SXSW ’14: Funny or Die Tells How to Make Videos that Get Noticed

Being fast, funny, and topical is critical to humorous video site Funny or Die, so its staff has learned plenty about creating videos that capture the internet's attention. At a South by Southwest panel titled "How to Win the Internet in 60 Minutes," five members of the FOD team passed along lessons they've learned.

Keep it Loose and Fun

Each Funny or Die week starts with a Monday morning brainstorming session where the team looks for current stories and plans how to respond to them. The FOD team held a sample session on stage to show how they kick around and develop ideas. The lesson was clear: If companies want to create fun videos, they need to have a good time thinking them up. Keep a playful atmosphere and the ideas will flow.

Become Part of Larger Stories

One smart way to attract attention to a video is to play off stories already in the news. When Shia LaBeouf rented an art gallery in Los Angeles to personally apologize to fans, Funny or Die rented the gallery next door and got Jerry O'Connell to do the same thing.

Check the Expiration Date

Playing off current news and trends is a smart way to build buzz, but remember that most online stories have a shelf life. Don't be the last guest at the party.

Contests Are Smart Ways to Generate Content

Joining forces with the muscles from Brussels, Funny or Die created original Jean Claude Van Damme green screen clips and invited fans to use them in an original video, with prizes for the best ones. The contest created several excellent videos, and the team found video makers who would make good hires.

Always Be Open to Video Ideas

One Funny or Die staffer revealed that she found a great idea for a video series while listening to her hairdresser recap an episode of "Game of Thrones." When you're in a creative frame of mind, great ideas can come at any time. Be receptive to them.

Don't Think You Need a Big Budget

Online video doesn't have to be expensive. In fact, a low-budget look is often a plus. While Funny or Die now has the resources to shoot on location, the team still does most of its work within a few blocks of the office. They prefer to hold costs down and keep an unpolished look.

Play

Funny or Die recently created an elaborate stunt where it pretended that hoverboards like those in Back to the Future 2 had been invented. Rather than posting the videos on their own site, the team created a dedicated site to make it look real. The stunt fooled a lot of people and generated a lot of conversation. Keep in mind that there's no risk to online video. As the FOD team said, if an online video is bad no one watches it. Take some chances and don't worry about failure.

Track Social Media

While the Funny or Die team has a lot of fun in its work, it takes social media seriously. Monitor all social platforms to find where and when your content gets the best response, then use that knowledge to better promote your videos.

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net