We just spent a week analyzing every aspect of viral short-form videos to reverse-engineer what makes them successful.

Why This Matters

We're developing ViralPredict—a feature that predicts your video's performance before posting, based on over 50 data points. Our current accuracy rate? 73%!

In other words, when ViralPredict estimates your video will receive 57,400–95,700 views, you can trust that prediction. No more disappointing 100-300 view counts.

In this post, I'll share our key findings from analyzing 118,584 short-form videos, along with actionable steps you can implement immediately. This analysis cost us $14,455 and a week of intensive work—but the insights are worth it.

1. Most Successful Niches

Surprisingly, the most viral content doesn't come from typical niches like "Fitness," "Relationships," or "Make Money." While these categories can succeed, they're oversaturated.

Instead, our analysis showed these niches performing exceptionally well:

• Science

• History

• Food

Why? These topics have:

• Less competition

• Huge, diverse audiences

• Universal appeal (engaging for both children and seniors)

  
  

Applying This to Your Content

Even if you're in B2B or highly specialized fields, you can succeed by:

1. Making your ideas relatable to average viewers

2. Explaining concepts simply enough for both children and seniors to understand

   
   

Example Applications:

Science Niche:

• Topic: "How Clean Can We Make Polluted River Water?"

• Execution: Video

• Universal understanding: ✓

• Mass appeal: ✓

  
  

History Niche:

• Topic: "Why Do We Really Celebrate Easter?"

• Execution: Video

• Universal understanding: ✓

• Mass appeal: ✓

  
  

2. Most Effective Content Types

Our analysis revealed that videos featuring well-known elements averaged 983,000 views—2.66 times the overall average.

Top 3 performing content types:

1. Well-known figures, facts & events

2. Trends & news

3. Stories

The common thread? They all leverage subjects with existing audience interest and recognition.

3. Key Viral Factors

Our analysis identified four primary factors that significantly influence video performance:

1. Entertainment Value

   • Include humor

   • Use engaging language

   • Incorporate appropriate jokes

2. Novelty

   • Present original ideas

   • Or offer fresh perspectives on viral concepts

3. Story Structure

   • Create emotional journeys

   • Include clear arcs with ups and downs

4. "South Park" Storytelling Method

   • Use "but" and "therefore" instead of "and" then"

   • Example:

     • Weak: "I went to get groceries and saw LazyLines and fell in love"

     • Strong: "I went to get groceries but I saw LazyLines therefore I fell in love"

4. Power of Combined Factors

The most successful videos combine multiple high-impact factors. For instance, pairing high novelty with South Park storytelling creates a multiplier effect on engagement.

5. Implementation Strategy

For optimal results:

1. Start with the highest-impact factors

2. Gradually incorporate additional elements

3. Test different combinations to find what works best for your content