
🚀 Discover the secret formula behind multiple 100M+ view viral videos! Join social media expert Adley as she reveals the exact psychology and strategies that helped her crack the viral code. From turning "trash videos" into mega-viral hits to helping brands like Raising Canes explode on social media, this episode is packed with game-changing insights you won't find anywhere else.
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A
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B
I mean, we. We just made a living making what most would consider trash videos. Why not to do reputation sabotage. But I became obsessed with learning how to make anything go viral. I said, I. I quit. But this formula is damn good.
C
Wow.
B
It did 100 million views twice.
C
All right, guys, part two with Adley. We just got our parasites evaluated.
B
We did. We did. And. But your eyes and twitched. In a year.
C
Eye has not twitched.
B
That's crazy. I'm. I'm still itching. I learned I have heavy metal toxicity in my feet, which is why they're itching. Wow.
C
Too many parasites. The other day.
B
I know from the sushi while I was in la.
C
Shout out to Chris Motley, though. He's a real one.
B
He is a real one. He's changed our health significantly.
C
What exactly? Like, how often do you do it?
B
Not as often as I'd like, but probably the second time this year.
C
Okay.
B
But feel way better. Just do whatever he tells you to do.
C
Yeah.
B
He'll look at my face and just be like, ah, you had childhood daddy trauma from the ages of 7 to 9. I'm like, how did you know that?
C
Yeah.
B
I didn't even know that.
C
Yeah, some people just know things, right?
B
Yeah. He's got serious intuition.
C
Do you go to astrologist ever?
B
No. Never done it.
C
Really?
B
Never done it.
C
Wow. A lot of girls are into that stuff.
B
I know. I don't. Maybe I try to not mock anything that I don't understand. I'm sure there's something to it, but I'm always interested in learning everything and then running it through the filter. To decide against my morals and beliefs. Do I subscribe to this or not?
C
Okay, that makes sense. Some people ask for your sign. Do you know that at least?
B
Yeah, I learned. I'm a Sagittarius.
C
Sagittarius.
B
Well, some people will come to me, and they're like, you've got to be a Sagittarius. And I'm like, all right. Well, I am. Oh, there's something there.
C
Okay. I've never met one, so I don't know what they're about and what they represent.
B
You're looking at one. So whatever this is.
C
Let'S go. What else you've been up to? You've been speaking all over.
B
Been speaking more for the. For the first time. You know, I come from music, so I've been used to being on stage and performing in front of audiences. But this feels a lot more vulnerable because for the first time, I'm speaking about something that we spent three years in the dark, work in the weeds, learning how to go viral. But it's not how to go viral in the sense of just how to get attention by making a crazy video. It's how to go viral purely based on human psychology and how to get attention and how to storytell anything.
C
Right.
B
There's not one niche that I found yet that we can't make a video not go viral in.
C
That's crazy.
B
It's wild because it's a formula. It's not just like, is the video good enough? Because we've made plenty of bad videos go viral, but they're so compelling that you can't look away. You don't even want to keep watching this video, but you keep watching it. Why? And after making thousands and thousands of these, we've been able to pretty much boil it down to a Science to where seven out of 10 videos hit over a million views.
C
What?
B
That's crazy.
C
That's crazy.
B
Page health has a lot to do with it, too. You got to have a healthy page to put it on. But you can make a viral video of watching paint dry if you storyteller good enough.
C
That's not so. You can make a plumber go viral right now.
B
Yeah, give me a minute to think about it and understand the goals and objectives and the messaging points, and then let us put some of our tweaks on it, and we'll even take a video. A buddy of mine posted a video. I just reflexed myself. Buddy of mine posted a video, and it had 300 views in the first hour. And I saw it, and I said, take that down right now. I want you to take seconds 17 to 20 and like a half. Put that as your first three seconds. And just. And trust me, and my opinion is not gospel. Right. But I've done this long enough to know what I think will work. And he did. 35,000 views in the first hour.
C
Wow.
B
When he has never had that before in his life.
C
Just from editing the time, just from.
