The Anatomy Of A Viral Fishing Video [Exclusive Review]

I have to imagine that I have spent more time watching, studying, and promoting viral fishing videos than almost any other person in America this year…

You see, I am the guy that sifts through every single fishing video you have ever seen on SaltStrong.com.

And trust me, I have to go through a TON of bad videos to get the 2-3 viral fishing videos that we post on our site every day… 7 days per week…

As you can imagine, after watching countless fishing videos, I have come to know what will usually get shared well… and just as importantly, what videos will not get shared…

Now even though I don’t hit a home run every single time with my video picks, the vast majority of the time I can pick out the videos that will go big, and I can pick out which ones will be a flop.

So in this post, I am going to reveal to you the secrets that I use to find the perfect viral fishing videos.

But first, let’s discuss what is NOT in the anatomy of a perfect viral fishing video….

Here are THREE things that can KILL a potential viral fishing video from going MEGA Viral…

1. A fishing video with someone cursing like a sailor

Tons of cursing can kill an amazing fishing video quicker than anything out there.

Why?

Because in order for something to go viral, it has to be SHARED… and no matter how many people in America curse on a daily basis, it doesn’t mean they want to share videos with tons of bad language (that remind them of how bad their potty-mouth is…)

Now this isn’t to say that fishing videos with tons of cursing (like the recent one of the Boston guy thinking he is looking at a “monstah” baby whale which was really an ocean sunfish) won’t get some shares and views, but it will rarely go crazy viral compared to had it been a clean video.

Here is “The Simple Rule” that is spot on pretty much every time: If a video is so inappropriate that you wouldn’t share it with your mom or grandmother, then it will never go mega viral.

So for all of you anglers that curse like a sailor, cut it out if you ever want your videos to go viral.

2. A fishing video that uses a hot girl to suck you in… when in reality the video has nothing to do with fishing except for a hot, bikini-clad girl(s) on a boat

No one likes being fooled… even guys that love nothing more than seeing hot, bikini-clad girls on a boat…

So when you see a thumbnail picture with a hot girl with a headline that talks about fishing… only to find out there is no real fishing that goes on, the chances of you sharing it with all of your friends is slim to none.

There is a time and place for everything, and using pictures of hot girls (most of the time that aren’t even in the actual video), just to get a click (like all of you click-bait spammers out there), you might get a bunch of clicks, but no one is going to share it (or trust you again).

So to all of your “Click Bait” Spammers in the Facebook Fishing Groups… No one appreciates your posts.

When in doubt, go back to The Simple Rule… if you wouldn’t share it with your mom or grandmother, it will never have the legs to go viral. And this rule includes the thumbnail picture just as much as the content in the video.

3. A fishing video that is over 10 minutes long

If you want to put everyone to sleep (including your dog), then try making a 10-minute or longer viral fishing video… it just won’t work.

In fact, I have only found a few viral fishing videos that are over 7 minutes long (our friend BlacktipH being one of the few that has pulled it off).

Why?

Well, when someone expects to see something “Viral”, they want it quick and to the point. Just think about what kind of videos usually get shared the most on social media. Are they short and to the point, or long and drawn out?

Short of course!

So if you have something you believe is viral, but it is part of a longer video, edit it out and create a 2nd video where people can share the viral fishing aspect of it.

Because trust me, they won’t make it through your entire video if it drags on (and watching someone reel in a fish for 10 minutes is not as fun for the audience as it was the person catching it, FYI).

Viral Fishing Videos

“The Secret Sauce”

In my experience, I have found that 99% of ALL Viral Fishing Videos boil down to one of these 4 things below that cause people to share the video (which is what must happen for something to go viral).

Here they are (in this order).

1. WOW Factor

The #1 thing that almost all viral fishing videos must have is a “WOW Factor”.

Meaning, there is something in the video that “wows” you so much that you are typing away as fast as you can to share it with your friends.

