There’s a great study just published on Media Post regarding online video viewing habits. Not including pre-roll or display ads, viewers have watched over 800 Million branded videos since 2011 began.

That’s a lot of views! The biggest reason behind that dramatic number? The rise of social video. Social media users spread what they find interesting, entertaining and awesome; and smart companies are doing their best to create branded content that falls into those sweet spots. So what characteristics do branded videos that spread the most have in common? Media Post did some digging and came out with these 4 pillars of popular videos:

• They don’t look like ads. Make your branded content feel less like a commercial and more like entertainment and it will be more apt to be viewed and shared. Take a look at the video above for Birdhouse to get an idea on how to walk this fine line.

• They engage the viewer. They’re funny or exciting or sexy. More importantly, they’re unpredictable and they lead us to watch them over and over, and spread on our social networks.

• They’re short. The videos that get views are under 2 minutes. Long enough to tell an interesting story, but short enough to keep attention.

• They’re viewable. The most successful videos generally are not just put up online and left to run. They have great media strategies behind them, and they’re accessible from all types of devices.

Keep these 4 guidelines in mind the next time you create an online branded video and you’re success rate and viewership should increase.