20:32Grow with Alex · Tutorial
You're Making Carousels Wrong (Fix in 3 Easy Steps)
A 20-minute design system walkthrough that proves your carousels fail at the cover, not the content — and fixes it in three locked-in decisions.
June 8thThe argument in one line.
Reverse-engineering the exact structure of a proven viral video is the fastest path to making one yourself -- the only rule is that you add at least one element that makes it yours.
Read if. Skip if.
READ IF YOU ARE…
- You want to start an Instagram or TikTok theme page and need a concrete editing workflow, not theory.
- You have seen the motivational-speech-over-cinematic-b-roll reel format go viral and want to know exactly how it is made in CapCut.
- You are already posting reels but getting low engagement and suspect your editing is holding you back.
- You run a faceless account and need a repeatable production process that does not require being on camera.
SKIP IF…
- You already know CapCut well and are looking for advanced color grading or motion graphics -- this is beginner-to-intermediate.
- You want platform growth strategy beyond editing; this video is purely a production tutorial.
The full version, fast.
The bymaximise-style viral reel works because it pairs an emotionally resonant speech clip with cinematic movie/TV b-roll inside a distinctive rounded black border frame, then syncs word-by-word captions in a sliding pyramid layout. The creator walks through 14 steps in CapCut: find a proven outlier video, source its speech audio, cut straight to the emotional climax, build the mask frame using stock materials, source b-roll from Pinterest, add captions with Europa font, apply the mirror-eye text effect for a premium touch, and add ambient sound effects per scene. The one differentiator between accounts that go viral and those that stay generic: committing to a single consistent visual identity instead of mixing fonts, colors, and effects.
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00:00 – 00:40
01 · Hook -- viral proof
Three phone mockups showing viral reels with millions of plays; promise to walk through the full process A to Z with no gatekeeping.
00:40 – 01:36
02 · Important info -- find outliers
Do not overcomplicate or reinvent the wheel; find outlier posts on proven accounts to use as a reference. Shows ofluminary Instagram page with one post at 11M plays.
01:36 – 02:15
03 · Bonus -- 150K-like example
Shows a second reference video with 150K likes that will be used as the uniqueness benchmark for standing out from the crowd.
02:15 – 02:46
04 · Analyze the reference
Watches the reference reel together, identifying its four key elements: cinematic b-roll, animations + text, unique black border, powerful speech as narrative.
02:46 – 03:47
05 · Step 1 -- Find your source clip
Three methods to find the original speech: check caption credits, search comments, Google a sentence from the speech.
03:47 – 05:10
06 · Steps 2-4 -- Import, cut to climax, remove silences
Drag footage to CapCut timeline; cut out buildup and anticlimax to protect retention; extract audio and remove silence gaps.
05:10 – 06:55
07 · Steps 5-6 -- Source b-roll from Pinterest
Use Pinterest as the primary b-roll source; use a Pinterest Downloader to grab 6-7 clips; ChatGPT can help generate search terms.
06:55 – 08:10
08 · Steps 7-9 -- Build the rounded black border frame
In CapCut: Stock Materials > black screen > drag to timeline > Mask > Rectangle > adjust curve > Reverse. Center main footage inside mask.
08:10 – 09:27
09 · Steps 10-11 -- Add b-roll and follow reference structure
Cut main footage at b-roll swap points; keep reference video on the same timeline as a guide; build the story by placing Pinterest clips where relevant.
09:27 – 10:48
10 · Steps 11-12 -- Captions and mirror-eye effect
Add captions with Europa font in sliding pyramid word-sync layout; mirror-eye bonus: remove background > custom removal > brush around eye > layer text beneath.
10:48 – 11:40
11 · Steps 13-14 -- Color grade and ambient audio
Color grade to preference (vivid filter used); soft light blend mode for text effect; add scene-matched ambient sounds (waves, nature).
11:40 – 13:16
12 · Bonus -- biggest mistakes and differentiation
Final result preview. Four biggest mistakes: too many fonts, too much colored text, too many text effects, lack of unique filters. Stand-out strategy: pick one consistent visual identity.
Lines worth screenshotting.
- Cutting straight to the emotional climax of a speech -- skipping the buildup -- is the single biggest retention lever in this format.
