How to find and copy viral formats

1 The bottom line

Copy formats that have already worked across many accounts, keep the structure, and plug in your own product. Proven formats cut the guesswork, so you only have to prove you can get views that convert.

2 Key takeaways

• Split every viral post into its format and its content, and copy only the format. Structure moves between niches, but topics and famous faces do not.
  • Hook then demo works in any market, while finance news and recognizable creators do not transfer Yannis, Superwall29:20.
  • The format is the vehicle, and the variables inside it make it work Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing51:35.
• Trust a format only when it repeats across several accounts. A one-off hit may come from the account, not the recipe.
  • Look for five to 20 posts on several accounts with the same shot-by-shot structure Yannis, Superwall27:30.
  • Look for posts far above the account's own median, such as 10k, 10k, 10k, then a million Yannis, Superwall50:10.
• Remix a proven format a little instead of copying it exactly or inventing one. A small change avoids a blatant copy and keeps what was validated.
  • A remix of 10 to 20% is the target Nick Lawton, SideShift6:47.
  • About 90% of Clover Labs campaigns are clones and 10% are wild experiments Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs0:34.
• Look beyond your direct competitors for formats. Copying the leader gets some traction but will not make you the leader.
  • Social uses AI to surface videos from completely different industries Patrick and Pablo, Social50:10.
  • Most of Methods' best formats were taken from other companies and adapted Driss, Methods25:50.
• Judge a copied format by conversion signals, not raw views. Views from the wrong audience do not become installs.
  • Coconote prefers 10 million views on a problem-framed video over 40 million on a novelty one Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote7:32.
  • A video with 300k views got only 174 likes and 8 comments Jay, Nomad Table17:30.

you have to separate the content from the format

Yannis, Superwall

2.1 Find formats worth copying

Start from formats that already work on other accounts, not from your own ideas.

• Scrape competitor accounts and clone one of their top posts. Source: Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs9:50
  • Pull each competitor's top five posts, clone one, and swap in your logo or demo Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs9:50.
  • Image variations run in parallel, so 20 take about as long as four, and one set took about six to seven minutes Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs9:50.
  • A Natural camera app campaign cloned from a Dazz Cam post got about 100,000 organic views, about $1,000 in downloads and about 200 signups in five days Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs9:50.
• Use a spy tool to find outlier videos in your category. Source: Nic Weber, Noise20:13
  • Search SpyTok by category, such as fitness, and sort by most viral to see the text hook and CTA slide Nic Weber, Noise20:13.
  • The example shows a 106x outlier fitness app video Nic Weber, Noise20:13.
• Watch other niches, not just your own. Source: Patrick and Pablo, Social50:10
  • Social's creative analysts turn AI-surfaced videos from other industries into ideas for their own niche Patrick and Pablo, Social50:10.
  • StudyFetch built viral dashboards that ping the team when a video trends in other niches Kieran, StudyFetch33:00.
  • Noise looks at trends and subreddits like Roast Me, then shows how its product fits Nic Weber, Noise13:52.
  • If a format went viral once, it can go viral many more times with different products and creators Driss, Methods25:50.

2.2 Separate format from content, then prove it repeats

A format is worth copying only when its structure explains the result and shows up again and again.

• Break each viral post into structure and content. Source: Yannis, Superwall29:20
  • Structure means things like hook, text overlay and reveal. Content means the topic and message Yannis, Superwall29:20.
  • Check whether the creator's face or fame is what makes it work Yannis, Superwall29:20.
  • Hook then demo works in any market, while news finance and recognizable manifestation creators do not transfer Yannis, Superwall29:20.
• Copy only formats that show up across many accounts and posts. Source: Yannis, Superwall27:30
  • Look for five to 10 or 20 posts across several accounts that went viral with the same shot-by-shot structure Yannis, Superwall27:30.
  • The alarm app trend, where users take a picture to wake up, uses the same shot-by-shot creative across many apps Yannis, Superwall27:30.
• Filter for outlier posts relative to the account's median. Source: Yannis, Superwall50:10
  • Accounts that always get a million views may own a niche or have a known face, so you cannot tell why they work Yannis, Superwall50:10.
  • One example post had above 200x the median views of its account Yannis, Superwall50:10.
• Check that you can reproduce the format at volume. Source: An, Flame46:58
  • Look for videos over 100,000 views on accounts under 5,000 followers that trend across other accounts An, Flame46:58.
  • Ask whether you can recreate it many times a day across 5 to 10 accounts, ideally with AI tools An, Flame46:58.

