Would you like to become a local celebrity in just a few short hours? Would you like to be able to walk into an interview and be asked “Are you THE (insert name here)?”
Well you’re in the right place.
Hi, I’m Kyle Strobel, you may recognize my name, but we’ll get into why later. You are about to gain access to my, patent-pending, 10-step process that launched me to fame on Facebook, and beyond.
Step 1: Have a camera phone.
We’re a visual people. An image or video is a key part of quickly gaining fame. But you need to be ready to act on a moments notice, and carrying a clumsy big ol’ expensive camera around isn’t going to let you do that. Also, time is of the essence. The material needs to be able to be dispersed the moment it is taken, so being on a phone is crucial. I used an iPhone 5s, but you can use any camera phone you’d like!
Step 2: Have an email address.
Trust me on this one.
Step 3: Be in a window passenger seat as you drive past a bank robber driving on the wrong side of a busy highway attempting to evade dozens of police cars, also on the wrong side of the highway, and film it landscape with your camera phone.
This step is your bread and butter, if you don’t have this then you’re wasting your time. My chase took place on I-270 near St. Louis, but yours can happen anywhere! It’s important to know that your story doesn’t have to be exactly the same as mine in order to achieve the same level of exposure, there’s some wiggle room for you. For example, the perpetrator could have been driving a blue sedan instead of a brown van.
Step 4: Send the videos you took to your friend with your last bar of service and have him send them to local news outlets for you.
Nobody is a one-person show, we all need help sometimes. For my accomplice, I chose a friend who is working towards a business major, because I knew I could trust his email abilities to disperse the material properly. He sent it to every news outlet in St. Louis. None offered compensation, but the knowledge that we were providing a service to the public was reward enough. I left cell coverage, and hoped that I made the right choice for my partner.
Step 5: Return to cell service 3-4 hours later and discover your video has been posted by Fox2Now and has over 200 thousand views.
As soon as I returned to service it became immediately apparent that I made the right choice for my partner. A flood of hundreds of texts and notifications poured into my phone. That many was more than usual for a few hours, so I knew it must be connected to the news story.
Sure enough, the video had been posted: https://www.facebook.com/FOX2Now/videos/10154190032169228/?pnref=story
A lot of the messages were friends and family peppering me with messages ranging from queries to incredulousness to congratulations. Others were editors or correspondents asking for details. However, my favorite direct messages were from random people. Some asking about the scenario, but curiously enough most were congratulating me on the camera work. The overwhelming support for the way in which the video was shot was incredible. In fact, it was so prevalent that is seemed people cared more about that than the actual story surrounding the video.
Step 6: Call your parents.
You may be on your way to fame, but don’t forget where you came from.
Step 7: Peruse the hundreds of supportive comments as the view count climbs.
Few things can equal the joy received from reading seemingly endless friendly, supportive comments aimed directly towards you on the internet. That’s right, friendly, supportive comments on the internet. I’m as shocked that I can write that sentence as you are to read it. Enjoy a selection of my favorites from my video:
I couldn’t agree more, Nikki.
Gene’s got the right idea too.
The people deserve landscape, Ben, I’m just doing my duty.
It sounds like everyone wins!
Read the blog to find out, Mr. Stewart.
Why thank you, Roxanna!
I’m happy to have facilitated this record setting moment!
But only #80’s kids… ruh roh
And who can forget this healthy debate about its relevance to the popular video game Grand Theft Auto.
Step 8: Now, with the video summiting the 500 thousand view mark, discover an article on Jalopnik about your video written that same day.
This was a surprise step, like when you’re carrying something and can’t see the stairs and think you’re done but then there’s one step left, but a required step nonetheless. As you might expect by now, the article is not so much about the chase itself, but the camera work.
http://jalopnik.com/make-eye-contact-with-a-bank-robber-running-from-the-co-1775015866
I’ll be lenient here, having your 3rd party article be on Jalopnik every time isn’t completely realistic. So for you, it can be posted to BuzzFeed or Gawker instead and still experience similar results.
Step 9: Receive emails from an ABC editor in New York and an Associated Press representative in Chicago asking for the footage.
I told you to trust me on the email thing. How would they have reached you if you didn’t have an email? This will be the moment when you know you’re reaching the top. You’ve left the local sphere and are hitting the national stage. Who cares if they never used the videos, or if they did, that they garnered little attention? It’s the thought that counts. They wanted you to be in the national spotlight, so in some ways you were, right?
Step 10: Bask in your meteoric rise to fame
This process has worked 100% of the time so far, so it will for you too. If you followed all my steps in order, you have now joined the ranks of people with famous viral videos. There’s really no way around it, thanks to Facebook your video will now have over 850 thousand views and your viral video fame has been solidified. Enjoy the top, champ, you’ve earned it.
