Build Your Tribe | Grow Your Business with Social Media

Episode 860: How to Create VIRAL Reels, Shorts & TikToks with AI (Step-by-Step)
Host: Brock Johnson
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Brock Johnson delivers a step-by-step, actionable guide on creating viral short-form videos—specifically Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikToks—leveraging AI tools for maximum output with minimum manual effort. Whether you're a solopreneur strapped for time or a business owner looking to scale content, this tutorial breaks down a replicable five-step process to research, analyze, and produce high-performing videos nearly end-to-end with AI. Brock also shares strategic insights on why more posting generally leads to better growth—without sacrificing quality or your sanity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Viral Content Formula: Why More is More

• Algorithm Truth: Every major short-form platform rewards increased posting frequency (as long as quality stays consistent).
  • Brock: “The more you post, the more you grow. As long as you aren't sacrificing quality and you're not going to burn yourself out, increasing your output… will increase the number of followers that you gain.” (00:17)
• Ideal for entrepreneurs who need to do more with less—AI is your shortcut to volume and consistency.

Step 1: Research Engaging Content Creators (01:16)

• Build Your List: Choose 5–10 favorite content creators whose videos regularly grab your attention, ideally overlapping with your target audience—not just your interests.
  • Brock: “Look for people who are great storytellers and ideally, look for people who have a similar target audience to your own.” (01:36)
• Audience Fit Matters: Don’t just mimic what you like; consider what’s compelling for your audience, not someone else’s.
  • Brock: “I am not my target audience.” (02:00)
• AI Boost: Use ChatGPT to analyze creator audiences if you’re unsure.

Step 2: Identify Viral Hits with Sorting Tools (03:00)

• Sort by Views: Use the Sort Feed Chrome extension to rank creators’ Instagram Reels by views and find their most viral content.
  • Note: TikTok and YouTube have built-in popularity sorting features.
• Purpose: Spot patterns and recurring elements in videos that succeed, tailored to your niche.

Step 3: Deep-Dive AI Video Analysis (04:07)

• Use ScreenApp.IO: Plug viral video links into Screen App IO for a comprehensive AI-based breakdown.
  • “Screen App IO is the best tool that I've found for annotating videos… it’s actually analyzing the video and looking at the cuts, the duration of the cuts, the visual elements, what's on the screen, and all those different elements.” (04:25)
• Super-Prompt for Analysis: Copy-paste a detailed prompt (shared by Brock) to get a report dissecting:
  • Hook effectiveness (first 3 seconds & psychological triggers)
  • Visuals, B-roll, editing and pacing
  • Audio and voiceover
  • Emotional impact & shareability
  • Rewatch triggers
  • Summary: Top 5 reasons for virality
• Value: The analysis is a “recipe for a viral video.” (06:09)

Step 4: Reframe with ChatGPT for Your Niche (After Ad break: 08:38)

• Transform Analysis into New Content:
  • Copy the Screen App IO analysis into ChatGPT with Brock’s structured prompt describing your niche.
  • Instruct ChatGPT to “replicate the style elements, pacing, structure and retention tactics… but not the topic. Apply those stylistic elements to a completely new idea that fits within my niche.”
• Expected Output from ChatGPT:
  • Direct hook text
  • Shot-by-shot outline (camera angles, pacing, visuals)
  • On-screen text
  • Full voiceover script in your tone
  • A breakdown of retention tactics applied to your unique topic
  • Brock: “ChatGPT will create a very robust outline for your short form video content.” (09:52)

Step 5: Generate the Video with InVideo & 11Labs (10:13)

• AI Video Production:
  • Feed the ChatGPT outline into InVideo—an AI-video generator platform—to automate visuals and narration.
  • Customize using royalty-free B-roll, personal clips, or AI-generated media.
  • Use built-in AI voiceover, or switch to 11Labs for more natural-sounding text-to-speech.
  • Brock: “Invideo can create the entire voiceover… or it can even clone your own voice so that the narration and voiceover sounds like it was spoken by you.” (10:53)
  • Note: InVideo’s AI voiceovers “aren’t always super seamless... 11Labs is much better when it comes to voiceovers.” (11:36)

Efficiency & Iteration

• “It will get a lot faster with time. And number two, you don't need to do steps one through five every single time.” (12:02)
• Once you have a single, proven viral structure, you can repeatedly remix or expand it for different topics with much less effort.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Quality vs. Quantity:

  • “You could use AI like I described today to create everything from A to Z, from idea to script to outline to final product. Or you could stop halfway through and just use the analysis of your favorite content creator's viral video... old school style.” (12:35)

• On AI as a Creative Force:

  • “This analysis that screen app IO created is basically instructions. It's the recipe for a viral video.” (06:09)

• On Tools:

  • “ChatGPT is a great tool for researching and doing some audience analysis... to figure out who are these posts meant for.” (02:38)
  • “Invideo makes mistakes… it might need a lot of prompting and refining to create a nice finished final product.” (11:21)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:17 — Core algorithm insight: Why more posting increases growth
• 01:16 — Researching and benchmarking viral content creators
• 03:00 — Sorting and identifying top-performing videos using Sort Feed and platform tools
• 04:07 — Video analysis with ScreenApp.IO and detailed AI prompts
• 06:09 — Why AI analysis is a “viral video recipe”
• 08:38 — How to prompt ChatGPT to create new video outlines for your niche
• 10:13 — Using InVideo and 11Labs for AI-powered video and audio production
• 12:02 — Tips on speeding up and batching content creation through repeated use

Final Takeaways

• The five-step process lets anyone replicate the formats and techniques behind viral short-form video—dramatically reducing time, friction, and reliance on trial-and-error.
• Once you’ve done the initial setup (steps 1–5), you can quickly generate and iterate on viral video ideas, scaling your content output with AI.
• Flexibility to stop at any process stage: Use AI analysis for inspiration, or automate the entire video creation, depending on your comfort and needs.
• Brock closes by reminding listeners to subscribe for more actionable, down-to-earth strategy sessions:
  • “Thank you so much for listening today and as always, happy networking.” (12:47)

For full prompts and tools mentioned, check the episode show notes.