- Pinterest is a more reliable b-roll source for cinematic clips than stock video sites because it aggregates content that already trends visually.
- Keeping a reference video on the same CapCut timeline as your edit removes the guesswork of where to make cuts and when to add b-roll.
- The rounded-border frame is built in three moves: black screen from stock materials, rectangle mask, then the Reverse button -- not a preset.
- Word-level caption sync in a sliding pyramid layout -- one word per text clip, timed to the speaker -- is what separates premium motivational reels from amateur ones.
- The mirror-eye effect (text layered inside a de-backgrounded close-up of an eye) costs 90 seconds in CapCut and is what most viewers notice and remember.
- Too many fonts, too much colored text, and too many text effects are the three specific reasons most creators in this format fail to build a recognizable brand.
- An account that picks one consistent element -- a color palette, an anime aesthetic, a font -- and repeats it across every video is more memorable than one that executes individual videos better.
- Ambient sound effects matching each b-roll scene add perceived production value most competitors skip.
- Removing silences from the extracted audio track is a retention tool: a flowing, pause-free speech keeps watch time higher than a naturally paced one.
- ChatGPT is useful for generating Pinterest search terms when you cannot describe the b-roll vibe you want.
- A like-to-view ratio above 3% on a 13-minute tutorial indicates the content delivers on its promise without padding.
One proven reference video is worth more than ten creative ideas.
WHAT TO LEARN
The fastest way to make a viral reel is not to invent a new format but to dissect an existing hit and rebuild it with one element that belongs only to you.
- Find the single outlier post on an inspiration account -- the one that dramatically outperforms the rest -- and treat that as your template, not the average.
- Cutting straight to the emotional climax of a speech, removing buildup and silence, is the most direct intervention for improving retention on this format.
- Pinterest is a consistently underused b-roll source for cinematic clips; downloading 6-7 clips per video gives enough material to match the reference structure without repetition.
- Keeping the reference video on the same editing timeline as your own work removes the guesswork of cut timing, b-roll placement, and caption sync.
- The rounded black border frame is a three-step mask operation -- black stock screen, rectangle mask, Reverse -- not a filter or preset, which is why most imitators get it wrong.
- Word-level caption sync in a sliding pyramid layout is what separates the top-performing accounts in this style from the ones that blend in.
- Picking one consistent visual element -- a color, a font, an aesthetic like anime or Spider-Man imagery -- and using it across every video is how a faceless account becomes recognizable.
- The four editing mistakes that kill differentiation: too many fonts, too much colored text, too many text effects, and no unique filter.
- A detail like the mirror-eye text effect costs 90 seconds in CapCut and signals effort to viewers -- effort is a trust signal that increases the probability of a like or save.
- Ambient sound effects matched to b-roll scenes add a layer of sensory immersion that most creators in this format skip entirely.
Terms worth knowing.
- bymaximise style
- A short-form video format popularized by the account bymaximise: motivational speech audio set over cinematic movie or TV b-roll, with word-pop captions and a distinctive rounded black border frame.
- theme page
- A faceless social media account built around a topic or aesthetic rather than a personal brand -- the owner never appears on camera and sources content from other creators or stock media.
- outlier
- A post that dramatically outperforms the average on a given account, used as a benchmark for identifying what content style is worth replicating.
- b-roll
- Supplementary footage cut over the primary audio track; in this format, cinematic clips from movies, TV shows, or Pinterest animations that illustrate the speech emotionally.
- mask (CapCut)
- A CapCut feature that crops a layer into a defined shape; the rectangle mask with rounded corners and the Reverse function creates the signature black-border frame of this reel style.
- sliding pyramid
- A caption layout where each word appears individually, timed precisely to the speaker, creating a staggered visual rhythm rather than full-sentence subtitles.
- compound clip
- A CapCut function that merges multiple layers into a single clip, enabling blend mode effects like Soft Light to be applied to a text layer as though it were video.
- Pinterest Downloader
- A third-party web tool that allows downloading individual videos and animations from Pinterest URLs, used here as the primary b-roll sourcing method.
Things they pointed at.
04:10toolAfter Effects
Lines you could clip.
03:37
“Go straight to the climax because this is gonna keep retention high, and it is going to help you go viral.”
