“Can You Guess The Disney Princess By Her Final Lines?”
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Even without looking at this article’s headline, plenty of students would be able to identify the question as the name of a BuzzFeed quiz. Self-described as "The Media Company for the Social Age,” BuzzFeed has attained success from the enduring appeal of its articles, quizzes, videos and social media savvy.
BuzzFeed has mastered the art of garnering more clicks. With shocking and hilarious article titles, the site draws in readers looking for adventure. One of its tamer quizzes of this variety assures people even before they’ve taken the quiz, “We Know Whether You Prefer Your Toilet Paper Over Or Under.”
Anyone browsing the site will notice that BuzzFeed generally keeps its text short and sweet. Photos, gifs and memes dominate articles. BuzzFeed has correctly guessed that readers have pitifully short attention spans.
What makes BuzzFeed so appealing is the relatability of its content, as it targets specific demographics with article titles ranging from “Which ‘Friends’ Character Is Actually The Best?” to “27 Signs You Were Raised By Asian Immigrant Parents.” The company understands that readers who connect to this content not only enjoy themselves more but are also more likely to share it with friends over social media.
BuzzFeed links abound on sites like Facebook, and BuzzFeed has seemingly dissected every mechanism behind sharing. In an interview with Wired, BuzzFeed publisher Dao Nguyen noted that women share more than men, so BuzzFeed targets female-dominated social networks like Pinterest.
YouTube, another platform with a large female presence, has become the center stage of BuzzFeed’s video publications, reaching millions of viewers each week.
An array of thumbnails with brightly colored backgrounds and Photoshopped faces lines BuzzFeed Motion Picture’s YouTube homepage. Its design carries the same aesthetic as its website content; both generate an obnoxiously bright and tacky vibe.
Divided into six different YouTube channels, each with its own theme like lifestyle and technology, BuzzFeed videos in total often reach 1 billion views per month. The driving force behind the popularity is its massive outflow of content and its skill in playing to emotions.
For instance, one popular series on BuzzFeed Central, “The Try Guys,” follows four spunky, slightly nerdy young men. As the title suggests, every week the foursome explore unusual, awkward social situations. In one video that has garnered over 9.5 million views, the “Try Guys” try on a mock pregnancy suit, complete with a water-weighted stomach. In the 5-minute episode, the guys clumsily parade in heels, attempt to sleep and perform everyday chores with immense difficulty.
Each BuzzFeed channel uploads three to four videos each day, totaling to around 30 every week. Despite the large amount of content, BuzzFeed Motion Pictures consists of only a 40-person production team.
Instead of separating the team into writers, directors, camera people and editors, one person writes, shoots, directs and edits each short video. The narrow division of labor gives rise to videos infused with personal passion.
To maintain its standing as one of the fastest-growing video publishers, BuzzFeed has developed its work systematically with the analysis of data as its foundation and center. The pre-production phase starts with an assessment of popular trends and Internet topics. The subjects chosen strive to create a “unit of conversation,” according to Andrew Gauthier, the executive producer of BuzzFeed Video.
This “unit of conversation” is meant to include pieces of truth that others can relate to. For instance, the two minute and nine second video titled “13 Things Only Siblings Understand” follows a brother and sister duo and their banter with one another.
The opening scene depicts the two situated comfortably on a sofa; though no words pass between them, they seem to demonstrate an unspoken communication. The perceived closeness of this sibling relationship has earned the video numerous shares and more than 7 million views.
When developing storylines, Gauthier said that BuzzFeed employees “want viewers to say, ‘That’s so me’ and really see themselves in the characters.”
Relatability has allowed BuzzFeed’s once budding empire to blossom into what it is today: a shoulder to cry on, a buddy to laugh with, a community that emphasizes commonality and a medium that engages, inspires and entertains. So, if their question is “Can You Guess The Disney Princess By Her Final Lines?” the answer is perhaps. But the people behind BuzzFeed have caught your attention, and they’re determined not to let it go.