2.3 Check that the format fits your app

A format that works for another product fails if your product, creators and demo do not fit it.

• Use creator-style formats only if your app has a visual magic moment. Source: Jake Castillo, Cal AI14:26
  • The moment must be clear in seconds with no long explanation, or the video reads as an ad Jake Castillo, Cal AI14:26.
  • Cal AI's scan, analyze, result sequence made viewers react with disbelief Jake Castillo, Cal AI14:26.
  • Cal AI was the first calorie app to track by picture, which was a viral moment in itself Alfie Dickens, Cal AI6:24.
• Test whether creator supply and native format fit before copying a playbook. Source: Jake Castillo, Cal AI12:15
  • Health and fitness has millions of creators, and they already made "what I eat in a day" videos where scanning food fit naturally Jake Castillo, Cal AI12:15.
  • An astrology app has few creators and likely exclusivity deals, so the same playbook may not fit Jake Castillo, Cal AI12:15.
• Pick the format that shows your product in use on camera. Source: Evan Yadegari, Locked7:35
  • Test several creator niches and keep the one whose native format shows your core loop Evan Yadegari, Locked7:35.
  • For a viral, Gen Z product, use the product more in the video. For a dull product, lead with the result and the creator's credibility Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing24:39.
  • Day in the life worked best for Locked, because checking off tasks in a gamified app is a natural plug. One video got around a million views and drove its first $1,000 day Evan Yadegari, Locked7:35.
  • Margins is calm and cozy, so short screen recordings fail on TikTok. A talking creator demoing the app worked, and illustrated recaps worked on Twitter Paul Warren, Margins34:00.
• Match the content style to your product's stage. Source: Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote10:02
  • Early on, a shock hook plus demo can work because the product is novel. Later, frame it as a solution to a real problem Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote10:02.
  • Lecture-hall demos in March to May 2024 converted well, while PDF to brain rot videos 6 to 8 months later did not Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote10:02.

2.4 Remix the format and plug in your product

Keep the structure, change one thing, and put your own product in the payoff.

• Change one element of a proven post instead of inventing new content. Source: Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs0:34
  • Vary the hook, CTA or avatar, then repost. Subtle changes like color or lighting keep it from being flagged as a duplicate Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs0:34.
  • Aim for a 10 to 20% remix, because copying a warmed-up account's format exactly on a day-zero account often does not work Nick Lawton, SideShift6:47.
  • A trucker slideshow with 110k views was cloned into variations that drew 34,000 views in about a week and a half Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs0:34.
• Split winning videos into hook and demo, then recombine them. Source: Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs16:59
  • Cut where the hook ends, about the first two seconds, using AI to find the cut, then swap in your own demo Matt Espinoza, Clover Labs16:59.
  • Open with a text hook, then go straight into the app. Borrow a hook from another niche and swap the subject Jay, Nomad Table21:50.
  • Jay took an "I've been doing X for years" hook and swapped in solo traveling. A creator's version got 74,000 likes and 30,000 bookmarks Jay, Nomad Table21:50.
• Change the variables inside the format to suit your industry. Source: Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing51:35
  • Change the props, the setting and the credibility source. Credibility can come from yourself, a reacted-to source, or a family member Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing51:35.
  • Add specific real details so the video feels believable Jay, Nomad Table15:15.
  • A pen looks more professional than a rice cake Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing51:35.
  • Green screen reactions are a simple vehicle. Dupe.com used the format on every video for two to three months Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing38:37.
• Remake the hook of a video that already worked for a sponsor. Source: Casper, Payout13:24
  • Reuse the winning hook and structure for your own app a week later, and swap only details like numbers and backgrounds Casper, Payout13:24.
  • The Gelato video got about 1 million views, and the Payout remake brought roughly $5,000 or more in subscription revenue Casper, Payout13:24.
  • Script around what the viewer gains, not the news. A skit opener about the Temu lawsuit probably brought close to $10,000 Casper, Payout22:43.

2.5 Scale the copies and keep the format alive

Once a format hits, spread it to many creators fast, then evolve it before it wears out.