00:23
“Just remember me when you are a 100k followers.”
12:42
“If one of the elements of your videos was that you use anime and you always have purple and white text color, this makes you unique. This goes a long, long way when it comes to being remembered and building a brand.”
Word for word.
Read-along
Don't just watch it. Burn it in.
See every word as it's spoken — crank it to 2× and still catch all of it. The same dual-channel trick behind Amazon's Kindle + Audible.
analogystory
00:00These types of videos have been going super viral recently on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube shorts, allowing accounts to skyrocket their followers and engagement.
00:10Now whether you are a theme page, a personal brand, or a business, if you're able to incorporate this style of content into your strategy, it's still early and you can profit massively. Just remember me when you're a 100 k followers.
00:26Now this reel right here got over 1,500,000 likes. Yes.
00:311,500,000 likes. And we're about to do the same.
00:35Now I'm about to walk you through the whole process from a to zed. No gatekeeping. It's important for us to not complicate the process, especially when we're trying a new editing style.
00:45So we want to use what's already out there and proven to inspire us. Avoid reinventing the wheel.
00:52This can come later. What you want to do is find outliers, best performing posts on accounts.
00:59I will be also sharing how to make your videos unique exactly like this video, which has gained over 150,000 likes so that you can stand out from everyone else creating these videos. For the purpose of this video, we're gonna use this page right here as our inspiration.
01:15They've done really well. 70 posts, a 150,000 followers.
01:19And, basically, we're gonna do the same. So we're gonna go look through their reels, and we're just gonna kind of see, you know, what's performed well. Straight away, you can see seventy, fifty, 40, then boom, 11,000,000.
01:30So we're gonna press that one. We are going to recreate this video, but not a 100% the same, but we're going to basically try to incorporate every single element that they've done. And it's important for us to analyze content so that we understand why it's doing well.
01:45So let's actually watch this video together. To all of you watching here, come close to the screen and listen.
01:52People don't have to like you. So in this video, there are a lot of great elements, you know, beautiful images from movies and TV shows, great animations and text that feels natural to the overall style of the video, and they also created a unique black border that you don't usually see on Instagram. But most importantly, they used a powerful speech as the narrative to drive the video forward.
02:15This is key to grabbing a viewer's attention, and it also is motivational, and a lot of people will save and share this video with friends and family. So how can we replicate this? Make sure you stick around until the end as I'll be giving some free resources to help you improve your videos even more.
02:31Let's begin our process, finding your source clip. This part is simple, and usually I will do this in three different ways. The first is by checking if there is a credit in the caption of your chosen video which you want to replicate.
02:46Number two is if there is nothing there, you check the comments. Often people will ask here and get a response. And then finally, if there is a sentence being said by a speaker, you can type this in Google, and it should let you know straight away.
03:01Next up, simply put this footage into your editing software. So for the purpose of this video, we're going to be using CapCut. I'll have a bonus at the end of this video showing you how to do certain styles of text with AE, which is After Effects, but we'll also be doing that in CapCut.
03:17So drag your footage into your timeline. So now you just wanna cut the clip. So this speech was longer than the actual speech used in the video.
03:26So you want to use the length that you kind of need, you know, try to avoid any buildups or any anticlimax parts. Go straight to the climax because this is gonna keep retention high, and it's going to help you go viral.
03:38The next thing is to remove any silences. So we've basically separated our footage with our audio footage. So we've extracted our audio, and now we want to remove any kind of silences so that the video is flowing super smooth.
03:52This will help retention and increase watch time. And it's really simple on most editing software.
03:58You'll be able to see kind of the dips in the graph on the extraction where there's kind of the silences, and you basically wanna cut there and kind of drag them forward, make some changes that way. It shouldn't really take you that long.
04:10The next thing is actually finding our videos that we're going to use as b roll. Now most of these accounts right now, and I've said this before about a year ago or longer, you can use Pinterest for this. Pinterest is so so useful.
04:25You can find animations. You can find all different types of kind of content, and it's super simple. Find a Pinterest downloader, download, you know, six, seven different clips that you think suit the video, and that's it.
04:38You can even use ChatGPT to give you ideas. When you've downloaded all of these, drag them over to CapCut so they're ready when you need them. Now this is where the magic happens where we get that frame with the curved edges.
