Nalts Viral Video Tips
From The Viral Video Genius

Can Nalts, the Viral Video Genius, help you make a better viral video?

OK, so he proclaimed himself to be the "viral video genius" — but still, there's a lot of truth to it.

Nalts, also known as Kevin Nalty of willvideoforfood.com, is featured in one of Video Jester's Top Ten Viral Video examples. More importantly, he really does know a thing or two about viral videos.

Of course, I have my own top ten tips for making great viral videos. But Kevin adds another perspective. He's made hundreds of videos, he has tens of thousands of subscribers on his YouTube channel, and his most popular videos have been seen literally millions of times. On top of that, he quit his day job in marketing to do video stuff full-time.

I used Nalts' wisdom when I was researching my top ten list, but he has given me permission to offer his e-book, "How to Become Popular on YouTube (Without any Talent)" as a free download on this site. I think it's got great information for the viral video wannabee.

Here's a quick summary of the words of Nalts:

How to Make Videos That...Uh, Are Pretty Good

1. Stick to your brand — Find a niche or a style and develop it. It could be parody, comedy, extreme sports or even vegetarian cooking (or all four?)
2. Short, fast, big finish — Online video viewers have a short attention span, and they want a reward for their time. End with a bang, and they'll want to share it.
3. Topicality drives views — What are people concerned about now? Tap into that, and you'll get viewers.
4. Respect basic production guidelines — As I call it, make it "good enough." Too slick can hurt, though.
5. Package your video — Give it a good title, and if it's on YouTube, pay attention to that critical "thumbnail image."

He also has a section on "Tips for Getting Your Videos Seen." If you really want to pursue the viral video world, you need to think about more than just creating an amazing video. Here he talks about collaboration, subscribers, patience, and more. (Remember, he's a marketing guy.)

Then there are the Tricks to Avoid: blatant self-promotion, spamming, "keyword bloating," and other things that may seem like good ideas, but will only hurt you in the end.

Finally, he discusses profiting from your viral video ventures (no promises, but there is some money out there), and he lists lots of other resources for the budding viral videographer.

In short, it's an e-book worth reading. Read or download it now -- it's free! (Right click or Control click to download the pdf file -- 542 KB)