Music Industry

How To Make Your Music Video Go Viral

[Another contribution from Jess Walter. – AC]

Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube everyday, and while the content of the videos may vary, an influential percentage of them are music videos. The most viewed video on the platform is the music video for ‘Despacito’ by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber, with an incredible 6.2 billion views.

Photo by John-Mark Smith from Pexels

Music videos account for only 4% of the content on YouTube, yet account for 11% of the video views on the site. Suffice to say, getting noticed and building your stream count will help your music career get off the ground, as it has been the most crucial building block for many of today’s top artists. So when you’re still in the early stages of launching your music career, one of the very best ways to get discovered is to have your music video go viral.

Upload The Content Strategically

There are many factors that go into the process and algorithm that YouTube uses to show content to the user on their search results page. Learning to upload and optimize your music video using SEO principles should undoubtedly be the most important factor when working towards having your content go viral. Conduct thorough keyword research to find out what popular search terms are being used, and find a niche combination of keywords that will work for your music. Trying to target the most popular keywords will ultimately be less effective, as YouTube will choose more popular and viewed content over yours. Encouraging comments on your video will also help your SEO efforts greatly, as it’s been discovered that YouTube heavily favors videos with multiple comments. The number of shares a video receives boosts rankings tremendously, so make sure that you encourage your followers to share the content as much as possible.

Optimize Your Channel

There is plenty of competition on YouTube, and so you need to stand out as a professional to get your music video viewed. Create an artist channel, and get creative with it. Ensure that you have original, high quality cover art, a logo, and a profile picture. There should also be links to your music on other platforms, such as Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and your Facebook and Instagram artist profiles. Have contact details available for viewers to reach out, and take the time to comment back on all comments and likes received on your music video content to create an engaged community.

Make Great Content  

Even with all the other factors at play, your music video still needs to be entertaining and great to watch in order to go viral. Have fun with the process, and ensure that the content is a representation of your style as an artist. In order to rack up the views on YouTube, it should be professionally made with high quality technology, and edited correctly. It’s best to hire a professional or a freelancer to handle anything you are not completely well trained in, so you can focus on the artistic side.

Having your music video found online is one of the most effective ways to get noticed on the music scene today. Creating a music video that can go viral and be seen by millions is very possible if done strategically and correctly, while still allowing you to showcase your incredible music.     

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 38035 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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