Modern Creator
Chris Chung · YouTube

Steal This 13.7M View Formula That Makes Any Topic Go Viral

A 36-minute teardown of one 13.7M-view science reel, broken into five repeatable parts: jagged pacing, a curiosity hook, a high-TAM idea, stacked super hooks and net new value.

Posted
3 months ago
Duration
Format
Tutorial
educational
Views
852
26 likes
Big Idea

The argument in one line.

Educational short-form goes viral when every line earns the next one: open a curiosity gap on a universal topic, prove why you're worth hearing, then deliver an insight the viewer has never heard and can use today.

Who This Is For

Read if. Skip if.

READ IF YOU ARE…
  • You make educational reels or Shorts and your hooks keep getting skipped even though the information in the video is good.
  • You've downloaded hook-template swipe files, tried them, and watched them flop without knowing why.
  • You have no big results to brag about yet and need another way to give viewers a reason to trust you in the first seconds.
  • You script your short-form videos and suspect your delivery sounds flat but can't tell what's wrong with the script itself.
SKIP IF…
  • You make pure entertainment, comedy or vlog content; the whole framework assumes an educational video with an insight to deliver.
  • You want editing, captions or posting-schedule advice; this is about script structure only.
  • You already study hook psychology closely; the curiosity-gap and credibility material will feel familiar, and the pacing trick and the primer are the newest parts.
TL;DR

The full version, fast.

A reel about whether people see color the same way hit 13.7M views because it stacks five script choices, not luck. Its sentence lengths vary so the delivery has rhythm. It opens with a curiosity hook ('if you've ever wondered') instead of stating something the viewer already knows. The topic applies to nearly everyone, so the total addressable market is huge. It drops three credibility lines (scientific understanding, 'I used to do research on this', a research lab) so you trust the speaker. And the payoff is net new value: non-obvious and usable right away. The practical recipe is to state a common belief in your niche, contradict it with 'but', widen the topic to more people, open with one result, effort or research credential, and only teach what the viewer hasn't heard.

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Chapters

Where the time goes.

00:00 – 00:53

01 · Cold open: the reel, annotated

The 13.7M-view color-perception reel plays with the speaker naming each device as it happens: curiosity hook, research credibility, open loop, trimmed dead space, non-obvious take.

00:53 – 02:25

02 · Pace and rhythm

The reel's transcript on one slide shows sentence endings forming a jagged line. A script whose lines all end at the same width sounds monotone.

02:25 – 09:20

03 · The curiosity hook

Why curiosity matters on Instagram (nobody is there to learn, scrolling at 50 mph, you ignore what you know), why hook templates decay, the curiosity gap, and good versus bad hook examples including the speaker's own flop.

09:20 – 11:26

04 · The curiosity formula

State a common belief in your niche, then contradict it with 'but'. Framed as a principle that keeps working where copied templates stop.

11:26 – 17:10

05 · High-TAM idea

We only engage with what's relevant to us, so every label in a hook excludes someone. Examples of broad topics, and a basketball ladder from low to high TAM.

17:10 – 26:30

06 · Super hooks

The reel's three credibility lines, why viewers need a reason to trust you, case-study stacking examples, and the three super hook types: result, effort, research.

26:30 – 33:55

07 · Net new value

Traditional value is dead because AI gives personalized answers. Value now has to be non-obvious and highly tactical, shown through the primer, the high-performer interview question, and the jagged-line test.

33:55 – 36:14

08 · Recap and next video

All five parts mapped back onto the reel, then a pointer to the speaker's 100K Personal Brand Plan video.

Atomic Insights

Lines worth screenshotting.

  • If the end of every sentence in your script lines up at the same width, your delivery will sound monotone; vary sentence length until the right edge looks jagged.
  • Nobody opens Instagram to learn, so an educational reel has to win attention with curiosity before it can teach anything.
  • Hook templates stop working once they become common, because viewers learn to scroll past the phrases everyone uses.
  • Opening with a fact the viewer already knows, like 'sleeping more is good', closes the curiosity gap in one sentence and gives them no reason to stay.
  • The only job of each line in a short-form script is to earn the next line.
  • A reliable curiosity formula: state a common belief in your niche, then contradict it with the word 'but'.
  • Leading with a result ('I got 1,200 leads') adds credibility but creates no curiosity, which is why the speaker's own example stalled around 5,000 views.
  • Every audience label you put in the hook, like 'men over 50' or 'creators', tells everyone outside that label to scroll.
  • Widening a topic from 'how to dunk off your left leg' to 'how to play basketball' grows the pool of people who think the video is for them.
  • Viewers silently ask 'why should I listen to you?' in the first seconds, and a super hook answers it.
  • If you don't have results yet, an effort super hook ('I spent six weeks learning French') earns trust because effort is universally respected.
  • Citing Harvard, Google or 'current scientific understanding' lets you borrow credibility you haven't built yourself.
  • Generic listicle value is dead because anyone can ask AI for a better answer tailored to their own situation.
  • Net new value has two tests: the viewer has likely never heard it, and they can use it today.
  • A mid-video line like 'genetic code is only one reason' works as a re-hook, because the viewer now wants the other reasons.
Takeaway

Every line has to earn the next one

WHAT TO LEARN

A viral educational reel is five script decisions stacked in order: rhythm, a curiosity gap, a universal topic, a reason to trust you, and an insight nobody has handed the viewer before.

