Much can be learned from the mass of highly successful viral videos that populate YouTube and other online communities. What makes these videos great is that they capture trends, stances and emotions and express them in a creative and entertaining manner.
By contrast, after recently spending a good 60 minutes on YouTube looking at nonprofit videos, it was like watching public access TV. Most were at least six minutes long and about as fresh as a canned PSA from the 1960s. Most had been viewed by about 12 people-about the number of staff at the nonprofits in question.
Learn to follow some of basic rules of the YouTube world:
1.) Be authentic.
2.) Be homemade.
3.) Be original.
4.) Let someone else have the camera-a supporter, a beneficiary, whomever.
5.) Give up control-let that someone else say what they want.
6.) Give people a reason to watch and something easy to do.