B
Just tweaking the video. Video that he had to follow the billion view formula that we kind of created. After years and years of doing this, and whether we are fixing your edit or just redesigning your concept. Yeah. I can confidently say that we could make just about anything go viral.
C
That's crazy. I mean, seven out of ten to a million, that's unheard of.
B
That's. It's a pretty good stat.
C
That's super good. People can't even get to a million once, right?
B
And then. So the first couple times, like, a lot of people can get lucky and they can go viral once, and then they always try to chase that high. And the same thing happened to me early on, and I was like, I gotta reverse engineer how to do this. And for three years, that's all we did is try to figure out how to not just do it once, but how to capture that lightning in a bottle and do it over and over and over again.
C
And how often are you analyzing the analytics, like the viewer retention percent and all that stuff?
B
Honestly, we produce at such a volume right now that we. I don't have to anymore. We can kind of guess in advance based on some tools that we have too, in split testing if we were sitting on a banger or not.
C
Okay.
B
And we can predict to a pretty high degree of accuracy how viral a video will go.
C
Wow. So you kind of know a ballpark like, oh, this will get.
D
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A
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C
Do like 100 million this episode of Digital Social Hour is brought to you by BetterHelp, making it easy and affordable to access online therapy. Give it a try@betterhelp.com DSH and get on your way to being your best self. The holidays are a tricky time of the year for a lot of people and I like to stay cozy and warm at home with my favorite movies and a warm blanket and also some betterhelp With a lot of time they reflect during the winter months. Therapy is a great way to embrace what's on our mind and find comfort that doesn't leave us even as the holidays fade away. Even if you've never tried therapy or always wondered about its effects, BetterHelp's online therapy option can be a helpful tool to learn about positive coping mechanisms and set boundaries that will aid you in years and events to come. It doesn't just take trauma to make therapy worthwhile, as we want to empower everyone to be the best version of themselves. If you're thinking about therapy, give BetterHelp a try with its online platform designed to be convenient and suited to your schedule. All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist with the freedom to switch therapists anytime for no additional charge. Find peace and comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.comDSH today to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. H E L p.comDSH yeah. Wow.
B
Yeah. 100 million is rarer than it used to be. Just because we used to crank on Facebook, but then they just changed the way that their platform works. And so we pivot. And now, I mean, we made a living making cringe videos popular or just the data we couldn't. How do I say this? I mean, we just made a living making what most would consider trash videos. But we did that. Why? Not to do reputation sabotage. But I became obsessed with learning how to make anything go viral. And so once we had it down to a science, I was like, let me try this on. Literally the worst video I could think of. And if this hits, like, there was one video, it was so bad. It was a video of a girl dressed as a pizza guy, and she tries to get into a club. It's our back door with some lights on it. And the guy goes, no, get out of here. And then he conveniently looks left for 12 minutes while she just transforms from a pizza guy into a hot girl, goes back, and he just won't look at her for 12 minutes. And we just make them hold really still, and I can send you the video. And then I said, if this works because it followed our formula to a table, I said, I quit, but this formula is damn good.
C
Wow.
B
It did 100 million views twice, and.
C
They stood still for 12 minutes.
B
Yeah, I mean, they moved, like, a little bit, but we just. People thought something was going to happen any second. So you. So that's the formula, right? Is sense of urgency, sense of scarcity, and hold people's attention on a singular thought. That's why magicians are so good at this, right? And because they understand how to hold your attention here and not let you off of thinking about this thing. And they can hold you there for three minutes or 30 minutes or three hours if they want to.
C
Wow. You're like the female Mr. Beast.
B
That's a huge compliment that I won't accept, but thank you.
C
No, you deserve it. I mean, I don't know any other person getting your views.
B
I don't know anybody else getting our views.
C
But He's. He's on YouTube. You're like, everywhere, right?
B
We're everywhere.
C
Model.
B
Yeah. And we sky. We had one YouTube short, gain us 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube.
C
What?
B
On one of our channels.
C
Holy crap.
B
One short.
C
What was the Video. Video.
