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💨 tl;dr

Tailor content for each platform, understand algorithms, and engage with your audience's culture. Viral success is unpredictable; test different approaches and focus on organic reach.

💡 Key Ideas

• Repurpose content for specific platforms; don't just copy-paste.
• Understand each platform's unique algorithm and audience preferences.
• Short videos must capture attention and resonate with current culture/subculture.
• High school and university students often excel at creating viral content.
• Viral content creation involves understanding target audience and trends.
• Viral success is unpredictable and involves luck; testing different approaches is key.
• Key metrics for RS (Reels) distribution: video/audio quality and high watch time.
• Engage with your target audience's culture to create resonant content.
• Replicate and adapt successful content from competitors/niche accounts.
• Instagram: Follow target audience accounts, identify viral content, and adapt it.
• Memes can be effective, especially for B2C, but occasionally for B2B.
• Use good equipment and editing tools (e.g., CapCut) for quality Reels.
• Focus on content, not profile setup; ensure your profile resonates with your market.
• Consistent posting is crucial; don't overthink individual Reels.
• Organic reach is preferable; avoid relying too heavily on paid boosts.

🎓 Lessons Learnt

• Repurpose content across platforms but adjust for each: Tailor your content to fit the specific culture and preferences of each platform.
• Understand your target audience deeply: Know their interests, influencers they follow, and the type of content they engage with.
• Experiment with different content approaches: Test various content types to find what resonates, as only a small percentage may go viral.
• Focus on performance metrics: Watch time, replays, likes, shares, comments, saves, and impressions are key for the algorithm and content distribution.
• Use trendy audio: Popular tracks can enhance engagement and make your content more appealing.
• Avoid buying followers: It confuses the algorithm and reduces effective content distribution.
• Engage with organic followers: Authentic engagement is crucial for traction and algorithmic promotion.
• Replicate successful content: Analyze and adapt content that performs well in your niche.
• Immerse in target audience culture: Deeply understand and engage with your audience's interests to create resonant content.
• Tailor captions and context: Customize captions to align with your product narrative and relate to your audience.
• Optimize for watch time: High watch time signals content quality to the algorithm, boosting distribution.
• Post without overthinking: Don’t overanalyze; post regularly and learn from results to improve.
• Consistency is key until first viral reel: Post daily until achieving a viral hit (100K views), then adjust frequency.
• Iterate quickly to find what works: Rapidly test different content approaches to discover what resonates.
• Organic reach is key: Focus on organic growth rather than relying on paid promotions.

🌚 Conclusion

Creating viral Reels involves understanding your audience, using quality content, and experimenting with different strategies. Consistency and organic engagement are key to success.

In-Depth

All Key Ideas

Insights on Short-Form Video Platforms

• Desmond uses SHS to encapsulate short-form video platforms: Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
• Repurposing content across platforms without tweaking doesn't work well due to different platform algorithms.
• Instagram Reels has a diverse algorithm that supports various types of content.
• TikTok's algorithm is more U.S.-cultural centered.
• YouTube Shorts is more localized to your language and prefers face videos.
• Short videos are about capturing attention and resonating with culture and subculture.
• Culture and subculture in short videos are crucial but hard to engineer.

Key Points on Creating Viral Content

• Short content is about attention and resonance with the masses, not supply and demand.
• Creating viral content is challenging because it must resonate with the audience, which creators often struggle with due to their detachment from contemporary culture.
• High school and university students excel at creating viral content because they are deeply embedded in current cultural and subcultural trends.
• To create viral content, understanding your target audience, their cultural and subcultural preferences, and the popular accounts they follow is crucial.
• Viral success can't be guaranteed like paid ads; it involves a significant element of luck.
• Time alone isn't enough to ensure viral success; testing various content approaches is essential.
• Only a small percentage of content types fit specific SaaS marketing needs, and even fewer have the potential to go viral.
• After achieving initial viral success, it's easier to continue going viral because the algorithm recognizes the content's appeal.
• Despite improved chances, complete immunity to algorithmic risk isn't possible; consistent success isn't guaranteed.

