The Drivers of Video Popularity on YouTube: An Empirical Investigation

In this article, we present and test a model of drivers for video post popularity on YouTube. In this conceptual model, video characteristics such as linguistics style, subjectivity, emotion polarity and video category influence online video popularity on YouTube (i.e. the number of likes, dislikes, and comments). The results of the analysis of more than 11,000 videos from 150 digital influencers show that not all factors that help to boost the number of likes have a similar effect on the number of comments - or the number of dislikes. In summary, medium-length and long videos posted during non-business hours, using analytical/informative content and subjective language style, are more likely to receive likes and comments. Moreover, the use of negative or moderate emotion helps to promote a general interest in the video.