Virool.com is a company that makes its money from getting your YouTube videos extra views. The way it works is fairly straightforward; you make an account; you set your budget; you decide how much you are willing to pay per view; you select your demographic; you wait for the views to stack up. Once you’ve done your part Virool will place your video on various blogs/sites that best suit your demographic, and split your money with the blog/website.
The idea is a good one and it seems like everyone is a winner, and if you read the reviews it does seem like the majority of the time the clients are more than happy with what Virool has done for them. Overall I was impressed with Virool but here are my pros and cons.
Pros
The setup and process is really straightforward. The website has been designed well and I can’t see how people would struggle to navigate it. You can have your account and campaign up and running within 10 minutes and start seeing your video receiving views shortly after that. When it’s up and running you can then see where your audience is on an easily understandable dashboard.
You can start a campaign from $10 which is nothing at all in comparison with other companies that are doing a similar thing. There is no maximum budget demonstrating that this site aims to please all, from the broke musician to the corporate CEO. However I feel like for $10, a campaign isn’t likely to go too far and someone paying the minimum amount shouldn’t be looking for a monetary gain. On the other hand the $10 campaign might give a video with potential that much needed push into the public eye.
It’s growing everyday so the client experience can only be improving. More and more publishers want to make money from hosting client’s videos upping the chances of your video getting attention. With more publishers to choose from Virool will be able improve the placement of videos being able to choose the right website for a niche video.
Cons
Unfortunately Virool only supports YouTube videos at the moment which means there is a quite a few high traffic websites out there that won’t be able to host your video. This may not be a problem for potential clients as YouTube is definitely the front runner in terms of web videos. However it all depends on the content of your video.
Campaigns are pretty short lived. Although you can set up a campaign for $10, the majority of people would be better off investing a bit more money into the campaign. Users will find that the $10 campaign doesn’t last very long as the views rack up quickly. This could be seen as a bonus for the business though, as your video will be getting the views you want in moments. On the flip side of that there is the chance that your video will get seen but not really ‘watched’, a lot of videos pop up on the internet and sometimes it requires more than one watch for a person to really take it in.
At the moment the demographic targeting is a work in progress. Some sites provide more information about visitors than others so it’s not always as accurate as you’d like. You may find your video on a site that might not really meet your expectations, but again that depends on the video. If you’re content is obscure or abstract then you’re going to have a harder time finding the right site than you would with a more mainstream video.
Summary
Overall I’d recommend Virool. There is definitely some edges that need to be smoothed out but the minor problems it has are the ones that are likely to be resolved as the business progresses. It’s a relatively young business though and it’s definitely innovative and I can see it becoming a major advertising tool in years to come.
Don’t take our word for it! You can test Virool for yourself with these free $10 coupons we got our hands on. We only have a limited number available so only the first 20 people to use the coupon will be able to take advantage of the free $10 in Virool credit. After you’ve signed up for free, press the “make payment button” and select the “coupon” tab. Enter checkoutvirool and enjoy $10 in free credit!