Key Points about RS (Reels) Distribution

• The value of making RS (Reels) goes beyond just bringing more website visitors; it can lead to a snowball effect for subsequent RS.
• The algorithm's workings are largely unknown, but two main factors affect RS distribution: content variables and performance metrics.
• Among the content variables, the video and audio matter most, while captions and hashtags have limited impact.
• Watch time is the most crucial performance metric for RS distribution.
• Videos with high watch time tend to go viral, leading the algorithm to push them to more viewers.

Content Creation Tips

• The algorithm pushes content to followers first, and if they don't engage, it stops gaining traction.
• It's possible to get organic views even with few followers if the content is high quality.
• Different types of content approaches include memes, POV videos, and daily series.
• Immersing in the target audience's culture is crucial for creating resonant content.
• Replicating successful content from competitors or niche accounts can help in creating engaging content.
• Drafting a list of relevant accounts and content approaches to test is essential for finding what works.
• All content should be related to your product or personal brand if applicable.

Instagram Marketing Strategies

• Use Instagram daily and create an account to imitate your target audience by following accounts they would follow
• Spend 10 minutes daily scrolling through Reels to identify viral content
• Adapt viral content patterns to fit your product and target audience
• Record and catalog content ideas inspired by viral Reels
• Memes work particularly well for B2C products, but can occasionally be effective for B2B

Tips for Creating Instagram Reels

• Your content should plug your product unless it's personal brand content relevant to your niche
• Use a good camera for shooting your product, especially for mobile apps
• Learn to use CapCut for editing your Reels
• Profile setup is not very important; focus on content approach and finding good content ideas
• The 'vibe' of your profile should resonate with your target audience and market
• Write a simple bio with your tagline and website links
• Post your Reels without overthinking; consistency is key until your first viral Reel
• Instagram may not distribute poorly edited or copied Reels

Content Creation Insights

• Viral success is unpredictable; it can happen quickly or never at all.
• Iterative process is crucial for content creation.
• Cultural enrichment and understanding target audience culture are key.
• Diversifying risk and engagement strategies is important.
• Organic reach is preferable; spending too much on boosting posts is not recommended.

All Lessons Learnt

Social Media Content Strategies

• Repurpose content across platforms but adjust for each
• Instagram Reels are more diverse in content acceptance
• TikTok content is more US-culture centered
• YouTube Shorts favor localized content and face videos
• Short-form videos focus on cultural resonance
• Engineering culture is difficult

Content Strategy Tips

• Understand your target audience deeply: Know what they do, who they follow, and what content they like; this is essential for creating resonant content.
• Identify relevant cultures and subcultures: Determine the types of memes, anime, gym content, gaming, etc., that your audience engages with to tailor your content effectively.
• Experiment with different content approaches: Test varied content types to find what works best for your SaaS, as only about 4% might go viral.
• Don't rely solely on time investment: Simply putting in time won't guarantee virality; focus on testing and refining content strategies.
• Use a content approach strategy: Implement and test around 25 different content approaches to identify what fits and resonates with your audience.
• Expect a slow start: Initial efforts may not show immediate results, but finding the right content approach can break the 'luck barrier' and lead to viral success.
• Algorithm understanding is crucial: Once you create content that resonates, the algorithm will push it more, but consistent virality isn't guaranteed.

Content Strategy Tips

• Test your content approach: Experiment with different content styles to see what resonates with your audience.
• Find your first viral reel as soon as possible: Getting an initial viral hit can snowball your content's reach and bring more visitors to your website.
• Focus on performance metrics: Watch time, replays, likes, shares, comments, saves, and impressions are crucial for the algorithm and your content's distribution.
• Optimize for watch time: High watch time signals to the algorithm that people like your content, increasing its distribution.
• Use trendy audio: Popular audio tracks can enhance the viewer's experience and make your content more engaging.
• Avoid buying followers: It can confuse the algorithm, leading to less effective content distribution.
• Don't rely too much on captions: Unless your content strategy involves them, captions aren't as critical for going viral.
• Experiment with memes: Memes can be effective even with low-quality videos, making them a good content approach.