02Pace and rhythm
  • Look at where each sentence ends in your script; if the right edge is straight, rewrite with mixed short and long lines before you record.
  • Trimming dead air between lines keeps pace high, so the reel never gives the thumb a pause to start scrolling.
03The curiosity hook
  • People on Instagram aren't there to learn, so your first line has to create a question before any teaching can land.
  • Opening with something the viewer already knows closes the gap instantly; open with the unanswered part instead.
  • Copied hook templates decay as they spread, so learn why a hook works rather than memorizing the wording.
04The curiosity formula
  • State a belief your niche commonly holds, then contradict it with 'but' to create curiosity on any topic.
  • Hold back the payoff: name the thing (three lines, five articles) without revealing it so the viewer stays for the next line.
05High-TAM idea
  • Each audience label in a hook excludes everyone outside it, so only narrow the audience when that is the point.
  • Widen the topic step by step, from a niche skill to the basic version of it, when you want the most people to care.
  • Small-TAM videos still have a place; pick the scope based on whether the goal is reach or reaching a specific buyer.
06Super hooks
  • Answer 'why should I listen to you?' in the first seconds, ideally more than once through the script.
  • Use a result if you have one, effort if you don't (hours spent, videos studied), or cite a recognized institution's research.
  • Stacking several short case studies in a row is a fast way to turn a bold promise into something believable.
07Net new value
  • Generic tips lose to AI answers tailored to the viewer, so share only what they likely haven't heard and can use today.
  • A primer line framing the info as secret, risky, costly or entrusted to the viewer raises curiosity before the payoff.
  • Mid-video phrases like 'only one reason' open a fresh question and carry viewers into the second half.
08Recap and next video
  • The five parts work as a checklist: rhythm, curiosity, broad topic, credibility, and a non-obvious usable insight, in that order.
Glossary

Terms worth knowing.

Curiosity gap
The distance between what a viewer already knows and what they want to know. A hook works when it opens that gap without closing it in the same sentence.
TAM (total addressable market)
In content, the share of all viewers who feel a topic applies to them. A universal topic like how we see color has a high TAM; a niche skill has a low one.
Super hook
A line early in a video that gives the viewer a reason to trust the speaker, based on results achieved, effort invested, or borrowed research credibility.
Net new value
Content insight that is both non-obvious (the viewer hasn't heard it before) and highly tactical (they can act on it right away), as opposed to generic tips anyone could get from a search or chatbot.
Pace and rhythm (jagged line test)
A scripting check where you look at where each sentence ends on the page. A ragged right edge means varied sentence lengths and lively delivery; a straight edge predicts a flat, monotone read.
Primer
A second line that frames the coming information as forbidden, secret, costly, or entrusted to the viewer, which raises curiosity before the payoff.
Re-hook
A line partway through a video that opens a new open question so viewers keep watching the second half.
Quantum catch
A vision-science measure of how much light a given type of color-detecting cell absorbs, used to model how different eyes perceive colors.
Resources

Things they pointed at.

21:32channelAlex Hormozi, 'How to get so rich you question the meaning of making money' (4.4M views)
35:47linkThe 100K Personal Brand Plan (the speaker's own video)
Quotables

Lines you could clip.

04:30
“Tactics only work when they're not common knowledge. Once a tactic becomes common, everyone uses it, everyone is aware of it, it loses its power.”
standalone contrarian claim about hook templates→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote
07:20
“The purpose of each line is to just get to the next line.”
one-sentence scriptwriting rule→ newsletter pull-quote↗ Tweet quote
10:00
“First you want to state a common belief and then you just want to contradict it. And the easiest way to contradict it is just to use the word but.”
complete, usable formula in two sentences→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote
12:15
“Men over 50 years old, this workout is going to get you a killer body. Guess who's instantly scrolling? Women.”
concrete example with a punchline→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote
22:30
“Here's how to get six pack abs, but then I'm this fat guy that doesn't have it and I have zero credibility. You're just going to scroll.”
self-deprecating illustration of the credibility problem→ IG reel cold open↗ Tweet quote
27:20
“Traditional value is dead.”
three-word thesis, provocative→ TikTok hook↗ Tweet quote
28:49
“Anything that is obvious is dead.”
short, quotable rule→ newsletter pull-quote↗ Tweet quote
The Script

Word for word.

Read-along

Don't just watch it. Burn it in.

