How You Can Be the Next Chewbacca Facebook Sensation

3 min read
Jun 1, 2016 9:30:00 AM

By now, you have heard about or seen the infamous “Chewbacca mom” viral video. If not, please take a minute to watch it. (Also, if not, where have you been?!) I guarantee you will laugh. Seriously, Candace Payne has an infectious laugh.

Within 24 hours of posting the video, it had 77 million views; three days later it had surpassed 100 million. This video of a woman sitting in her car after purchasing a Chewbacca mask has become one of the fastest growing viral videos in history.

Chewbacca mom facebook sensation

So, why did this hit such a nerve and how can you be the next Facebook Live sensation?

Going Live

First things first. This video was created and posted suing Facebook Live, the social media goliath’s latest way to encourage people to post—and view—more videos. “Live” videos offer an authenticity often lacking in today’s filter- and production-obsessed image market. The ease of just pressing record and sharing offers spontaneity without worry.

A recent post by Ethan Kurzweil and Ben Mathews on Recode mused, “Did Payne think these elements [content and production value] through before she started streaming her Chewbacca mask rapture? Probably not—and that’s the point. Live yields authenticity, the true currency for any viral video.

It doesn’t even matter that most people did not watch the video live—it is still being shared and streamed—it is the fact that it was created live that matters. And the fact that Facebook is surging as a video platform by making it so easy to create and disseminate video content quickly. Facebook is set to surpass YouTube, Periscope, Snapchat, and the like for video creation.

Going Viral

Some videos just have an “it” factor that people respond to. The videos that go viral seem to trigger an emotional response with viewers, whether it be happy, sad, scared, or shock. I believe that the Chewbacca mom video struck a chord due to its simplicity and innocence. We can all identify with wanting to feel like a kid again laughing at the simple joys in life; especially in a time when people are more stressed out than ever, it feels good to see someone so happy and just laugh! So, authenticity, honesty, and raw emotion are critical to getting shared. People don’t respond to “staged” content the same way they do to spontaneity.

A little over a year ago (before Chewbacca mom), Huffington Post wrote a post about how to go viral citing persistence and consistency as two of the biggest success factors. While this particular video may have truly been an overnight sensation, most of the time, there is a lot more effort going on behind the scenes to spread viral videos. You have to pitch and promote your videos tirelessly and hope that you strike the right chord with the right audience at the right time.

Internet Immortality

According to Huffington Post, “Going viral and mastering social media are not easy things to do. The web is full of Internet sensations and a graveyard for wannabe-Internet sensations. The good news is that it’s never been easier for messages to get read, shared and distributed since individuals have become the media in many ways. You know that an engaged following can lead to massive opportunities, but you’ll have to work at it just like every other Internet sensation has.” Facebook Live is seeking to harness this idea, enticing users to jump on the video bandwagon.

Becoming a viral video sensation is equal parts content and luck. That does not mean make one video and hope for the best; it means continue making relevant videos, share them with appropriate audience (either targeted or wide-range, depending on the subject matter), and promote them through social media. And, if you get frustrated, just go get a Chewbacca mask and have a good laugh.

For help getting your videos to go viral, download this complimentary guide to social media marketing.

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