USA Today has a robust social video operation across numerous channels and brands. This recent piece on their main channel proved to be an enormous hit. And a quick watch shows just why this piece was ready for viral success.

Have a look:

Released at the height of the Winter Olympics, this piece tapped directly into a major conversation that was ongoing. It leveraged interest in the Olympics but also offered something unique and funny for viewers.

Casting a voice into an ongoing conversation with an original, standout piece of content is a great way for brands and publishers to make a splash.

The light-hearted nature of the video is perfect for social. The footage is laugh-out-loud funny, playing off what may be the most unusual sport at the Winter Olympics – curling – as well as friends acting goofy and having fun.

This kind of funny, humanizing content goes a long way on social. It remains anchored to current events, yet serves as a nice break for viewers from the constant flood of news on their social feeds.

The square format is, of course, a big winner on Facebook, and the short run time falls right in the viral sweet spot between 30 seconds and one minute.

The story is told with overlay, which is kept short and succinct to provide just enough context to frame the gag. This video is all about the visual content, so special effort is made to ensure the overlays don’t distract from the graphics.

With over 6.3 million views, this hilarious video is a bona fide viral smash. The best practices used by the creators helped boost the odds of viral success, but more importantly, they assure that a video is as powerful on social as it can be – whether it is aimed at millions or just a core audience.

As ever, we look forward to more great videos from the crew at USA Today!