"viral" video for promo

[metamemoir]

i have a video that i think with some luck could get a lot of hits if i were to load it on a place like youtube (im NOT referring to the video in my signature lol).

i have no idea if it will get 1,000 views or 10,000,000 views, but the point is that it is a device i could use to try and get more exposure for my work-in-progress (a memoir) and my blog (which is sort of a satire about writing a memoir).

basically i'm trying to think of the best way to utilize this video. do i just put it on youtube and add a link to my blog and other social media promo platforms and pray for the best (that people will click on the links and follow me...even though I've read that there is a "low conversion rate" for that happening in general)?

or should i do something different like load it through Facebook on my facebook fan page and not make it available on youtube? are there other options?

[Torgo]

The chances of a given YouTube video going viral are about the same as your chances of winning the lottery. People who do marketing for a living have basically stopped kidding themselves that they are able to manufacture something that gets millions of hits.

You can put a video or book trailer up on YouTube, and it may well attract some attention, but look at book trailers for brand-name authors and you generally won't see Bieber-level statistics. While you're at it you may as well use that video for the book's Amazon page and for Facebook and any other place you think you might be marketing the book.

There will be a fairly low conversion rate, yes. Remember to make your links trackable with bit.ly or goo.gl so that you can get stats on where your traffic is coming from.

[metamemoir]

Originally Posted by Torgo

The chances of a given YouTube video going viral are about the same as your chances of winning the lottery. People who do marketing for a living have basically stopped kidding themselves that they are able to manufacture something that gets millions of hits.

You can put a video or book trailer up on YouTube, and it may well attract some attention, but look at book trailers for brand-name authors and you generally won't see Bieber-level statistics. While you're at it you may as well use that video for the book's Amazon page and for Facebook and any other place you think you might be marketing the book.

There will be a fairly low conversion rate, yes. Remember to make your links trackable with bit.ly or goo.gl so that you can get stats on where your traffic is coming from.

i know that "viral" is one in a million, hence why i said even if it's just a thousand what's the best strategy to maximize even a modest spread.

thanks for the latter two tips though.

[veinglory]

Does the video actually relate to the book in any way?

[Roger J Carlson]

Originally Posted by metamemoir

...and get more exposure for my work-in-progress (a memoir) and my blog (which is sort of a satire about writing a memoir).

I wouldn't bother until your WIP is complete. Even if you build a modest interest, people will want it NOW, not some undefined time in the future. Even if you went "viral", by the time you get it done, the interest will be gone.

[WriterBN]

Originally Posted by Roger J Carlson

I wouldn't bother until your WIP is complete. Even if you build a modest interest, people will want it NOW, not some undefined time in the future. Even if you went "viral", by the time you get it done, the interest will be gone.

I came to the same conclusion for my WIP. Actually, I'm beginning to think I may not even do a book trailer after all. My book is a collection of short fiction, aimed at a niche market. No vampires, explosions, or Hollywood action effects...

[benbradley]

Originally Posted by metamemoir

i have a video that i think with some luck could get a lot of hits if i were to load it on a place like youtube (im NOT referring to the video in my signature lol).

i have no idea if it will get 1,000 views or 10,000,000 views, but the point is that it is a device i could use to try and get more exposure for my work-in-progress (a memoir) and my blog (which is sort of a satire about writing a memoir).

basically i'm trying to think of the best way to utilize this video. do i just put it on youtube and add a link to my blog and other social media promo platforms and pray for the best (that people will click on the links and follow me...even though I've read that there is a "low conversion rate" for that happening in general)?

or should i do something different like load it through Facebook on my facebook fan page and not make it available on youtube? are there other options?

Put it on Youtube. You can embed the Youtube video on Facebook so those who go there can see it there, but a lot of people won't go to Facebook (there's some bias against it, it's seen as Teh Evul Borg of Social Media), whereas there's no such objection to Youtube.

Originally Posted by veinglory

Does the video actually relate to the book in any way?

Well, yeah, that's probably important. If it's an enactment of a scene in the book, that might help.

You're being a bit coy - can you at least describe the video?

Originally Posted by Roger J Carlson

I wouldn't bother until your WIP is complete.

And not only that, but AVAILABLE FOR SALE.

Okay, maybe you could put the video up (and link to it through all your social media things) maybe up to a week before it goes on saie, but make sure it's on Amazon (and wherever else) for pre-order, so anyone who "wants it now" can but it and know they'll get it when it comes out.

Maybe if you're doing this more to attract attention to your blog rather than the book, and you plan to do more videos along the way, this might work, but IMHO you should have better and better videos as you go along.

Even if you build a modest interest, people will want it NOW, not some undefined time in the future. Even if you went "viral", by the time you get it done, the interest will be gone.

[Lia_joy]

I have a little experience going viral on youtube and using it to gain followers. My videos are of my own self-directed births, my book will be about self directed birth, and I've been using the videos (one of which is near 4million views now) to direct people to the facebook page for my book and to my blog. If you visit my Youtube channel you can see for yourself all the stats, the time frames, how views of the most popular video translated into subscribers and views of my promotional video or the few random videos that I posted.
My blog statistics show that I don't get a lot of hits directly through youtube, but I don't have a way of knowing how many of the people who found me through a google search or typed in the url did so after watching my videos. I would say I get a fair amount of fans to my facebook page through youtube, but I also can't measure that for sure.

I don't know if the subject matter will translate the same for you -- my audience is going to be online looking for birth videos specifically so that works to my advantage... But anyway, I hope that my experience gives you some ideas if you are wanting to use youtube to build a platform (if you're wanting to use it to promote the book, I agree with the others who said to wait til its available to buy)

[Cappy1]

Humour is still the best way to have a hope of going viral. So I'm hoping you're a comedy writer.

[Polenth]

A lot of the answers you need can be found by looking at viral videos. They're usually comedy. Cute animals are a plus. They're pretty much always on YouTube. They don't usually go beyond having a website link at the end of the video, as far as promotion is concerned.

No one can predict if you will go viral, or we'd all be posting viral videos. But a few things are very unlikely to, such as book trailers, you reading from a book or anything directly promotional.

Other than that, find a funny kitten to video and good luck.