital Circus,” which garnered over 25 billion related views globally according to this trending content report. Another prime example is “Hot Ones,” a show featuring celebrity interviews over spicy chicken wings, which has racked up billions of views and earned industry accolades for its innovative format. Both cases highlight the power of unique, conversation-sparking themes that encourage massive sharing across social platforms. They also demonstrate the role of a strong brand identity and memorable hooks in capturing the audience’s attention from the start. These breakthroughs often gain momentum beyond YouTube by leveraging external coverage and word-of-mouth promotion to amplify their reach. Studying these success stories can offer practical insights into crafting videos with the potential for explosive, global resonance.

6 proven strategies to go viral on YouTube

1. Collaborate with influencers
2. Engage with viewers
3. Lean on current events
4. Create a strong hook
5. Repurpose long videos into YouTube Shorts
6. Cross-promote on social media

Collaborate with influencers

Influencers are people with lots of social media followers. When you collaborate with them to produce viral content for your YouTube channel, you'll demand a viewer's attention. Two of their favorite creators have made a video together. How could they not tune in?

Collaborating with influencers also helps you lean on their reputation to grow your view count. You can cross-promote new videos to an even bigger combined audience, helping you to get lots of views in the first few hours of your YouTube video going live.

Engage with viewers

The most successful YouTubers have a strong community around their channel. Do the same by engaging with your viewers to boost your YouTube video viral tips effectiveness. That might mean:

• Responding to their comments
• Answering questions in a future video
• Using “watch next” end cards to convince people to keep watching

Ryan Robinson is a YouTube creator that replies to every comment a subscriber leaves on his channel. It's a simple technique that can bring people back for more, while also proving to YouTube that the video is worth promoting to other users.

Studies show that the average YouTuber (who has between 1,000 and 5,000 followers) has a 1.9% engagement rate. The higher you can raise this number, the better your chances of going viral on YouTube. It'll not only prove to YouTube that your videos are worth showing to other users, but also open you up to more lucrative sponsorship deals. Brands pay big bucks for creators who have strong ties to their audience.

Leverage current events

It's not just funny videos that go viral on YouTube. On this homepage, three out of eight trending videos are news related. News is a type of content that isn't going anywhere—YouTube recently launched a "multi-format news watching experience" to capitalize on users who lean on the platform to stay updated with news and current events. Understanding what content types tend to go viral can help you develop your own YouTube video viral strategy.

Jumping on news stories can help you reach a wider audience and increase your chances to viral YouTube video. If you're a beauty creator and there's a news story about a brand including dangerous chemicals in their products, for example, you could leverage it and create a viral video that explains how to understand the ingredients list in skincare products. This type of timely, valuable content often spreads rapidly.

Create a strong hook

People decide whether to keep watching your YouTube video within the first few seconds. If you don't grab their attention immediately, they might leave. This would indicate to YouTube's algorithm that your video isn't interesting enough to keep people engaged and hinder how many people your video is displayed to—a critical factor in determining how to go viral on YouTube.

As part of your video production process, focus on the hook. That could be a cold open—a script writing technique that uses intrigue to keep listeners interested. They need to keep watching to figure out what happens next.

You can also use video editing techniques to manufacture your hook in post-production, such as:

• Jump cuts to replicate action movies keep the video fast-paced
• Creating a montage—a small selection of video clips to show the viewer what's coming
• Adding background music and sound effects to grab their attention

Repurpose videos into YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts are short videos that YouTube is using to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels. By including them in your video marketing strategy, you'll claim your share of the 50 billion daily views YouTube Shorts receive—and give yourself more chances of going viral. Many creators have found that Shorts can reach viral status faster than traditional videos, with some achieving over 1 million views in just 24 hours.

You don't have to spend time creating new content from scratch. You can simply repurpose existing long-form videos into YouTube Shorts. Find Good Clips helps you repurpose your content in minutes, not hours. It uses AI to scan your video and find the best highlights, which you can quickly turn into YouTube Shorts with Descript's video editor.

Cross-promote on social media

Viral videos often get an influx of views in the first 24 hours. Even if you don't have a ton of YouTube subscribers to bump up that initial view count, you can lean on your social media followers to drive more views. For a video to be considered viral on YouTube, it typically needs to reach at least 100,000 views within a week, though true viral hits often reach millions within days.

That could mean:

• Repurposing smaller clips to post on Instagram Reels or TikTok
• Sharing the link on industry forums where your target audience would hang out
• Using hashtags in posts to reach people on different social media platforms

Jeff Moriarty, marketing manager at Moriarty's Gem Art, says: “One of the best strategies we used for increasing our views and subscribers to over 85,000 was through social media, specifically Reddit. Many of our more in-depth videos we shared in topic-specific subreddits. They almost always were shared, commented on, and watched.

"One of our videos originally posted on YouTube has gone viral on Reddit quite a few times over the past couple years, resulting in over 6 million views to date," Jeff says. "This is part of the reason why whenever we do a video, we always add it to Reddit. Cross-platform promotion is one of the most effective YouTube video viral tricks available to creators."

How to create viral YouTube content with Descript

Searching for a tool that'll help you transform bog-standard footage into viral YouTube videos? Look no further than Descript's YouTube Editor. Many creators who've gone viral on YouTube credit professional editing as a key factor in their success.

It comes complete with AI features to speed up your video production workflow, including:

• Automated video transcription with <95% accuracy
• Find Good Clips to find the best video clips to repurpose
• AI Voices to fix mistakes in your audio without re-recording
• Eye Contact to readjust your gaze if you weren't looking into the camera
• Green Screen to replace your background with an image or video

Some of the world's top YouTube creators use Descript to edit their videos. Take a free trial today and experiment with premium features firsthand.

FAQs

What does it mean to go viral on YouTube?

Going viral typically refers to achieving an unusually high number of views or engagements within a short window, sometimes within hours or days according to Think with Google. It indicates that the video has reached an extensive audience and is being widely shared or recommended by viewers and the platform’s algorithm. Viral success usually involves strong engagement metrics, such as comments and shares, that encourage further discovery.

How long does it take for a video to go viral?

There’s no fixed timetable, but virality can occur when your content swiftly resonates with a broad audience, often within a matter of days based on trending data. Factors like community engagement, trending topics, and external media coverage can speed up the process. In some cases, a viral spike may happen almost instantly if the content taps into a hot subject or features a memorable hook.

Can anyone go viral on YouTube?

Yes, anyone can go viral if they create highly engaging content that connects with a wide audience. Even smaller creators sometimes strike gold by presenting unique ideas or entertaining formats that resonate with current trends. Ultimately, relentless creativity, effective promotion, and a bit of good timing all factor into the possibility of fostering viral success.