B
It was walking down a beach. It was probably something really stupid. It was. It was walking down a beach and doing a simple little prank. But the actors were right. We stopped and restarted them five times just to get the timing and the comedy of it and the psychology of it perfect in those first three seconds. But we. I mean, I knew that was gonna hit. I knew that was gonna hit so hard, not gaining us 1.4 million subscribers on a single short. But ultimately, after making. We have this unique superpower, right? And that's to be able to make pretty much anything go viral and get attention, whether it's on a roofer or a plumber or a thought leader. We have that ability. And after we. After we gain this knowledge, making really cringy but compelling videos, I just know that's not what we got the superpower for. So now we teach brands, celebrities, and people of interest how to do this. Or if they don't want to learn how to do it, they just want us to do it for them. That's. That's what viralish is. That's how we make a living now is just getting attention on Dan Me or anything.
C
I love it. Yeah. Speaking of brands, you worked with raising canes, right? Got them tens of millions of views.
B
Yeah, we do some work for raising canes. Whenever they open a new location, we'll stage a viral moment, whether we're using a celebrity or just staging something really edifying for. For the brand and for the chicken. Because it's awesome.
C
Yeah, it's. Honestly. I got it over Chick Fil A now.
B
I got it over Chick Fil? A. Chick Fil?
C
A switched to some weird meat. Did you see that?
B
No.
C
Yeah.
B
Don't scare me.
C
No, don't eat. Look into it.
B
Okay.
C
I'm surprised you didn't see this.
B
I didn't.
C
So they used to use antibiotic free chicken and now they don't.
B
Damn it.
C
Yeah.
B
All right, well, you think raising canes does?
C
Good point.
B
Good point. The flavor just hides all the parasites.
C
I'm sure fried chicken is big out here.
B
Yeah, Hot chicken's big out here.
C
Hot chicken. As soon as I landed, I saw Hattie B's.
B
You try it?
C
No. Is it good?
B
I've never had it.
C
Oh. What? Damn.
B
I might have had it catered, like at a party or something, but I've never gone there. I won't stand in that line.
C
Really? At the airport, it wasn't too bad, but I'm sure out here, it's terrible.
B
The lines, it's wrapped around the block.
C
What?
B
Yes, Every location.
C
There's one in Vegas.
B
Really?
C
Yeah, in the Cosmo.
B
Oh, good for them.
C
Yeah, but it's probably not as good.
B
Probably not.
C
Yeah.
B
And the airport's probably not as good either.
C
Yeah. Nashville. What else is Nashville known for?
B
Oh, Nashville is known for country music, obviously, but we're a melt. We are a melting pot, people. We have more than just country music now. Then again, that's what I did when I lived here.
C
Yeah, makes sense. All the country artists live here though, right?
B
And every country artist has a bar now. You go down Broadway every. Well, not every. Most. The big country artists, they got their own bar now.
C
Must be a reason why. I must be killing it.
B
Yeah. Nice licensing deal, for sure.
C
Yeah. You want to start up a bar? Anything physical, one day. Retail?
B
I think so. With our capabilities right now, we promote other people's products. I think there will be a day where we eventually launch our own. But I think the focus for the creator economy is shifting into community now more than ever. So even though we have this unique superpower of being able to get somebody in front of 200 million eyeballs like that, I think that will still hold its value if we're driving back to a brand or an influencer's community that they really have to foster. Because as Facebook, Snapchat, I mean, there was a time where we lost 60% of our revenue overnight. When Facebook and Snapchat changed their payout to creators, TikTok said, hey, we're not going to pay anything and we're going to have no shortage of supply. So YouTube follows suit when they launch shorts, and then Facebook is like, holy crap, we're way overpaying creators and Snapchat, same thing. So we had to do a hard pivot and double and triple. I mean, honestly, quadruple our output to keep up.
C
Wow.
B
So as platforms are paying creators less and less, realizing there's going to be no shortage of supply and no shortage of advertisers, they're getting to retain more of that. And they're putting. And they're putting the onus on creators to make money themselves from building their own community.
C
That's great advice. So creators have to think about other ways to monetize rather than views then. Because it keeps getting lower, you're saying.