04:50This is how you do it on CapCut. So what you want to do is go to the left on your CapCut where it says stock materials, and you should see kind of a black screen.
05:01You want to drag that into your timeline. Make it fit the size of your screen, then head over to mask.
05:08Once you hit mask, press the rectangle option. And from here, you basically create the mask. So if you see, you know, you see these kind of squares with curved edges, you want to get it to the sides you want.
05:19So you have a lot of freedom here. If you don't wanna do it like that and do a different style, you can. But this is how you do this exact style.
05:26Then you want to press the reverse button, which is in the top right of the mask section, and there you have it. And now it's a matter of kind of playing with your main footage to be in the center of this mask at all times.
05:39Now what you want to do is cut the main footage into where you think we should add clips. Okay?
05:46So and one thing I want to say is, you know, we're editing being inspired by this other video, which got 1,500,000 likes. What we actually do is download that video and have it on your timeline as well. At this point, you wanna see how they've done it, you know, where they've made the cuts, where they've added b roll, etcetera, and you want to basically follow that pattern.
06:08Now this is where the magic starts to happen, and we start to add the clips that we use from Pinterest, you know, and start adding it to our timeline. And you can see it's already starting to take shape.
06:18You know, this process, I'm going to speed up for the purpose of this video, but essentially, you want to start placing it where you think it's relevant, etcetera, and really start to build that story.
06:28Remember, as I said in the previous point, you know, having the reference next to you on the timeline will help you to kind of give you ideas. Remember, it's not about just copying it. You can add your own ideas and etcetera, but the cuts, etcetera, can be useful for you.
06:42Now the next thing to do is your auto captions or captions. If you have the Canva Pro, you can use auto captions. If you don't, then you'll have to do it manually.
06:52Either way, you will have to do some manual work, so it doesn't really matter too much. The audio caption is gonna make it slightly easier. So we're using the Europa font.
07:00You know, this is a matter of preference. It's completely down to your creativity. For the text, it's important for us to actually separate each word manually, And you kind of wanna do it in this order like this where it's in kind of this sync, almost like a sliding pyramid so that basically the words pop up, you know, as she says it.
07:22And, as I said, the reference clip is gonna be so so useful. It's gonna make your life so much easier instead of a guessing game, you know, in terms of when they've added potentially the cuts or the added the words, etcetera. So, yeah, just kind of with this, use that to get inspiration how they do it with the placement.
07:42You know, once you kind of get this strategy, you know, for the first time you do this, it might take you a bit longer. You might think, uh, but remember this got 1,500,000 likes. But my point is is once you start to understand how to do this, it becomes easier and easier.
07:55So right now, it looks a bit difficult, but it takes time, but it's worth it. So, you know, remember the reference is gonna help you with the placement. So this is down to preference or to your reference.
08:06There was a scene where the mirror or the word mirror was in the person's eye, and it looks really, really cool. Let me show you how to actually do that on Capcom. So I've got my actual eye right here.
08:17What you want to do is go to remove background and go to custom removal and go to the kind of one where you can do it yourself. And you just wanna basically with your mouse go around the eye.
08:30And then you want to press apply and obviously have the text there as a layer already. You know, these kind of little things you might not think matter, but, you know, people respect it.
08:40You know, when they see quality, when they see effort, it's more likely for people to get a like. You don't need to do this on every video, but it helps, and it's part of that kind of strategy. You've seen these viral video hooks going off everywhere on Instagram and other platforms.
08:56Well, if you want access to a folder full of hooks that you can start using in your videos, here's what you want to do. Head over to my Instagram, which will be in the description of this video.
09:06Make sure you press follow and DM me hooks, and I will send you a folder with hooks. And also stick around on Instagram as I'll be sharing a lot of valuable content on there that you might not see on my YouTube channel. The link will be in the description of this video.
09:23In regards to color grade, you know, this is really down to preference. Some pages are black and white. Some of them are super vivid.
09:30Some of them are super sharp. Like, this is completely down to your creativity. For us in this video, we use this vivid one right here.
09:37This is how you get that special effect on the text on Capcom. Click on the text layer, create compound clip, go to the blend mode, and select soft light.