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metaphoranalogystory
There are five things that make this video get 13 .7 million views. We're going to break that down now so you can do the same. If you've ever wondered.
Curiosity hook. Whether other people see color the same way as you. Ideas seeing color, huge tam.
According to current scientific understanding. Leverages research for credibility so you listen. The percent chance that anyone else sees color the same way as you is essentially zero.
Closes loop. We all see colors differently and I used to do research on this so I'll tell you why. Opens new loop.
I used to work in a research lab. Super hook so you know she's legit. Doing something called a quantum catch.
The name piques curiosity. Where we would take the genotype of the color -detecting cells in different monkeys' eyes, and then we could map on a color plot how they would perceive fruits in the rainforest. And you could see...
She trims all dead space between lines to maximize pace. Humans are the same way. And genetic code is only one reason the color of your eye, like brown versus blue, can also change how you see color.
But the real reason this has 13 .7 million views is because she shared a non -obvious take. You got a dopamine hit because you can relate, but I've never heard it said that way. So this...
full breakdown look at this emily's reel did 13 .7 million views 13 .8 with 754 000 likes so the first thing i want you to notice is that pace and rhythm and this is her entire transcript you don't even need to read it but i just want you to look at the end sentences right so if we connect the dots between the end of each sentence it should draw this jagged line so it's a long line if i even extended this even further it would even go much longer right so it would be a long line medium line long medium short short medium medium longer so you see how it draws this like jagged line that is how you create pace and rhythm within your script this is because like if your line looks exactly just straight down like let me see let me show you if your line look like this i'm just gonna do 90.
if your script looked like this where every single line the end it meets like right here and everything just crosses straight dragon line that is how you're going to get this monotone delivery because every line sounds the exact same so what you always want to do is make sure to Even if you don't have pace and rhythm, just make sure the end of the lines look jagged.
That way you're going to have pace and rhythm. So that's the first thing I wanted you to share. The next thing, which we're going to get right into the script, is what I call curiosity to hook, right?
So her first line starts off with, if you've ever wondered whether other people see color the same way as you. Super crucial. The reason is because if you've ever wondered, that instantly...
creates a question in your head every time you know and you know when even when you were young when you're talking about like have you ever wondered or when you're talking with friends it's like hey you ever think about that like whenever we're asked to like if you've ever wondered it instantly freezes your brain you're like okay what am i wondering about it creates curiosity right and then her next part is whether other people see color the same way as you so i'm gonna break that down further down the line but i'm gonna first talk about why curiosity is important right So whenever you're on Instagram, no one is ever looking to learn on Instagram, including you, right?
You're on Instagram to be entertained. Now you might be on YouTube trying to learn. So you might search up a video that says like, how do I make the best performing Instagram reels?
Or how can I learn science or math or whatever you're interested in, right? You watch like 40 or 50 minute long videos teaching you. specific skills in order to apply and learn.
But that's not what you're doing on Instagram. You're just scrolling and doom scrolling, probably on bed at night, just trying to find something to entertain you. And so you're not looking there.
You're not on there to learn. And you're scrolling at, you know, 50 miles per hour. And you just need something in order to stop your scroll.
And which is why curiosity is extremely important. This is the thing that most people forget. You ignore what you know.
So a lot of people talk about these hooks and you can download comment hooks and I'll send you this 1 ,000 viral hooks that you can instantly use for your content. And you're there thinking you try it and it never works. And there are all these hook templates that just say like, oh, if you say, I don't know who needs to hear this, but that's how you get ignored.
these hooks these hooks are only tactics tactics only work when they're not common knowledge once a tactic becomes common everyone uses it everyone is aware of it it loses its power instead you want to understand the principles so when i talk about like you know what you ignore is that's exactly that like once you hear it enough times or once you know something enough you're just going to ignore it so this leads to what the curiosity gap is right so you can see What you want to know is right here.
There's an info gap, which is curiosity. And then what you do know. So if I said sleeping more, like the first line of my reel says, sleeping more is good.
You already know that. There is absolutely zero curiosity within, depending on even on what you want to know. Even if I have some stuff that like you've never heard about before and it's like.
life -changing. It's going to help you sleep 10 times better or whatnot. If I just started the video by saying, sleeping more is good.
That's a full sentence. It completes the entire gap. You know what you ignore.
So you're just going to ignore that because you already know that. So instead, we want to create curiosity. So how can we create curiosity?
Let me show you a few different examples on how I do it. I'm going to show you a bad example first, and it is my piece of content. This is something that I did.
a couple days ago, and this is a horrible example in terms of what not to do. Well, it's a great example of what not to do. It's because I did not respect the viewer's curiosity, and I went right into what I call super hook, but I'll play it for you so you can hear it.
I got 1 ,200 leads and 17 paid applications to join my program with one post. Most gurus only teach you how to get views, but views don't pay to build. Did you hear that?
I just went into, I got 1 ,200 paid applications. uh with something something and and sorry 1200 leads and 17 paid applications to join my program with one post that does not create curiosity that just gives you information that creates a bit of credibility but that doesn't make you curious as to what's going on what's going to happen next which is why it only has like 5 000 views and like 98 likes which is an absolute horrible video for uh the type of content that i create and my baseline average is around like 10 to 20 000 views so let me show you three examples i said like how what are other curiosity hooks how can you create curiosity effectively this is mino so this is his most viewed video recently i'll play you his hook listen is it possible to start a business in one day and make a thousand dollars from it is it possible to start a business and make one thousand dollars from it from day one So that creates curiosity and there's no, like, it's a clear reason as to why this is 166 ,000 views because you're thinking at the same time, is it possible?
