When YouTube doesn't work...

This is not a post about the technical issues that occassionally beset the world's biggest video sharing site. I'm going to discuss why, given the vast quantity of daily traffic, it is still possible to upload videos to YouTube that get little or no views.

In the last two years I've uploaded literally hundreds of videos to YouTube. The most viewed has near-on a million views, the least viewed probably has five! This becomes an issue when you're uploading for a corporate channel, an issue that is compounded because in that instance you are usually just one cog in the wheel - and, inevitably, not the final decision maker.

Is it surprising that videos not made for YouTube often don't play well on YouTube? It shouldn't be. YouTube is a video hosting site, but it also blends mere technical functionality with social media capability and it's that aspect that drives the viral video successes.

What constitutes 'made for YouTube'? Here's a quick, non-exhaustive check list...

1: Be direct- speak to your viewer
2: Be conversational
3: Be brief - 5 minutes is ok, 3 minutes is better
4: Be topical - is anyone interested in what you're talking about?
5: Be tactical - be creative in how you tag, title and make responses