We all would like our video or ideas to go viral. But most of what we would like people to spread virally is just not of interest to a wide public. Baby eagles are viral. Or more accurate, live baby eagles are viral. 
(http://www.raptorresource.org/falcon_cams/index.html)
Have you heard of the Decorah eagle cam? If not, you will. My wife was watching the Decorah eagles live on her computer while I was watching MSNBC in the other room. It was Sunday at 7:50 am. 70,000 people were also watching the Decorah eagles. MSNBC ran a story about the eagle cam and in just a few minutes, the number of people watching the eagles live on computer increased to 104,000. Now that is viral.
What can we learn about this? Viral video must be:
- Unique (there is only one eagle cam with babies)
- Look Behind the Curtain (someone’s life, birds in a nest, dorm room, surgery)
- Go Beyond Expected (Decorah eagle cam is live, 24/7 for days on end)
- Utilize Traditional Media to Push Viewers (MSNBC’s story pushed the viewers by 34,000 on a Sunday morning)
- Eagle Effect (This is that unknown quality that makes something incredibly compelling. I don’t know what it is but babies, puppies, Lady Gaga and now eagles have it.)
I do believe one of the reasons this cam is so compelling is that it is live with sound: You hear geese in the background and the chirps of the little newborn eagles. Viral doesn’t guarantee financial success, but a commercial now airs before you can watch the eagle cam. Time for your viral video to fly.