B
Right, right. And how does that play into how brands are interacting with creators? One, creators are knowing their worth and they're going to charge more. But you still see TikTok shop economy, which is going to absolutely be the next gold rush. It is Crushing it. And so that's a huge focus for us because we train creators how to make viral videos for a job. But now you're marrying that with a one click conversion mechanism with TikTok shop. It's going to be incredibly powerful and so is, I mean shoppable. Shoppable content and live streaming. We're, we're so early, it hasn't even started yet for where it's going to be in two years from now.
C
So if someone makes a viral TikTok shop video, what was some payouts you've seen in that? Like, is it a high amount?
B
Yeah, seen six figure payouts from a single like 12 second video.
C
White.
B
Right.
C
Because I get these videos and I see them have 100,000 likes, I'm like, damn, they must be.
B
Yes, printing money. Because where the money is is not necessarily in what it did organically. Like say you make a video right now and you say you make a video right now and you got paid a flat rate of like silly 100 bucks to do it. But you're making 20% on the conversions on your commission. So yeah, you're making 20% on your commission. Say the brand sets that, but where you're going to really make the money, say that 20% earns you $400. But if that's a conversion, if you made $100, that means the brand made $1,000 depending on what the commission set out. So that's a converting video. You have proof of conversion. So now the brand's just going to go dump money. They may dump $1,000, they may dump $100,000 on that single video. Well, you're making your 10 or 20% all the way up. So now what we're doing is pairing our really talented, proven viral creators that are amazing at high retention and pairing them with brands that are also viral and let the marriage and money begin.
C
That's a smart business model.
B
Yeah. So, so far so good. Again, we're so, so early for where it's going to be. But that's the evolution of what we're doing now. We have a super powerful viral videos. Pair it with shoppable content. It's going to be game over in two years from now.
C
Gg, because Facebook ads are so expensive.
B
Now, they're so expensive, these brands are.
C
Looking for other ways to advertise that aren't breaking an arm and a leg for them.
B
Yeah. And it's 2.0 of the affiliate model because they don't have to pay break the bank money up front. They're paying on how good the creator is. So now our job is to continue to help creators be as good as possible, make as viral videos as possible, because the better you are, the more you're going to get paid.
C
Absolutely. You mentioned high retention. Are you seeing any similarities with your high retention creators right now?
B
Any similarities between high retention?
C
Like, are they doing anything the same?
B
I mean, the truth is everybody's got 100 bad videos in them, right? But there's ways to get through those hundred bad videos quickly. And what most people don't know is if you can hold 90% retention on your first six seconds of your video. I don't care if it's a six second video, then you got 100% retention. But if you, if you can hold 90% retention on your first six seconds, you are going to be in the top 1% of retention for creators. Meaning you're going to get opened up to the algorithm at a wider scale and your content is proven to be more interesting and you stopped the scroll better than 99% of other content creators.
C
And is that on every platform or is that a specific platform?
B
So far we're seeing that across every platform.
C
Wow. Every single one of the algorithm bases that that first six seconds like a lot of importance on that.
B
Basically, it's everything because say you describe a video to me, say you're like, ad I'm going to make a video with on how to save 50% on taxes. Well, you just described the payoff of the video. You described the end. Even if it's a great video, less than 20% of people are going to make it to the very end. So they're not even going to see that amazing strategy versus how we would have a creator pitch a video to us. They're going to describe the opening shot, they're going to say, I'm in the middle of target setting, money on fire, prop money, of course. But then I decide, okay, you've got my interest, what's the next shot? And I make them describe a video to me the same way a viewer is going to experience it. Start at the top. So we design our videos in reverse. I don't care what the payoff is. We're designing it from the opening 3 seconds to the opening 15 seconds of how you're grabbing, intrigue, how you're creating a cure, curiosity gap, what your first 30 seconds is into your 60 and then 60 + is continuing to be engaging, but not scratching the itch that you created in those first three seconds.
C
Powerful. What do you think of creators that specialize in one niche.
