YouTube released their Top 10 list of most watched videos of 2010 – and there’s definitely some viral madness going on. While you may not have the funds to produce a hugely anticipated film, you can certainly create a video that will reach the masses.

Below is the top 10 list (in reverse order) and I’ve included my tips for how you can use each video’s success to create your own viral video for 2011!

10. Ken Block’s Gymkhana THREE, Part 2; Ultimate Playground; l’Autodrome, France.
Tip from this video: Work hard to be a professional rally racer and then drive an obscene obstacle course. Note: Don’t try this at home!

 

 

9. Jimmy Surprises Bieber Fans.
Tip from this video: Be a hugely successful talk show host – and then surprise young fans who are in love with a hugely successful teen pop singing sensation. Good luck fulfilling this tip!

 

 

8. The Twilight Saga – “Eclipse” trailer.
Tip from this video: Create a film based on a hugely successful Young Adult novel and throw Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in the mix.

 

 

7. OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – Rube Goldberg Machine version.
Tip from this video: Take some music, some timing, and a huge Rube Goldberg machine. Mix, film, and film some more. This video took 60 takes over 2 days to create (after months of planning the machine). So my takeaways is patience, and lots of it!

 

 

6. Yosemitebear Mountain Giant Double Rainbow 1-8-10.
Tip from this video: Make interesting commentary when shooting a nature video. Without audio, this video would never have received this many views! But it does go to show, that anything … anything … can go viral!

 

 

5. Old Spice: The Man Your Man Could Smell Like.
Tip from this video: Have an amazing staff to create an advertising campaign with just enough sex-ay and just enough funn-ay.

 

 

4. Annoying Orange – Whazzup?
Tip from this video: Be annoying. A little creativity helps, but honestly – everyone (at least everyone under the age of eighteen) loves to watch and rewatch and send their friends annoying videos!

 

 

3. Greyson Chance singing “Paparazzi.”
Tip from this video: Sing. Amazingly well. Just sing.

 

 

2. Tik Tok Ke$ha Parody.
Tip from this video: Take a song that begs for a funny parody, and then film said parody.

 

 

1. YouTube bed intruder song.
Tip from this video: I don’t even know what to say here. This video went viral for a variety of reasons – it is catchy, controversial, and Antoine Dodson has been able to use the funds (he received 50% of the proceeds) to move his family to a better area and continue to speak out in support of rape victims. I’m not sure if this idea could even be replicated!

 

 

Okay, so most of these tips aren’t necessarily obtainable! In fact, going viral on YouTube isn’t easy or formulaic. It takes a lot of luck and patience. But you can help your video to go viral by:

• Producing quality content: Even if your video is meant to be amusing or simplistic, it should still be the best quality possible.
• Producing something of interest: By appealing to the masses you’re more apt to push your video in front of others.
• Promoting the video yourself: Push your video out to all of your social media contacts, and ask them to share it too.
• Tagging and titling your video: People can’t find your video if you don’t tag and title it properly! Use appropriate tags and a catchy title.

What other tips do you have for going viral?