Can I do that? Can he do that? Right?
It earns you the next line. Like the purpose of each line is to just get to the next line and this gets you to the next line. I'll play another example.
This is my version. It took me seven months to learn three lines that forces people into a trance, but you can't do it. It took me seven months.
to learn three lines that forces people into a trance. You're thinking, okay, three lines, sounds simple, that forces people into a trance. How can you force people into a trance?
I don't know, so I'll stick around for the next line. That's the purpose of creating curiosity. If I just said, hey, say these three lines and I'll give you right off the bat and I'll force people into a trance, you're not going to stick around.
I close that curiosity gap in that loop. You already know exactly what you need to know. You're on to the next reel.
So the fact that I said three lines, it took me seven months to learn three lines that forces people into a trance and I didn't give everything away. It creates just enough curiosity for you to stick around and watch that next line. So one more example.
If you're a smart, ambitious person who doesn't know what you want to do with your life, here are five articles I'd read to start figuring out. So you see how she hits the pain point? You're smart and ambitious, but you don't know what you want to do with your life.
Here are five articles you would want to read. And this is because it applies to a lot of people. And so like you're like yours.
I know everyone would self -label be like, yeah, I'm smart. I am ambitious, but I don't know. Maybe I'm a bit lost.
So how can I, what do I need to do in order to be on track? So these are the five articles that you should read. So what are the five articles?
I don't know. So I'll stick around and see what it is. And hopefully she's even done the reading for me and it's like pre -chewed the information for you so you can just take and apply and learn and you don't even have to read those articles.
That is how we want short form content to be. So how can you create curiosity for yourself? This is my ultimate hook formula because it relies on the principle.
It doesn't rely on a tactic. It's not like just say these exact words. How can you create curiosity?
Just state a common belief within your niche. This applies to whatever content that you're creating, right? If you're talking about working out, you can state a common belief.
Common belief is just whatever is a common belief within your niche, right? Most people, if you talk about getting a six -pack abs, most people think that like... Getting six pack abs is difficult or requires a lot of dieting.
That might be a common belief, right? Another thing could be if you're a sleep expert, you might be talking about sleeping eight hours. Most people think you need to sleep eight hours for your body to recover.
It doesn't matter what it is, right? The purpose is first you want to state a common belief and then you just want to contradict it. And the easiest way to contradict it is just to use the word but.
so let me give you an example right right here most creators struggle to create curiosity so that is a common belief right within the content creation if you create educational content you don't know how to use hooks and you think you need to use all these templates or whatnot most creators struggle to create curiosity but it's only because they don't know this formula so now you're thinking what is this formula how can i i will stick around and i want to learn it I don't want to just use like some sort of copy paste tactic.
I want to actually understand the principle. You see, once you learn this and once you apply this, this is the principles in order to create curiosity. And this is me teaching you how to fish instead of just handing you some fish, which is the tactic and saying like, hey, just say, you know, 10 hooks that always work.
I don't know who needs to hear this, but have you, you know, that stuff is just overdone. Everyone uses that and then it loses power. Anytime I see some sort of reel that says, like, I don't know who needs to hear this, but I'm already scrolling.
Because I know they're just implementing some sort of tactic in order to try to hold my attention, right? But if you use this formula, these principles, then you know how to actually apply it and get the results. Next thing.
What does Emily do say next that makes it so effective? Second thing is high TAM idea. So this is the second part of her hook.
She says, whether other people see color the same way as you. So what does high TAM mean? High TAM, why is TAM important, right?
We only like things that are relevant to us. If it's not relevant to us, we're just going to skip and move on. So what do I mean by relevant?
If I said men, This is a workout only for men. Let's just say that that's like my hook, right?
Obviously, it's a horrible hook, but I'm just going to just for a demonstration, demonstrated purposes, right? Men over 50 years old, this workout is going to get you a killer body. Guess who's instantly scrolling?
Women. Because I said men and specifically also over 50 years old. So if I am anything besides that, it doesn't apply to me.
So you're going to skip. It's just like when you're saying like a hook that might be saying like most creators, guess who's going to be excluded? Non -creators.
Which is why when you say creators, you might be focusing on talking to creators only. But if you're not and you're saying that, you're excluding those people. Or another example is like introverts versus extroverts, right?
If we're only talking to, hey, introverts, here are three things that are nuanced that applies to you. Guess who's going to not watch those? Extroverts.
We self -label because it helps us optimize life and makes us understand what we want to focus on and what we don't want to focus on. So we only like things that are relevant to us, which is why controlling the TAM is important. So when I go back to the idea of.
high TAM idea. It's like whether other people see color the same way as you. So color has a high TAM.
TAM stands for total addressable market. So same way as you. This is a very novel and high addressable market idea.
It can apply to everyone. It's not specific to like gender. It's not specific to race or occupation or whatnot.
It's just 100 % universal, right? everyone uh sees what most people see except for blind people obviously but then it's like whether other people see the same see color the same way as you it's novel so that applies to a lot of people so what are some high time examples let me show you right here so i use one right here this one i think got around like 350 or 60 000 views i don't even need to play it and you can see right here how to 2x your views today and if you're on Instagram, you're creating content, chances are you're trying to get more engagement, especially if you're an educational creator as well, like the people that I help.
So by creating, by using a hook that says like how to on -screen text, that says how to 2x your views today, this creates more curiosity and creates... The TAM expands in order to apply to more people. So another one right here, Dylan, you can see right here.