B
I say you're a business owner and you have a niche, right? Inherently. But I would say, contrary to what most creators will tell you, that the key to success is unleashing yourself. I do not think you should pick a niche. I think you will kill your brand before you even start. And a very wise person told me once when I was very, I was trying to niche myself down off the bat and he goes, adley, that will be career suicide. You won't even get off the ground. He goes, go wide first and then you can do whatever the heck you want. And he was right. I listened to him because he had way more than I had and I had 100,000 followers at the time I was really trying to protect. He goes, once you get 3 million, we can talk, okay? And now we've got 17 million cross platform 35 that we've built. And now we, we can make, we can go into any vertical that we want because we have enough leverage and we can move product any which way we want. So he was absolutely right. We are void of community, as deep as some other niche influencers are. But if I'm trying to market a small jewelry company and I'm just saying, hey guys, here's this jewelry that I made, it's available on Etsy and I'm just on Etsy and I'm just self promoting, you're not going to care. I'm not going to get nobody, nobody's going to care about the small jewelry company because we're not there to try to shop right now. And so I, how I would design that video is I would take a positive pregnancy stick and a hammer and I would start smashing it. And I would take two things that don't belong together, like a really positive emotion surrounded by. I would take something that has a lot of positive emotion attached to it and I would destroy it. That's going to cause an emotion in the viewer, it's going to create suspense, it's going to create a curiosity gap to wonder why I'm doing that. And also, we've never seen that before. So then I would take the little blue pieces and I would melt them down and I would just start doing all these really interesting things that you can't wait to see and you're eager to see how this is going to come together. But then I would mold it into a gold setting. I'd put the little positive thing here and I would show how I just created a piece of memorabilia out of the most important moment in somebody's life.
C
Wow.
B
And by the end of that video, Whether it was 30 seconds or a minute and a half or three minutes, I now think this jewelry company is amazing and I want them to take something that's really important to me and turn it into jewelry so I can wear it and have it forever. Right. You made me feel something. Now I'm going to go buy everything off your Etsy store because I care about you. But if you had just tried to sell me jewelry up front, you have no audience.
C
Would have been a turn off.
B
It would have been absolutely a turn off. Yeah. So go wide. Cast the widest net possible and then you can do whatever the heck you want psychologically funnel them down into what you actually want to teach them and you can write your own ticket.
C
Smart. Are you using AI to create these video scripts, video ideas?
B
We haven't yet.
C
Oh, you haven't?
B
No. Because I'll try maybe to get out of the just blank space of it, but so far we tweet. No. And I'm probably missing out on a ton of opportunity by not yet. But I'm also haven't taken the time to learn and that's on me.
C
Yeah. Well, I think to scale you might need to. Right.
B
I think you're right because you're at.
C
150 different niches right now, especially when.
B
It comes into product ads and stuff like that. Stuff that is more shoppable commerce where you're not just having. We do some videos that are really wide, but really wide videos don't hit the messaging points of why you should buy this unique supplement. I need to know information. So if you can make TikTok content and shop content specific, that's still using the pieces of the formula to psychologically storytell. But you have to be good at integrating the message points. Still convicting, still bringing emotion out of me. But that's how you're going to move to a conversion and be widely visible.
C
Are you leaning towards any specific platforms right now? Are you still posting on everything?
B
For the most part we still post on everything. But I'd say as far as scaling and cultural relevancy for our brands, we focus on Instagram and TikTok.
C
I'm the same. Yeah, I can't crack YouTube shorts, but I want to.
B
It's hard.
C
It's hard, it's.
B
It's harder. We started a year in advance knowing we were going to hit that timing just right. And we did. But all now that it's more saturated, it's. It's like, with all these platforms in the beginning. Right. TikTok cranked reach and visibility. Everybody grew really fast. And now for a lot of people, it's just really leveled out. Or their page is unhealthy. There's nobody you can call in contact, and it just kind of died out for a lot of people.
C
Yeah. Tik Tok got banned yesterday.
B
Really?
C
Yeah.
B
RP Zach get it back?
C
Yeah, he did.
B
Yeah. He's got so many.