09:50If you want to also know how to do this text style using After Effects, I've uploaded a short tutorial on my Discord, the free resource section.
10:02So just head over to there, and it's going to be raw. There won't be me speaking. That's in the YouTube videos, but it will show you how to also do it in After Effects if that's something of interest.
10:12Something that is good worth doing sometimes is also reducing, like, the background noise. And for this, press the audio, go to basic, press this button right here, which is reduced noise. Now the next thing and one difference that we're making to the one that went super viral is adding background audio.
10:31So, essentially, what we're going to try is by using CapCut, we're going to use and add a bunch of kind of audios which match the scenery. You know, when there's waves, we'll add an audio of kind of a wave.
10:44You know, small things like that just take it to another level. So even, you know, once there's like the scene with the butterflies, etcetera, we can add an audio of kind of, you know, nature sounds.
10:54And it just adds a bit more to the video. And this again can be applied to any niche, you know, when you add the b roll and you can see all the different ones that we actually end up adding to our timeline.
11:07If you're using a different software, you know, lots of the free kind of stock video websites also offer free stock music or effects. Here is how the video looks after we've put it all together.
11:20To all of you watching here, come close to the screen and listen. People don't have to like you. People don't have to love you.
11:30They don't even have to respect you. When you look in the mirror, you better love what you see.
11:38Here is the bonus as promised. This video right here got 150,000 likes.
11:45They have done a great job in standing out. A big mistake I see people make right now with this style of content and even editing in general is this. Too many fonts, too much colored text, too many text effects, and a lack of unique filters on their video.
12:00In an already competitive market, you should be trying to find ways to stand out and be unique. But, Alex, how do you actually do this? An example in this case is clearly people love anime or Spider Man.
12:12If one of the elements of your videos was that you use anime and you always have purple and white text color, This makes you unique. This goes a long, long way when it comes to being remembered and building a brand.
12:24In our Discord, we have multiple people who are going viral with this style of content right now. And if you want to join my newsletter, which is full of value, all you need to do is follow the link in the description.
12:38You'll get access to my weekly newsletter, which is full of value, and also my Discord where we do video reviews and other things. If you want to go deeper into how to grow your Instagram profile, like warming up your account on all of those elements, which can also be applied to YouTube and TikTok, make sure you watch this video right here.
12:58It will give you everything you need to actually do well and better than probably 99% of courses that are paid for out there. Some of you are going to change your life from watching a few of my videos, and that's exactly why I'm here.
13:13Let's grow.
The Hook
The bait, then the rug-pull.
The video opens on three phone mockups side by side -- a Formula 1 driver, a motivational speech clip, Stan Lee -- each one already viral, each one built from the same template. Before Alex says a word, the proof is on screen.
Named ideas worth stealing.
00:56model
Outlier-first content research
Before creating anything, find the single post that massively outperforms the average on a target account -- that is the template to reverse-engineer, not the average post.
Steal forAny content niche where you want a repeatable starting point without guessing
06:07concept
Reference-on-timeline editing
Download the reference video and place it directly on the CapCut timeline alongside your edit so you can mirror its cut timing, b-roll placement, and caption sync without guesswork.
Steal forAny format-replication editing project
02:10list
Four-element viral reel anatomy
- Cinematic b-roll from movies/TV shows
- Animations and natural-feeling text
- Unique black border frame
- Powerful speech as the narrative driver
The four components identified in the 1.5M-like reference video that together explain its performance.
Steal forEvaluating or building any motivational/inspirational reel
11:57list
Biggest mistakes list
- Too many fonts
- Too much colored text
- Too many text effects
- Lack of unique filters
The four editing errors that prevent accounts in this format from standing out and building a recognizable brand.
Steal forEditing self-audit for any short-form account
How they asked for the click.
VERBAL ASK
08:49newsletter
“Head over to my Instagram, press follow and DM me hooks, and I will send you a folder with hooks.”
Mid-video DM-for-resource CTA -- low friction, builds Instagram following and creates direct message conversation. Repeated offer to join Discord/newsletter at the end.
MENTIONED ON CAMERA
FROM THE DESCRIPTION
PRIMARY CTAWhere the creator wants you to go next.
AFFILIATECommission earned if you click.
OTHER LINKSAlso linked in the description.
Visual structure at a glance.
