How I turned 12 seconds into 57M views

Curiosity is the reason people click and watch.

And you’ve got 3 seconds to grab attention.

That's it.

In those crucial seconds, you need to spark enough curiosity to make someone stop scrolling and watch.

It’s your job to prompt questions in the viewer's mind and create a 'curiosity gap' → a space between what they know and what they want to know.

It's human nature to want to fill that gap.

Here's an example I've used:

Picture This:

A pedestrian walking. A truck speeding towards a puddle. 3 seconds of footage.

What happens next?

This simple scenario netted me over 57 million views on one platform.

Visual Setup: Pedestrian + Approaching Truck + Puddle

Curiosity Triggers: Potential conflict, unexpected outcome

Engagement Driver: Viewers must watch to resolve the tension

Quick Storytelling Structure

The success of this content lies in its ability to create immediate questions in the viewer's mind.

Will the pedestrian get soaked? Will the driver swerve? How will the pedestrian react?

And when it comes to replicating this, the formula is simple: 

[Unexpected situation] + [Impending action] + [Resolved outcome].

Why Stories Matter

Our brains are wired for stories. 

We connect with them, remember them, share them. 

When people feel something, they share it. 

So next time you're creating content, ask yourself:

What story am I telling? What emotion am I triggering? Can someone get it in seconds? 

If you can nail that, you're halfway to viral already.

Now, before you go off to create your next viral hit, can I ask you for a favour? It'll take you 20 seconds, tops.

1. Think of that mate of yours. You know the one - always posting, grinding hard, but maybe not seeing the results they deserve.

2. Send them this link: Viral Academy Newsletter

3. Tell them, "You need to get on this. You're getting a mini-masterclass in content creation - in your pocket (all for free)"

Why am I asking this? Simple. If you're finding these newsletters valuable (and I hope you are), why not do something nice for a friend? Help them level up their content game, absolutely free.

I want to help as many people as possible with these newsletters so I’ll keep making them for you and I would really appreciate it if you shared with even just one friend.

Until next time, 

Jeremy

P.S. ✍️ Not Sure What to Post?

Don't forget to use the tips from my past 16 newsletters to keep improving. (Missed an issue? Catch up here).

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