The premise seems easy enough: Launch a hot story – preferably video – on your publication's Web site, link it to YouTube and maybe send the URL to Twitter or del.icio.us, and watch your traffic grow exponentially! After all, it worked for Tay Zonday, Jessica Rose and Miss Teen South Carolina.

I'm often asked by journalists for tips on how to make their content "go viral." They ask about using certain metadata, or special algorithms or keywords. But the fact is that there is no checklist to follow, and no one silver bullet. Below, I've compiled a list of common viral video tips and myths.

Myth: If my organization posts lots of comments on our video, that will help it go viral.
Fact: It's hard to disguise fake comments. I've seen people upload a video, then post as many as 50 comments right away. How do I know that? Because on most systems, comments are time stamped...and what's the likelihood that 50 people just happened to find that particular video and post 50 comments in rapid succession? Comments alone aren't what you're after – it's participation. So instead, send around your video to people that you know personally and ask them to comment. Invite the good and the bad, because what you're aiming for is a discussion. A lively comments section will likely bring other people in to see your video, and if you've enabled sharing/embedding, they'll likely send your content out to their own networks.

Myth: If I post my video to YouTube and send the link to all of the listservs/social networks I'm on, people will start to share it with their friends.
Fact: I would never tell you not to toot your own horn, especially if it's for a body of fantastic work. But there's a difference between letting a few folks know about your project and spamming the universe with the link to your Web site. Telling people you have a great new video or that you're trying to make it go viral will likely deliver you the opposite of what you're seeking. If you produce great content and make it accessible, the viral process will happen organically. Word of mouth is the single best way to get your content shared around the web.

Myth: I need to add del.iciou.us and digg links/icons to every video so that people will share it.
Fact: There are so many sharing tools available – digg, fark, sphere, stumble – that you can't just rely on one to help other people find your content. On the other hand, if you offer a dozen or more tools, some people may not use any at all. A new digital sharing tool launches every day and distracts us from what we already use. Rather than rely on the same sharing tools as everyone else, why not determine which ones your audience is most likely to use? For example, reddit tends to be more popular with the techie crowd, while StumbleUpon is being used by folks with broad interests.

Myth: There's a certain algorithm, and if we use it we'll rise to the top of Google/YouTube's search page!
Fact: Nope. There's no secret code, and no company has developed a sure-fire way to land your content at the top of search results. If you write a compelling headline, optimize your video's thumbnail views and kept your video short enough to be viewed online in one sitting, and make it easy as pie for people to share and embed your content, that's a start in the right direction.

Myth: We're going to release a series of videos, one per day, and that will bring lots of traffic to our site.
Fact: If you've produced a series of great episodes, forcing users to wait a day or more will only frustrate them – and they may never come back. Building in a waiting period won't necessarily create buzz or cause upcoming episodes to go viral. The old model of serialized storytelling that works so well in print doesn't necessarily translate online. Post all of your videos at once.

Myth: If we use every related tag we can think of, the maximum number of people will see our video. Fact: Adding too many tags to your video will ensure that it isn't indexed properly. If I'm trying to find a how-to on fixing the air conditioner in my car, and your coverage of the Indy 500 comes up, I'm probably not going to click on it. Worse, if you tag your video with Indy and 500, you may be indexed along with clips from Indiana Jones or the Indianapolis Colts. And that's just on YouTube. You'll have more problems at Everyzing, Odeo and other video aggregating/ search sites. Instead, choose the most appropriate tags for your content – help your users, don't distract them.