We've all seen those crazy videos on YouTube. Silly dances, dangerous stunts, some really bad singing and some incredible singing (aka Susan Boyle). Recent reports say over 500,000 new videos are uploaded to YouTube every day. Why are some wildly popular while 99.9% of the videos are BORING?

The latest YouTube sensation is this wedding video from a couple in St. Paul, Minnesota. Kevin Heinz and Jill Peterson wanted to do something different for their wedding procession and boy did they succeed. Almost 9 million people have viewed their wedding video in the past week and almost 45,000 people have commented on the video. Kevin and Jill appeared on the Today Show and the entire wedding party re-enacted the procession on live television. Take a look at the video now and you'll see why this is one of the most popular videos on YouTube right now.

What makes a web video viral?

When you watch this video you can see why it's spreading like wildfire across the internet. Here's why it's the hottest viral video on YouTube this week.

1. It's totally unexpected. The ushers are standing patiently at the end of the aisle waiting for the ceremony t0 begin and while the crowd is anticipating the arrival of the bride.

2. The music begins and the ushers break out into a dance. The crowd instantly joins in the fun wondering what's going to happen next.

3. The bridesmaids join in the fun making up their own dance down the aisle.

4. The groom busts through the pack of ushers and bridesmaids and somersault down the aisle.

5. The bride boogies down the aisle to the delight of the crowd.

Everyone is genuinely having fun. The wedding party practiced a little before the event but most of it is improvisational. The crazy dancing totally surprised the crowd and they totally embraced it wanting more. Many even joined in the dancing. There's no acting in this video – it's totally authentic.

If you want to create a viral web video then you have to make it fun and real. Surpise your viewers by doing something totally unexpected and entertain them. Be authentic and don't try to sell anything in your web videos. The best way to turn people off is to try to sell them something because we see enough commercials when we watch televsion.

Make some web videos and send me the links so I can post them on my blog. Have some fun and make a name for yourself!

To your online success,

Ted

About the author 

Ted Prodromou

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I'm the #1 best-selling author of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business and Ultimate Guide to Twitter for Business. People call me America's Leading LinkedIn Coach.

I'm the founder of Search Marketing Simplified, LLC, a full service online marketing agency. The SMS team designs and implements advanced LinkedIn and social media lead-generation strategies for small to medium-sized businesses. SMS will set up and manage your marketing funnels using organic, social and paid traffic.

Did you know I've been working with the internet since 1991, long before Al Gore invented it?

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