It can be something that like this dolphin vs snook video below that went crazy viral because it was something that we all know happens on a daily basis in the ocean, yet no one had really seen it captured on film before.

Dolphin Captures Big Snook On Film!

Or it can be something like this Tuna video that is nothing short of Unbelievable and full of WOW factor.

Diver Gets “RUN OVER” By Tuna In An Unbelievable Feeding Frenzy!

Finally, it could be this “3 in 1” spearfishing shot, that has a Wow factor because very few people in America have ever done this or seen this done before.

This Diver Has The Surprise Of His Life On The End Of His Spear After An Amazing Shot!

2) Real Factor

For a fishing video (or any video for that matter) to go “Viral”, it must be real and genuine.

You can’t just go out and create a viral video on the fly… viral videos usually always happen naturally.

Here is a great example of a video that went crazy viral in just the past 24 hours. I actually saw this last night at 11pm and it had a total of 8,200…

That was around the time it made it to the front page of reddit.com, and when I woke up in the morning, it had over 800,000 total views! All while I was sleeping!

Why did it do so well?

Because it was completely natural and real. You just can’t fake this kind of excitement in a kid.

Watch What This Contagiously Excited Girl Lands On Her Pink Barbie Rod.

3) Funny Factor

The funny factor ties in closely with #2 (Real Factor).

Meaning, if you are going to have a funny viral fishing video, it must be real and genuine…. it can’t be rehearsed and scripted.

It’s the reason that Bill Dance Bloopers do so well… they are real moments captured on film that everyone can laugh at and relate with.

Here is an amazing (and painful) example of a funny viral fishing video.

This Is What Happens When A Triggerfish Gets The Ultimate Revenge!

4) Pro Factor

The final type of viral fishing video that continues to do well are professionally done (short videos – usually under 5 minutes) that either tell an awesome story so well you feel inclined to share it with others, or that are filmed so over the top amazing that you are “Wow’d” into sharing.

For instance, when you finish watching a professionally done video and you say to yourself, “This could have been part of a real movie on the big screen it was done so well”, then you are on the right track.

Of course, the bad news is these types of videos take a budget and professional videographers.

Here are two examples of professional fishing videos that were shared like crazy.

Fishing In Our Soul – Official Music Video

And this AFTCO redfish video is another great professional video that took off.

BOOM! Now This Is How You Make A Redfish Video.

The Final Ingredients For Viral Fishing Videos

As you probably noticed, all FOUR of the viral fishing video ingredients above were related to the content in the actual fishing video.

But there are two final ingredients that play a MAJOR role in determining how viral a fishing video gets, yet have little to do with the content in the video.

#1 – The Headline

Without a decent headline, there is a good chance your viral fishing video might sit there collecting dust on YouTube…

I won’t preach on the importance of a headline except to say these points:

• Your video headline can’t be misleading or it won’t get shares
• It needs to grab their attention and interest
• It can’t be too short (very few viral videos are three words or less in the headline), while on the other hand, it can’t be a novel either (or they won’t read or watch the video).

#2 – The Thumbnail Picture

In this day and age where social media is all about pictures (because no one takes the time to read anymore), your thumbnail picture on your video is critical.

If the picture doesn’t grab some attention, then your chances of a click and a share go down drastically.

Couple of crucial points about thumbnail pictures

• It cannot be misleading. Meaning, whatever thumbnail picture that you use, it better be part of the actual video or a B-roll picture from the video
• Make sure it grabs attention. A great thing to do is keep note of social media posts that are going viral and that grab your attention. If they use a certain color, etc you can always try to emulate that.

Conclusion

As you have probably learned, creating a viral fishing video isn’t easy…

In fact, they are rarely planned (minus the exception of the Professional fishing videos where a lot of money and time are spent).

My best advice is to keep your videos clean of cursing, smut, and other inappropriate things…

Because the one rule that always seem to hold true about videos being shared: If a video is so inappropriate that you wouldn’t share it with your mom or grandmother, then it will never go mega viral.

Now get out there and create some great content!

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