I don't even need to play it. It says four phrases to effortlessly keep the conversation going. Most conversations die not because people run out of things to say, but because they run out of things to ask.
So here's four elite questions that you can ask at any time. Most conversations die not because you don't know what to say, but because you don't know how to ask. Everyone, chances are, have had these difficult conversations and they feel like, oh, that was super awkward.
So if you had four questions to ask, that would be perfect. So that's a high -term idea. It applies to a lot of people.
So it's like as long as I speak English and I'm communicating with people out and about, then that would be helpful. Another one right here you can see. I'm about to destroy six of your biggest fears in the next 60 seconds.
One, you're scared of what people think about you. Destroying fears. Who doesn't have fears?
so by having like a high tam topic right like something that's like everyone has fears so if you're able to help me remove some of my fears within 60 seconds then that gets me curious enough to pay attention as well it's not hyper specific so how do you increase your tam let me show you it's kind of simple you just want to apply it to more people so you can see this is like three different ideas on the same topic so let's say you're a basketball coach right if you made a video that just says like how to dunk off of your left leg well how many people are able to dunk first and second of all how many people want to dunk off of their left leg it might be a very very small pool and it only applies to you know professional players or people that are like playing basketball at a very high level but if you made that uh another video that said like how to shoot a three -pointer that is a medium tamp because that applies to more people Like, more people, like, most basketball players, whether even though they might be, like, a center or anyone to the punt guard, they would like to shoot the ball.
And if you want to be able to teach them how to shoot a three -pointer, that would apply to more people. So more people will be interested. That pool directly applies to, like, it expands the pool.
So more people want to watch it. The next one is, like, highest ham is, like, how to play basketball. That has, like, the maximum total addressable market, right?
It doesn't matter if it's, like, a grandma that watches that video or some kid that's like learning for the first time they would still want to understand the rules right how do you play the game that would have a huge temp so it's not that like one like a smaller tam is horrible and then the big tam is perfect it just depends on you know your goal and what you're trying to achieve within that video so emily has made you curious with her curiosity hook she's used a high tam idea that applies to a lot of people so a lot of people are curious she then moves on to the third thing which is the super hook and she actually uses three super hooks throughout her entire script within this video but here are it here's the three uh super hooks extracted right according to current scientific understanding that's the first one the second one is we all see colors differently and i used to do research on this the keywords being you know the first one is like scientific understanding the second one i used to do research on this so i'll tell you why the third thing is also similar which is i used to work in a research lab doing something called a quantum catch so what is a super hook and why is it important
Why do you need a super hook? Well, viewers need a reason to watch. Why should they trust you?
Why should they listen? What's in it for them? These are the questions that you subconsciously ask whenever you see a video, especially if it's educational based.
It's like, okay, you're talking about all this stuff. Why should I believe you? It's like, oh, you sold your company for $100 million.
okay, I'll listen to like, what the you know, the four lessons you had from like growing a business from zero to $100 million. Or okay, like if you've for like a fitness coach, if they're if they look super jacked, it's like, oh, okay, that's a super hook. That gives me a reason to trust you, you have the body that I'm trying to achieve.
So since you've achieved it, I will pay attention. But you're making these judgment based off of micro seconds and data points of like, okay, do I trust them?
What's in it for me? Why should I listen? What's going on?
So this is why you need to have a super hook within your content. And so let me give you like three versions of super hooks. And even, you know, everyone who makes content will know first one, if you want to cheat and add 100 ,000 followers faster than all of your competitors combined, you need to take the back door.
This okay first one let me just also double back on like the curiosity hook if you want to cheat that who doesn't want to cheat everyone likes to cheat right and in school since you're a kid is like that gets you at least curious right and want to add a hundred thousand followers uh faster than all of your competitors combined that's what your dream outcome right then you need to take the back door you're thinking what the hell is the back door so i go i go to next time which is saying This goes against what every content guru preaches, but it's how Jake added 100 ,000 followers in four weeks.
Alex added 34 ,000 followers in 10 days and Rebecca 10 ,000 followers with one post. Okay, so now I give you a reason to stick around. At first, I'm just teeing up some like sort of dream outcome.
You're like, yeah, yeah, yeah, that sounds great. But why should I believe you? And I give you three back to back case studies.
I stack them to give you a reason to listen, which is why like, okay. Now that I, you know, I've earned, hopefully earned your trust enough at least to watch the next couple seconds and hear what I've got to say. I'll show you another example by Susan.
I post a lot of videos teaching people how to raise money, but I actually would not raise a single dollar myself today. Did you see what she said like with her hook as well? Like I post a lot of videos about how to raise money, but I would actually never raise a single dollar if I were to do that myself today or whatnot.
It's like stating a common belief. Using a word but contradicts it. Let's move on.
Unless this one very specific thing were true. This one specific thing were true. What is this one specific thing?
I'll stick around and listen. By the way, my name is Susan. I spent seven years building a travel startup and I raised over $4 million.
Okay, you spent seven years building a travel startup and you've raised over $4 billion. I will stick around. It's like you've done something that I've not done myself, which is why this video is an absolute outlier for Susan.
If like you look at her profile, like she has like 30 ,000 followers and averages like I think like five figure views, right? Like 10 to like 30 ,000 views. This video of hers did like 263 ,000 views.
This is an absolute outlier. And if you want to see someone that's like uber successful that has also done this is Alex Ramosi. This is Alex's.
most viewed video of all time on his main channel. 4 .4 million views. How to get rich so quick.
