In the world of online video, the term “viral” gets thrown around a lot. But what does it really mean for a video to go viral, and how many views does a video need to be considered viral? Here we’ll examine what makes a video spread rapidly across the internet, look at view thresholds used to define viral videos, and highlight some examples of viral sensations.
What makes a video go viral?
For a video to be deemed “viral,” it needs to spread quickly and widely across the internet via social sharing. Some key factors that can fuel a video’s viral spread include:
- Having highly shareable content – Videos with funny, shocking, relatable or creative concepts tend to get shared more.
- Eliciting strong emotions – Content that makes people laugh, cry, cheer, or feel outraged or inspired often spreads further.
- Featuring current topics/themes – Videos about viral trends and challenges or timely news stories can ride the wave of popularity.
- Including clickbait headlines/thumbnails – Using exaggerated or mystery titles and preview images prompt clicks.
- Leveraging influencers/celebrities – Videos spread further when shared by accounts with big followings.
- Paid promotion – Budgets to promote videos via ads and influencers help reach a wider audience faster.
- Algorithms favoring engagement – Platforms like YouTube recommend viral videos more, fueling further views.
- Striking while hot – Capitalizing quickly when a video starts trending multiplies the spread.
While the specific formula for virality is hard to pin down, a viral video generally succeeds in getting people to watch it, like it, comment on it, and share it across their networks. The most viral videos generate tens to hundreds of millions of views as they get rapidly passed around the internet.
View thresholds used to define viral videos
There aren’t any absolute view count thresholds that officially denote a video as “viral,” but there are some general benchmarks that get used:
- 1 million+ views – For a standard YouTube creator, a video hitting 1 million views is considered performing very well and approaching viral levels.
- 10 million+ views – Most marketing and media professionals would agree a 10 million+ view video has clearly gone viral.
- 50-100 million+ views – Once view counts rise above 50-100 million, a video has achieved a mainstream level of viral spread and awareness.
- 1 billion+ views – In rare cases, a video achieves this extraordinary elite viral status. These are the biggest viral video phenomena on the planet.
Of course, context matters too. For a massive celebrity or global brand with hundreds of millions of followers, a video getting 1-2 million views may not be viral for their standards. But that same view count would be massively viral for a smaller independent creator.
Factors that influence how many views a viral video gets
Not all viral videos reach the same view counts. Some barely cross the viral threshold, while others explode to billions of watches. The scale of views a viral video achieves depends on factors like:
- Who originally shared it – Videos from major celebs/brands can instantly tap into their follower base.
- How rapidly it spread – Quickly piggybacking on trending stories/memes accelerates sharing.
- How broadly it appealed – Having universal interest/emotions boosts views versus niche topics.
- Platform strategy – Optimizing titles, descriptions, and thumbnails for each platform.
- Paid amplification – Promoting videos via ads and influencers drives more views.
- Virality window – Striking while a topic is trending yields more views.
- Compelling retention – Length, pacing and engagement keeps people watching longer.
Mastering these factors allows some viral videos to be viewed over a billion times, while others fizzle out at 10 million views or less even though they went “viral.”
Notable examples of viral videos
To illustrate the view count spectrum, here are some top examples of videos that achieved varying degrees of viral spread:
| Video Title | Views |
|---|---|
| Charlie bit my finger | 927 million |
| Pen Pineapple Apple Pen | 277 million |
| David After Dentist | 142 million |
| Chocolate Rain | 122 million |
| Dramatic Chipmunk | 65 million |
As this sample illustrates, viral videos can range from just tens of millions of views on the low end to approaching 1 billion views on the extremely high end.
How many YouTube views equals going viral?
Given YouTube’s dominance as the top online video platform, view thresholds for what constitutes a viral video on YouTube specifically are worth examining:
- 100,000+ views – This is considered strong initial traction and marker of potential virality for newer YouTube videos.
- 1+ million views – Any video hitting 1 million views on YouTube has crossed into viral territory.
- 10+ million views – This view count indicates a highly viral YouTube video that has broken out of niche audiences.
- 50-100+ million views – Videos at this elite view range have hit mainstream viral status on YouTube.
- 1+ billion views – Only the absolute biggest viral sensations in YouTube’s history reach 1 billion views.
But as noted before, the context of who published the video also matters. A massive brand getting 1 million YouTube views isn’t necessarily viral for them. But a small creator hitting that same 1 million mark would be going tremendously viral.
How many TikTok views equals viral?
On the massively popular short-form video app TikTok, scale of viewership is generally smaller than YouTube. Here are some TikTok view thresholds used for gauging virality:
- 100,000+ views – For a regular user, crossing 100,000 views represents strong initial traction on TikTok.
- 500,000+ views – At this point a TikTok is becoming noticeably viral compared to most videos.
- 1+ million views – Any video hitting 1+ million views has gone unequivocally viral on TikTok.
- 5+ million views – Past 5 million views is reserved for the biggest viral hits on the platform.
- 10-50+ million views – Mega viral TikTok sensations at this view range capture mainstream attention.
As with YouTube, larger accounts with millions of existing followers will have higher thresholds for what view counts they need to be considered as going viral. Smaller independent creators can go viral on TikTok with view counts under 1 million views.
How many Facebook views equals viral?
On the world’s largest social network Facebook, here are some general viral video view benchmarks:
- 100,000+ views – For regular accounts and pages, crossing 100,000 views represents strong initial traction.
- 500,000+ views – At this point a Facebook video is showing signs of spurring organic sharing and virality.
- 1+ million views – Videos that hit 1 million views have usually benefited from viral distribution on Facebook.
- 5+ million views – Past 5 million views, a video has clearly resonated widely and tapped into viral interest.
- 10+ million views – This view count indicates a massively viral video on Facebook in terms of organic reach.
Viral distribution dynamics can vary greatly between different pages/accounts based on number of existing followers. But as a rule of thumb, independent creators going viral will likely see lower view thresholds than celebrities and brands with built-in audiences.
How many Instagram views equals viral?
On the photo and short video-focused platform Instagram, the bar for virality is measured at these levels:
- 100,000+ views – Crossing 100k views shows strong initial traction for an Instagram video post.
- 500,000+ views – At this point a video is displaying signs of organic viral interest on Instagram.
- 1+ million views – Any Instagram video getting 1 million+ views has benefited from viral social sharing.
- 5+ million views – Past 5 million views signals a massively viral video on Instagram.
- 10+ million+ views – This elite view count means a video has hit mainstream viral status.
As with other platforms, the existing follower size of the account posting videos impacts virality thresholds. But for everyday users, crossing 1 million views on Instagram usually correlates with benefitting from viral distribution.
Viral video view count benchmarks for major platforms
To summarize, here are the general viral video view benchmarks across some top platforms:
| Platform | Views | Viral Status |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | 1+ million | Clear virality |
| YouTube | 10+ million | Mainstream virality |
| TikTok | 500,000+ | Gaining virality |
| TikTok | 5+ million | Massive virality |
| 1+ million | Benefited from virality | |
| 10+ million | Extreme virality | |
| 500,000+ | Showing viral traction | |
| 5+ million | Massive virality |
Conclusion
In summary, while there aren’t any absolute view count thresholds that formally define a video as “viral,” benchmarks ranging from 500,000 views on the low end to 50-100 million views on the extremely high end are often used by media and marketing professionals to characterize virality based on a video’s platform and context. But in general, a video hitting 1 million views clearly signals that some degree of viral distribution has taken place across most platforms. Yet viral video success ultimately depends on much more than just view counts. The ability to drive sharing, engagement, and buzz around a video is what truly makes something spread virally through online social networks.