Social Media Content Strategies

• Engage with Organic Followers: If you ask friends to follow you or buy followers who don't engage with your content, the algorithm won't push your content. Organic engagement is crucial for traction.
• High-Quality Content Matters: Even with few followers, high-quality content can achieve significant organic reach. The algorithm recognizes and promotes high-quality content.
• Utilize Content Approaches: Different content approaches (memes, POV videos, daily series) can be effective. Experiment with various types to find what resonates with your audience.
• Immerse in Target Audience Culture: To create resonant content, deeply understand and immerse yourself in your target audience's culture and interests.
• Replicate Successful Content: Observe and replicate content that performs well in your niche. Analyze competitors and similar pages to find successful content strategies.
• Test Different Content Approaches: Draft a list of potential content approaches and test them to see what works best. Be ruthless in testing and refining your strategies.
• Maintain Relevance to Your Product: Ensure all content is related to your product or brand. Avoid irrelevant content that doesn't tie back to your core message or offerings.

Instagram Marketing Strategies

• Use Instagram Daily: Spend 10 minutes daily scrolling through Reels to identify trending content and understand what goes viral within your target audience.
• Follow Target Audience Accounts: Create an account that mimics your target audience and follow at least 50 relevant accounts to see the content they engage with.
• Record and Adapt Viral Content: When you find a viral Reel, think about how you can adapt it for your product, record the idea, and save it for future use.
• Use Memes for B2C Products: Memes are effective for B2C marketing and can be adapted with your product messaging to increase engagement.
• Save and Edit Viral Reels: Download viral Reels, edit them with relevant captions and context for your product using tools like CapCut, and repost.
• Test and Iterate: Use a mix of 90% proven viral content and 10% experimental content to see what works best for your audience and product.
• Tailor Captions and Context: Customize the captions and context of viral Reels to fit your product narrative and make them relatable to your audience.

Tips for Creating Effective Reels

• Plug your product in your reels - Ensure your product is featured in your content unless you're focusing on personal branding.
• Use a good camera - Quality matters; use a good camera, especially for mobile apps, but an iPhone can suffice for web-based apps.
• Learn and use CapCut - Download CapCut, a free and powerful editing tool, and learn its basics through a quick YouTube tutorial.
• Make your first reel quickly - Start immediately; decide today, gather everything by tomorrow, and post your first reel within two days.
• Profile setup isn't crucial but can be optimized - Focus on testing content approaches and finding good ideas rather than perfecting your profile.
• Decide on your profile vibe - Choose a vibe that resonates with your target audience and product, such as funny or chill, and test what works best.
• Write a simple bio - Keep your bio straightforward with a tagline and website link, avoiding overcomplication.
• Post without overthinking - Don't overthink your content; even if a reel doesn't seem perfect, post it and learn from the results.
• Consistency is key until first viral reel - Post every day until you achieve your first viral reel, defined as 100K views, then adjust frequency.
• Improve editing to avoid zero views - Better editing is crucial to avoid zero views; don't just copy others’ content without personalizing it.
• Consider multiple accounts for testing - If possible, use multiple accounts to test different content strategies and find what works best.

Content Strategy Tips

• Iterate quickly to find what works: Speed up iteration to test different content approaches and find what resonates.
• Virality is unpredictable: There's no guaranteed formula for virality; it can happen immediately or not at all due to algorithm factors and market difficulty.
• Test multiple content types: Experiment with various formats like memes, POV videos, personal branding, and quotes to see what performs best.
• Adapt to platform restrictions: Be aware of platform limitations, such as TikTok bans in certain regions, and adjust your strategy accordingly.
• Cultural exposure enhances content: Immerse yourself in different cultures to understand your target audience better and create relatable content.
• Observe and replicate culture: Pay attention to cultural trends on platforms like Instagram to replicate and transform them into engaging reels.
• Diversify your channels: Don't rely solely on reels; explore other platforms to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket.
• Engagement groups may not always work: Engagement groups can boost initial likes but don't guarantee virality.
• Be cautious with paid boosts: Spending money on reel boosts can show commitment but doesn't necessarily lead to virality; keep spending minimal.
• Organic reach is key: Focus on organic growth rather than paid promotions, unless using Meta's specific strategies.