How to Create Viral Videos for Under $200

One common misconception of creating viral videos is that it needs to be expensive. In reality, your whole project can be launched for under $200. Justin Bieber, the teen pop star, started his claim to fame from his bedroom with an inexpensive camera. Today most of his videos have tens of millions of views.

So how do you create viral videos for under $200?

==> The Video Camera

Today, for as little as $100, you can get a high definition camera that shoots decent video. It's not professional grade, but if your actual content is good, many web visitors will be willing to overlook that.

Take a trip to Best Buy or Costco, or check out price comparison sites online.

Also don't forget that many smartphones today have cameras that are more than sufficient to record high quality video. For example, the iPhone 4's 4 megapixel camera can produce videos that are definitely good enough for online viewing.

==> Shooting the Video

Your video is best shot with a friend. Trying to shoot yourself on video, while possible, is quite difficult.

Experiment with different camera angles to see what looks best. You'll often have to do multiple takes to get something right. Don't be surprised if a one-hour video takes you all day to shoot.

==> Editing Your Video

There are many different ways you can edit your video for free.

To start with, use iMovie or Windows Live Movie Maker if it came with your operating system. Though they won't have special effects or color correcting options, you'll be able to do most of your basic edits.

If your operating system didn't come with a video editing program, there are several good free options you can download online.

==> Rendering Your Video

Finally, once you've shot your videos and edited your video, the last step is to render your video.

Rendering refers to the last part of the editing process where you actually create your new video file. Generally you'll want to create a small sized, decent quality video rather than a large high quality video.

YouTube will re-render your video to a smaller size anyway once you upload it.
==> Distributing Your Video

There are several online video distribution services - some paid, some free - that'll submit your video to a number of different video hosting sites.

Sure, YouTube definitely has the most traffic. But many other sites, like Dailymotion, Metacafe and others still have quite a bit of following. Getting your video on those sites as well can really increase your exposure.

At this point, you've bought an inexpensive camera, recorded your video, edited it for free and uploaded it to one or more video distribution sites. If your video is good and has viral potential, it might just take off. Best of all? You've spent less than $200 on the whole process.