Everyone steals ideas.
That shot you saw in the movie, that idea you heard somewhere, that product that solves a problem, even this newsletter.
Most creators draw inspiration from which they create something new.
There is no shame in that.
So, here are some Viral YouTube title , thumbnail and Instagram reel that you can take inspirations from.
Founder CEO Shares All The Books That Helped Build $100M Empire
Title framework: [designation] shares all the [tools] that helped (make something specific / desired end result)
Why this works:
- Social proof — Viewers would trust this video more because of the fact that the tools had already lead to real results (“$100M Empire”)
They would also trust this because it is coming from an expert in the field (like “CEO”)
- Curiosity — comparison of the books in the thumbnail.
The books that he says not to read are very well known and popular in his niche.
This creates an question in peoples mind as to why he chose to ditch these books.
Especially those who have read it (and there are many who have)
- Desire — The audience of this video would love to build businesses or are already working on their businesses.
They would also love the knowledge that he has to share so that they can apply it.
Examples for title:
- Web Designer Shares all the AI Tools that Helped Sell ₹25k Websites
- Gym owner Shares all the Books that Helped Get More Memberships
- Photographer Shares all the Gears that Helped Click Stunning Portraits
- Google SDE Shares all the Courses that Helped Him Get the Job
Now let us look at a viral Instagram reel and break it down to see why it went viral.
“How do you Master Cinematography?”
Now lets look at an Instagram reel: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3faZsARNLs
Hook framework: How do you Master [a skill]?
This hooks works because it is to a specific audience, and it is simple easy to understand
He has also used ‘show, not tell‘ tactics in the video, meaning he conveys his message through actions rather than words.
Show, not tell is simply very effective in any form of video.
And actions such as putting on a cloth or makeup or even just walking can make the video interesting and grab people’s attention.
Reason to Watch: “With just static shots at home“
After hooks get people’s attention, he says why this video is so important for people watching it.
He does this by giving a reason to watch the entire video after the hook.
Story Telling:
He has a secondary storyline that he uses to show the concepts he wants to convey (the story of his relationship with someone).
Show, not tell
Giving the viewer another reason to watch the video.
Technical Brilliance:
Perfect colour correction and colour grading, excellent choice of music to fit the mood, shots progressions according to the music
These technical aspects make it hard to take your eye off of this one.
I think, this all comes from a brilliantly written script (that is where it all starts).
Fast Paced editing:
In the first 5 seconds itself there are 3 different shots.
And every other 2-3 seconds he has a new shot.
Loop Ending:
The ending is kind of sudden, and it is flawlessly connected to the start of the video to make a looping effect.
This increases the average watch time and replays of the reel.
That is it for this week, if you found this helpful, here is the previous letter.
-Sayar