How to get so rich you question the meaning of making money. And let me show you the first line that he says in his video. You guys wanna hear something completely insane?
Yes? Okay. You're gonna have to hear it anyways.
I was able to take home more in a year than the CEOs of McDonald's, Ikea, Ford, Motorola. and yahoo combined as a kid in his 20s for over half a decade there we go he's stacked undeniable proof which is his super hook so you're like okay i'll listen to what you've got to say now it's like without that i might as well scroll you can say whatever the hell you want it's like oh okay here's how to get uh six pack abs but then i'm this like fat guy that doesn't have it and i have zero credibility you're just gonna scroll because you think i'm a troll So whatever you're presenting, you always want to include a super hook, which is why Emily, if we go back to what she was saying before, she uses three different super hooks, right?
According to scientific understanding, I used to do research on this. I used to work in a research lab. So how can you create your own super hook?
Let's go through that. There are three types of super hooks, and I just want you to pick one of three today, right? The first one is a result super hook.
So this is the one that I always use for my content. I grew 100 ,000 followers in five weeks. So here are the three things you need to know about creating content.
It's like, OK, I've actually done that and I'll prove it to you. I've proven it to you. So hopefully I've earned the right in order to share a few things that you might not know yet.
So you will pay attention and listen to that. Another one could be results based, which is. I spent, like the business one, I gave you an example.
I sold my company for $100 million. Here are the three sales lessons you need to know. It's like, okay, you're obviously a sales expert, so I will pay attention.
Or another one is like, I spent 17 years as a diving instructor. Here are the three things you need to know before you go on to your first dive. Okay.
17 years as a diving instructor. But I understand some of you watching that you're like, I don't have the results yet. I'm just making educational content in hopes to be able to get more results.
So that is why you need to move on to the second one. This is one that probably you would want to use, which is effort. Effort is something that is universally understood and respected.
So if you said, I spent six weeks learning French, here are the three most common phrases you need to use on a day -to -day basis. You're like, okay. If I'm trying to learn French, I will pay attention because it's like, oh, you've done the work.
You spent six weeks learning this. Then teach me what those three phrases are. Or what are those slangs?
Another one could be, I spent, I watched all of Alex, 200 Alex Hermosy videos. Here are the three things you've missed when it comes to content strategy. Okay, you've watched 200 Alex Hermosy videos and you've studied and you've...
spend time to break it down, I will trust you. It's like, I don't want to do, I don't want to watch 200 videos. But since you've done it, then I will give you a bit of my time in order to check out what you have to say next.
So that is what we call the effort, what I call the effort superhook. Now the third one. is research.
And that is basically the one that Emily is leveraging. And so she said an example would be Harvard just published a research on why eating tomatoes are bad. Now you can then leverage and borrow or steal credibility from Harvard because you're just referencing them, right?
So a lot of like the AI creators would also love to do this because like they can leverage the big names like Google or that just... came out with this new ai model or whatnot it's like they leverage these big names so you're paying attention them if they just made a video on like oh ai did if it's not leveraging a big name you might be like oh it's only your opinion so it's like who are you have you done something um significant enough to prove that you're worth the time i don't know yet so i might not watch which is why if we go back to one more time to see uh emily's like super hooks is like according to scientific understanding okay so she's basing it off of that uh we see colors differently i used to do research on this so it's like oh i was actually in the trenches doing that the third thing was like i used to work in a research lab doing something called a quantum cache even the name quantum cache like piques your curiosity it's like okay so you were actually in the lab
doing this and you're not just someone that just read it from a book and then just like start talking to me about it again. So super hooks is another reason as to why this video is doing so well. But then this all goes out the window without this third thing.
And this third thing is what I call net new value. So i'm not going to go into like the whole spiel because you guys already seen that video already but this is basically all the insights and the value part of her video and one of the key lines you can see right here and like and humans are the same and genetic code uh is only one reason and this is you can see like she applies it to us specifically because she talks about monkey at the first You know, how it's like different, how they perceive fruits.
And Jeanette Code is only one reason. And the one reason is fantastic because like, you know, humans are the same way. One reason gets you like, it's like a re -hook.
It's like, so if there's one reason, what is the second reason? So when you're that far into the video, chances are if she re -hooks you right there, then you'll... give her like pay attention towards like the other half so what is net new value and why do you need it so i don't know if you've noticed but traditional value is dead everyone tells you to like give more value your content needs to give more value and you're making all these videos but there's like all three ways to close more deals five ways to lose weight and get a six pack and that used to work five six seven years ago and the reason why it works so well back then was because one competition is low and so there's less demand for i mean less content available so any type of that type of content people will just eat it up but nowadays with ai that goes out the window because if you're talking about all three ways to to build a six -pack why would i not just ask ai and get a better answer that is like
perfectly tailored to me. So this is the difference between, you know, generalized and personalized, right? You can make some generalized sort of content.
But nowadays, everything we want is we want it now and we want to personalize. So if that workout or that diet plan is specifically tailored to me, my height, my body shape, my my macros and where I'm at in my journey, I would take that over as some sort of just random reel that tells me like the three exercises to do. or the three types of food to eat, which is why we need net new value instead of traditional value.
And what does net new value mean? There is two things that builds up net new value. First is non -obvious.
where the viewer has likely never heard. Anything that is obvious is dead, which is why these listicles on like, you know, the top five business books to read and everyone just regurgitating the same as like, oh, thinking go rich or whatnot. It's like everyone has heard that enough where it's already obvious, which is why it used to work really well.
