How to Create The Funniest Viral Dog Videos

While cats are said to rule the internet, in reality, dog videos pull in more views than their feline rivals. Time and time again, dog videos go viral.

Do you think your dog has what it takes to become an internet sensation?

Creating a viral video isn’t an exact science. It is hard to know exactly what people will find funny enough to share widely, and what silly things might fall flat. But, with some solid inbound marketing tips and the right strategy, you can get well on your way.

In this article, we will give you some tips on how you can create a viral video. Read on to find out how to spread some laughter.

1. Do Your Research

Before you get started on making your video, you need to do some preliminary research. You need to know what trends are up and coming, and which ones have worn out their welcome.

Research keywords that are related to dog videos and other current viral hits. Figure out what is trending, and how you can take advantage of this in your own unique way.

Since you want your video to go viral, even outside of the English-speaking world, consider looking into multilingual SEO. This can help you get an even broader audience for your dog videos.

2. Think of Your Dog’s Humourous Strong Suits

The dog videos that perform best are usually ones that are funny. Videos that evoke a strong emotional reaction like laughter are more likely to be shared.

Dogs are often pretty funny on their own. The key is capturing them at the right moment or in the right circumstances.

Think about what your dog does that makes you laugh. Do they steal food, or react to a certain cat, or freak out when they see you bring out the leash?

You can also bring your dog to new locations to see how they react. Just get a crate or portable kennel like those from Pet Crates Direct and start bringing them around with you. You’d be surprised by how much a change in scenery can bring out your dog’s funny side.

Once you have some ideas, you can start brainstorming about how you can make those funny things even funnier.

3. What Makes Your Dog Unique?

Each dog is unique. That uniqueness is what makes dog videos so funny and loveable.

Often, that uniqueness is what makes a pet video go viral. Think of Lil Bub, a cat who became incredibly famous due to a bone deformity that makes her tongue stick out and makes her look a bit odd. Her strange appearance was what made her so popular.

She is definitely a very unique looking cat. It was this uniqueness that set Lil Bub apart from all the other cats vying for the internet’s attention.

Uniqueness doesn’t have to be related to their appearance. It could be that they like to sleep in odd places or odd positions, or that they can do interesting tricks.

Generally, their unique trait should be something that is heartwarming. You’ve already decided on something funny in step 2. The uniqueness with add that warm and fuzzy feeling that makes people even more likely to share.

4. Keep It Simple

Some of the best viral videos work well because of how simple they are. Someone slipping on a patch of ice may garner more views that something you have cleverly scripted.

To increase your dog videos chances of going viral, keep your video short and to the point. If the funny part of your video is that your dog fails at going after a squirrel, you don’t need two minutes before or after where your dog is just walking through a park.

The longer that the video is, the less shareable it is. This means it is less likely to go viral.

Plus, one of the strengths of dog videos is that usually the joke will work in any language. Dogs don’t have to speak to be funny.

By keeping it simple and just focusing on what your dog is doing, you can increase your video’s reach. The video will be funny whether the viewer speaks English, French, Spanish, or anything else.

5. Get Filming

When it comes to viral sensations, you don’t need to be an expert videographer (but it isn’t hard to become one). Many viral videos are just shot on a cellphone, no fancy equipment required.

Since you’ve completed the previous steps, you probably have a pretty good idea of what you want to capture on film. Just keep filming your dog when you are in the sorts of situations where you think they may do their funny thing.

However, don’t try to force it. For the video to really go over well, it is better if it appears to be natural. If people can tell you’re just making your dog do a trick for the camera, it won’t have the same impact.

Just take lots of video, as often as possible, and you are sure to capture something great. You can even film your dog when you aren’t expecting anything funny at all. They may surprise you!

6. Create an Online Presence

To improve a video’s chance of going viral, you should try to build a following. Create a YouTube channel for your dog, and link social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Since you are filming your dog all the time, you’ve probably got a fair bit of footage. Pick out the best bits and edit them into short videos. You will want to post them over time, building an audience for your dog. That way, when you have a truly hilarious video, you’ve already got a dedicated audience who will want to share it.

Once you’ve got dog videos with viral potential, there’s a lot you can do to improve its shareability. We’ll run through those now.

7. Apply SEO to Your Videos

Remember those keywords you researched before? This is when they are going to become extra important.

Do some quick keyword research again to see if anything has changed. Are your keywords still on the rise? Make note of any keywords you didn’t account for before.

Then, when you post your first video, use these keywords everywhere possible. The file name should be simple and contain the most important keywords. The video title should contain the keywords and the unique thing about the video.

Some viral videos describe the funny bit in the title so it makes it easier for people to search it. For example “Dog Fails At Catching Tennis Ball” mimics what people might type to try to find it.

However, it can also be a good idea to include your dog’s name in the title. This is a good strategy if you are building a following for your dog over many videos.

As for the description and the tags, keep using those keywords! The more places you can use your keywords, the more likely your dog videos will rank higher in searches.

In the description, include links to your other platforms. Link to the related social media accounts as well as a website, if you have one.

8. Optimize Your Dog Videos For Mobile

If you want to go viral, your mantra should be “mobile first.” More than half of online video viewing is done on smartphones. So if you make a video that is great on the desktop but hard to see on mobile, you’re missing half your audience.

Since the viewing screen is so small, you need to keep your video simple. Film close to your dog. If your dog is doing something hilarious but is just a speck on the horizon, no one will share it on mobile.

To optimize for Facebook and Instagram, square videos work better. On YouTube and Twitter, widescreen is still optimal.

Also, make sure that any text or graphics in your video are large and clear. White font with a thin black outline works best.

9. Add Captions and Subtitles

Captions and subtitles can draw more attention to your video on Facebook. Since Facebook has silent autoplay, having some text can grab people’s attention and get them to click on the video.

Subtitles and captions also increase your SEO ranking, especially if you can work some of your keywords in. Just don’t sacrifice the content to cram in keywords. Sure, people will be able to find it more easily, but you don’t want to make the video itself less enjoyable.

It also makes your video more accessible, since people with hearing disabilities will be able to enjoy it too. Plus, it means it can more easily be translated for an international audience. This gives your video an even further reach!

Wrapping Up

Now you have all the tools you need to make viral dogs videos. Capturing your dog’s funniest side and heartwarming unique traits is only the first part. Then, a strong online presence and SEO will help you build the audience who will share your viral hits.

And the best part? You get to do all this working with your best friend — your dog!

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