• Have every creator recreate each winning video the same day. Source: Dillion Verma, Halo AI25:56
  • An automation sends each hit to all creators in Discord, and they recreate it while keeping the element that sparked comments Dillion Verma, Halo AI25:56.
  • Keep only formats that are viral, repeatable and convert Dillion Verma, Halo AI26:26.
  • When a video gets 10 million views, copies from 80 creators often get 2 to 3 million each Dillion Verma, Halo AI25:56.
• Keep posting until one format hits, then copy it. Source: Driss, Methods21:30
  • One winner makes up for 100 other videos that got 100,000 views Driss, Methods21:30.
  • Do not drop a channel after one failed test. Try more formats Kieran, StudyFetch49:13.
  • Driss spent 6 months with zero subscribers on Minecraft Shorts, then reached 200,000 subscribers and 180 million views in 9 months Driss, Methods21:30.
• Evolve the format when it ages. Source: Drew Levin, SideShift19:15
  • SideShift tied its first videos to the job market, a stressful trend. A founder cracked the format, then gave it to all creators Drew Levin, SideShift19:15.
  • Six or seven of 15 creator videos got 150 to 300,000 views. A year later a talking head story version reached 9.6M views at 16% engagement Drew Levin, SideShift19:15.
  • Duolingo reported its numbers fell when it stopped its unhinged content, so familiar formats give known brands repeat impressions Nic Weber, Noise36:26.
• Post yourself before you delegate, and relearn each platform. Source: Yannis, Superwall54:55
  • Yannis posted manually 50 to 100 times and met every friction, from views to conversion Yannis, Superwall54:55.
  • Viral instinct does not transfer. Driss has to regain it on each new platform Driss, Methods21:12.

2.6 Judge the copy by conversion signals

A copied format is working when people hold, like and ask about the app, not only when views climb.

• Track how many viewers stay past 3 seconds and how long they watch. Source: Jay, Nomad Table27:56
  • A format that holds 75 to 80% past 3 seconds is a good one and will go viral eventually Jay, Nomad Table27:56.
  • Total watch time helped most across the team's viral videos An, Flame30:40.
  • A meme video reached 340,000 views after being edited to hold attention longer An, Flame30:40.
• Read likes and comments to see if the audience wants the app. Source: An, Flame46:58
  • Check the comments for people asking what the app is and where to get it An, Flame46:58.
  • Low-like videos rarely convert to downloads, even at a million views An, Flame31:30.
  • Flame's first 50 million views struggled on conversion, because the team never focused on it An, Flame46:58.
  • Clickbait hooks the product cannot deliver held watch time but got weak engagement Jay, Nomad Table17:30.
• Match viral posts to App Store rank jumps. Source: Yannis, Superwall49:00
  • Line up outlier post dates with ranking jumps, ideally in several countries, since that signals organic traffic Yannis, Superwall49:00.
  • A 16 million view post for Menace barely moved rankings Yannis, Superwall49:00.
  • A PDF to brain rot feature drew 100 to 200 million views but only about $25,000 in revenue, versus a theoretical $360,000 Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote7:32.
• Call it content market fit at five or six videos above 10,000 views. Source: Nick Lawton, SideShift10:03
  • Count those videos across the whole campaign in the first month, then study watch time and retention to learn why they worked Nick Lawton, SideShift10:03.
  • Nick calls a video viral only after 100k views, so 10k is the early signal Nick Lawton, SideShift10:03.

2.7 Where they disagree

Sources split on whether to chase views first, where to borrow from, and how long to make videos.

• Views first, or conversion first.
  • Evo Marketing tests broad, view-focused content for the first couple of weeks, then rebuilds winners as credibility formats that get fewer views but convert more Dawson Gibbs, Evo Marketing49:39.
  • Coconote and Nomad Table warn that view-heavy novelty and clickbait pull the wrong audience Brett Bauman and Zack Hargett, Coconote7:32 and Jay, Nomad Table17:30.
  • A comment bait post can warm the audience for later converting posts, though it converts an order of magnitude less on its own Yannis, Superwall13:30.
• Copy competitors, or copy other industries.
  • SideShift suggests picking competitor formats to remix Nick Lawton, SideShift6:47.
  • Social says copying the leader will not make you the leader, so it looks at other industries Patrick and Pablo, Social50:10.
  • Do not copy ads from other industries one to one. Form a hypothesis for why it works, and borrow the native feel Marcus Burke, Superwall7:45.
• Short videos or long ones.
  • Health and finance audiences expect longer, explanatory content. Yannis uses about 7 to 9 seconds for quick formats and about 30 seconds for full skits Yannis, Superwall43:10.
  • One top creator posts 10-minute stories with the CTA at the ninth minute. The format is new and still being tested Drew Levin, SideShift5:04.