Or the people that have established themselves like that have like a huge personal brand. If they still said it nowadays, it will still work. But if you're just starting out and you just made the same type of reel, that is not going to work.
because it's already obvious so the first com component has to be not obvious second component it needs to be highly tactical where the viewer can use today right so if you Create your insight, like the value on the insights that you share is non -obvious and highly tactical. People will binge your content.
So let me show you a few examples of net new value. The first example is one of mine, and I'll even break down the quick hook and the curiosity part for you. Show me another creator that teaches this for free.
Okay, show me another creator that teaches this for free. So what I'm hinting is like this sauce, what I'm about to share, the insights is so good that no other creator teaches it. So I'm saying like, show me another creator that teaches this for free to get you curious to watch the next line.
I was told not to share this. So what you do with this is on you. It's called the primer.
So the first type suggests that the info you're about to share is dangerous. You already heard it because I said one at the start, but the second type is even stronger because you're saying it's a secret. An example is my five -year NDA just expired.
so I can finally share this. But the third type pulls people in by focusing on loss. An example is I paid 50K in therapy just to learn this.
They're getting it for free, so they'll listen. But the strongest one of all is when you transfer the morals to the viewer. So you can say, I'm trusting you with this.
Please don't abuse this. Now the viewer can't help but watch. So you can see how when I go into the primer, I don't think...
well actually i've never heard any of the creator talk about this so this is something that new that i found out to be like a principle that you can work into your content as a second line which is the one that i actually worked in right there the primer that makes it extremely, it doubles the viewer's curiosity, which is why this reel, I think, has 130 ,000 views.
And for educational content, that, for me, is the perfect sweet spot of how much, like, views I want to get that still reach, like, the correct TAM, essentially. So the next one right here is from my buddy Michael Smoke, and this is his most, like, highest -performing reel ever. So let me show you.
For the love of God, whatever you do in an interview process, do not forget to ask the high -performer question, despite... Okay, you're thinking... Interview process, that's high TAM.
High performer question, what is the high performer question? So you're watching. My current garb, I just got back from the gym.
I have been in a lot of interviews in a lot of corporate settings. Super hook, right? I've been in a lot of interviews, a lot of corporate setting.
So I've been where you, I've achieved or been at where you want to be. High performer question always kills. It's very simple.
It sounds like this. It's very simple. It sounds like this.
So it makes it easy for you to use and apply.
Non -obvious. where you've probably never heard it in frame this way and highly tactical where you can use today. If you have to step out today and use, like go into a meeting and interview, you can use and ask that question right away.
Highly tactical, right? Similar to what I did on my first video, like the one that I told you about the primer, you can use a primer right after watching my video in your content. and get better results which is why people have tagged me in videos saying like hey i've used a primer and it's absolutely crushing non -obvious and highly tactical third one i'll give you another example right here if they have the same exact script as 99 of people in the world on a burner account where no one knew them their videos are getting more engagement That's not luck.
But there's a reason why Hollywood actors sound better even if they're saying normal lines. This is straight from the coaches who train them. Most creators think that rhythm is something you either have or you don't.
But it's not. Here's the test. Read your script and imagine drawing a line at the end of every sentence.
If the line looks straight and even, your delivery will sound flat. Great scripts looks jagged. Short line, long...
So that's exactly what I told you guys at the very beginning. The pace and rhythm. So that's something non -obvious where...
people feel like oh i have to practice and have to develop rhythm and pace but this is something that's highly tactical that you can use today if you connect the dots of the end of your script line by line and it does it draws a jagged line you're good to go if it's straight then you should probably rework it that's that's how you can create rhythm without you know having rhythm if you don't have any so that is non -obvious and highly tactical which is why that reel did 170 000 close to 200 000 views as well So the purpose of creating content and making sure like the insights that you share has to be net new value, especially in 2026 going forward.
Because all this stuff with AI coming in, you can just Google and you can search, you can ask chat and get a better answer. They're just going to skip that. So you need something that is non -obvious.
and highly tactical where the viewer can use today this is exactly why emily's real did 13 .7 million views she had pace and rhythm already locked into her script she trims all the dead spaces right she used a curiosity hook that stops your scroll and captures your attention. So you're like, okay, what's happening next?
She's earned, you know, another second or two to get you into it. She introduces a high -tam idea that applies to, you know, a high total addressable market. It applies to a lot of people that they're instantly curious.
It both applies to them and it makes them curious. Then she goes into using various super hooks throughout the entire script in order to... demonstrate credibility so you listen to what she's saying she's not just some person that just read some some articles off the internet and just rattles off to you she actually has done the research she's actually worked into it and she's like using um uh you know the the research super hook and then the next thing she goes to a net new value she provides value and insight that is non -obvious if she just said something that went along the lines of like oh yeah we actually all just say the same thing that was it you're like yeah of course so that's that's obvious i already knew that or that's what i expected you would have already skipped it by the first line she was delivering her net you value her insights so the fact that it was non -obvious and she was layering those super hooks is why it did so well but this is only one part of creating
content that actually grows your personal brand. I outlined a video right here. You can check it out.
It's called the 100K Personal Brand Plan. If you want to grow 100 ,000 ideal followers and get you leads and clients every single week, you should check that out. I laid out all the different stages and what are the individual steps within the stages so you can do so.
If you found this helpful, let me know down below. I can break down other videos, but otherwise, catch ya.
The Hook

