Now you are either reading this post because you are searching for the secret to viral video success, or, because you read the title and are looking for material for the response you are about to pen, which will start with the words “You can’t guarantee any video will go viral, this is the most outrageous post I’ve read since…”

Well actually I think I can satisfy both types of reader.

No, there is no guarantee of your video going viral even when you have the heady combination of celebrity and behind the scenes footage.  However there are some simple steps that you can take to ensure that your video has the best possible chance of going viral.

So here are my personal top 8 tips in no particular order…

1.  Know what your audience likes.  This is different to the (false) mantra of ‘content is king’.  It is recognition that one man’s “Later with Jools Holland” is another man’s “X Factor”.  So if you’re after a petrolhead crowd then a Supercar skidding round corners is simple but effective http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L1-TN2XXOk

2.  Know where your audience live.  If you want something to go viral, people have to see it, so make sure it appears where your audience hang out.  So while our mountain biking community videos do well on our YouTube site, they do even better on the specialist site mpora http://video.mpora.com/watch/FxAB0IF8J/

If you want to be really effective then use a community map to identify your seeding sites, giving yourself plenty of time to get the distribution organised before your video appears.  Because then you have the chance of being…

3.  Be first to market.  Simple one this, if you have the content that people want to watch, before anyone else does then people watch your version.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RMT1-gcuqw This video of the SLS appearing at The Goodwood Festival of Speed 2010 was filmed on the first day and released that evening.  As it was the first video to appear anyone searching for festival content in the first couple of days inevitably ended up watching the SLS do the famous hill climb.

4.  Optimise.  Just as you want your videos to appear where people can see them, so you want them to be fully optimised so search engines can see them too.  Getting the right tags and choosing a title and description copy that includes relevant keywords is going to make a massive difference.  Both YouTube and Google have tools that can help you choose the most effective keywords and tags – Google and YouTube

5.  Short.  Short videos get watched in the office and then shared on email.  Long videos get watched… later.

6.  Build your own communities and then you have an instant audience.  Don’t ignore the fact you can message friends and subscribers directly via YouTube every time you put something new up (or when you need to remind them of that excellent video you made a while back).  If it’s a different social network such as facebook or twitter then remember an engaged community is going to be much more effective for getting those views than a larger unengaged one.

7.  Paid for promotion.  Sometimes a video needs a helping hand to get it moving.  If it’s good then it will maintain momentum even after the promotion has finished – as the word of mouth effect takes hold and the search engines take notice.

8.  Boris Johnson.  Always good for views. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjIUR3n1C0 We await the Boris Johnson playing with kittens mash up – viral video gold.