Since its creation in 2013, Vine has quickly become one of the most popular apps for short, often humorous, video entertainment. Vines are now commonly shared and reposted all over popular social media platforms. Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr are making a way for “Viners” to reach new heights of Internet celebrity.

Kyle Perry, a Drury University communication student, quickly took to the app as an outlet to share his comedic talent. Since creating his account, Perry has gained more than 200 followers and garnered thousands of views.

He shares some of his tips and tricks to gaining followers with just six seconds of video.

Be unexpected

Perry has made his mark on the Vine world in comedy. He says the best way to make a popular video is to be original and do something unexpected.

“My favorite type of comedic Vines is the ones that aren’t relatable at all,” he says. “They’re just sort of abstract and take the viewer by surprise. Like one of my own Vines where a male lactates after taking a stressful test. That’s weird. People dig that. It kind of takes people by surprise. That’s what gets people to share your Vines.”

Keep it simple

With only six seconds to make a mark on a viewer, it’s important to make sure every single moment is well thought out and adds value to the overall piece. Perry has found that with Vines, a little goes a long way.

“Simplicity always wins. Don’t try to make your Vines too complicated because you only have six seconds to do it. And those are precious six seconds. They should be filled with equally engaging visuals and audio. It’s all about laughs. Never forget that. Keep laughing.”

Use hashtags

Having a good Vine is important, but getting it seen is vital to its success. Perry suggests using the app’s own features as a way to increase your Vine’s visibility.

“One trick that really gets your Vines attention is hashtags. You can put your Vines in different categories, like music, dance, or, like I did, comedy. That will allow other people to see your Vine in the comedy feed. It’s very useful.”

Make the format fit

Vine has a specific format, and it’s important that all your videos adhere to it. That’s the most efficient way to make the best quality Vines.

“Often times, I’ll make my Vines with videos I took on the regular camera app,” Perry says. “But that’s dangerous because you’ll have to think of it fitting into a square. The root of a Vine (is) you have to think in squares. You have to think in patterns that will repeat in a loop. So if you’re doing music in a Vine, you have to be careful. Also the comedy has to be short, quick, and easy to grasp.”

Know your audience

Being successful on Vine is highly dependent on the audience. One way to make sure that you are creating content that viewers want to see is to analyze their reactions.

Perry has found that his work with the Drury Difference Improv Troupe has been a good way to test run his jokes and gauge audience reaction.

“Here on Drury’s campus, we are very blessed to have an improv troupe,” he says. “That is one way that I like to express my comedic talents to a live audience, which is something I don’t get to see with my Vines. There I get to see the audience’s reaction and feedback on what my comedy provides them. That’s the most important thing. You want to make your viewers happy. Improv has been a really valuable outlet.”

Don’t quit

Perry says that it can be slow-going at first, but persistence is key to making it on Vine.

“The Vine world is very gnarly, let me tell you. It’s a rough pack out there,” he says. “You have a lot of competition. But in a crazy world like that, you just have to keep putting yourself out there, selling yourself as a comedian, and sharing your comedy with the world. That’s all there is to it.”