The bait, then the rug-pull.

The video opens on the reel itself, a science creator asking whether anyone else sees color the way you do, with the speaker pausing it every few seconds to label what each line is doing: curiosity hook, credibility, open loop, re-hook. Then the next 35 minutes unpack the five moves behind 13.7 million views.

Frameworks

Named ideas worth stealing.

34:15list

The five-part viral reel formula

  1. Pace and rhythm
  2. Curiosity hook
  3. High-TAM idea
  4. Super hook
  5. Net new value

The five script choices the speaker credits for the 13.7M-view reel, in the order a viewer meets them.

Steal forauditing any educational short-form script before recording
01:00concept

Jagged line test

Trace the ends of each sentence in your script. Jagged means varied sentence lengths and natural rhythm; straight means flat delivery.

Steal forscript review before recording
05:00model

Curiosity = info gap

  1. What you want to know
  2. Info gap (curiosity)
  3. What you do know

Curiosity lives between what the viewer knows and what they want to know. Restating known facts closes the gap and earns a scroll.

Steal forwriting first lines
09:43model

Common belief + contradict it

  1. State a common belief in your niche
  2. Contradict it, usually with 'but'

Example: 'Most creators struggle to create curiosity, but it's only because they don't know this formula.'

Steal forhook lines in any niche
15:48list

TAM ladder

  1. Low: how to dunk off your left leg
  2. Medium: how to shoot a three-pointer
  3. High: how to play basketball

Widen the topic to apply to more people. Smaller TAM isn't wrong, it depends on the video's goal.

Steal forchoosing topic scope
22:51list

Three super hook types

  1. Results: I grew 100,000 followers in five weeks
  2. Effort: I spent six weeks learning French
  3. Research: Harvard just published research

Pick one per video to answer 'why should I listen to you?'. Effort works when you have no results yet; research borrows credibility from big names.

Steal forthe credibility line in the first seconds
29:00model

Net new value

  1. Non-obvious (viewer has never heard it)
  2. Highly tactical (viewer can use it now)

The overlap of the two circles is the only value that still wins against AI and listicles.

Steal forchoosing what insight a video delivers
30:00list

The primer (four types)

  1. Dangerous: I was told not to share this
  2. Secret: my five-year NDA just expired
  3. Loss: I paid 50K in therapy to learn this
  4. Moral transfer: I'm trusting you with this

A second line that frames the coming info as forbidden, secret, costly or entrusted, which the speaker says doubles curiosity.

Steal forthe line right after the hook
CTA Breakdown

How they asked for the click.

VERBAL ASK
35:47next-video
“I outlined a video right here. You can check it out. It's called the 100K Personal Brand Plan. If you want to grow 100,000 ideal followers and get you leads and clients every single week, you should check that out.”

Soft and late: a next-video pointer after the full recap, framed as the next stage beyond script structure, then a request for comments on which video to break down next.

Storyboard

Visual structure at a glance.

annotated reel
hookannotated reel00:00
pace and rhythm
valuepace and rhythm01:07
why curiosity
valuewhy curiosity03:51
hook examples
valuehook examples07:00
curiosity formula
valuecuriosity formula09:43
why TAM
valuewhy TAM11:59
TAM ladder
valueTAM ladder16:04
super hooks
valuesuper hooks17:09
three super hook types
valuethree super hook types22:51
value is dead
valuevalue is dead27:23
net new value
valuenet new value28:44
value examples
valuevalue examples30:07
recap + next video
ctarecap + next video35:32
Frame Gallery

Visual moments.

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