C
Got banned twice in a day.
B
What happened to you yesterday?
C
Covered.
B
Because she was on.
C
Yeah.
B
And so you got permanently banned.
C
Clip got flagged from misinformation and permanently banned.
B
You probably have to be really careful.
C
Yeah. With who I have on. Yeah.
B
Better watch Motley over there. I know Big Farmer's gonna come after you, bro.
C
I mean, I want Alex Jones on, but if I even post him or Tate, my whole Instagram would probably get deleted too.
B
Probably.
C
Yeah.
B
Justin Waller got. Just got his YouTube back.
C
Oh, he got it back?
B
Yeah.
C
Oh, nice. It was down for a while.
B
Yeah. He's like, I'm scared to post on it again until after the election.
C
Friends with Tate, you get your whole YouTube deleted. Isn't that crazy?
B
It's insane.
C
It's nuts.
B
Would you do an interview with Trump?
C
Yeah. He went on the OV who lives here.
B
Yeah. That was really great.
C
That was a fun one. It's cool to see that personal side of him.
B
Yeah.
C
You know?
B
Yeah.
C
What's the vibe in Nashville politically?
B
Red.
C
Super red.
B
It's pretty red. Yeah. It was in different pockets. I mean, if you're in business, if. And you're in our circles of, like, business owners and people who are pouring money back into the economy and creating jobs in that sense of thing. That sort of thing. I think you understand a lot of the red principles as far as economically, at least, but there's definitely. Still. I feel like it's. Most people are all in the middle, where you can be more. More socially liberal, but fiscally conservative. I'm right there in the middle. I don't subscribe to really any of it, and I don't pay attention to any of it.
C
Smart.
B
Probably maybe to my own detriment, because I'm not as educated and I can't talk about many of the subjects with much intelligence. Also, probably most of the information I'm getting is false anyway.
C
Probably. I mean, look at all the stuff we were taught growing up.
B
No kidding.
C
I mean.
B
Yeah. Who knows what was true until you get out here in the real world and you start experiencing how economics actually Work and how the job force actually works and where the money and inflation all comes from. Yeah, we know nothing, you know, and I don't want to be out here perpetuating false narratives, so I just keep my mouth shut.
C
Smart. Are there other certain topics you avoid?
B
Oh, most of them only fans. Yeah. We don't do anything in that space because we're family friendly.
C
I've noticed that about you, which I respect, by the way, because a lot of females that go viral, part of it sexual.
B
Yeah.
C
So you don't really do that.
B
No, and that was very important to me early on because we have a lot of kids that watch us and I don't want to set that example that that's where their intrinsic value and worth is going to come from. The way that they look or the assets on their body and it's not coming from their mind. And the world isn't that set up for that, you know, and so it's really hard. But I think part of my job and having any type of platform is the example that you set that you can break through and be successful not from the way that you look, but from the value that you're offering back to the world. Not that the videos I made for so many years offer that much value. So part of what we're doing now and what's most important, what my heart has always been, is to learn a really valuable skill set. And then that information is only as valuable as the people I pay it forward to.
C
Right.
B
So now I was. We're trying to just spread this information to as many people as we can to help their mission, message, product or service break through. That is my mission. And that's why we made shitty videos for so many years.
C
No, that's so much respect. Because you could have made a lot on of and you know that.
B
Yeah, you should see my dms.
C
Oh, yeah.
B
Oh, man. Yes. And so, I mean, some girls, they commoditize themselves, right? They'll put themselves out there and it's important not. I don't have that much to commoditize anyway, so it's pretty easy for me. But even just, I think it's dual focused. Yes. Guys are perpetuating that and then girls are realizing, oh my gosh, in this economy I can make so much money. How tempting. Understandably. And so I think both sides are perpetuating it, you know, until you have some people that are just like, you don't have to do that. And I'm not condemning it, but I also, also want to be an example of family friendly values and that you don't have to do that to have a successful career in entertainment.
C
Yeah. I had on a girl last week doing a million a month. Sheesh. About crazy.
B
I don't doubt it.
C
12 million a year.
B
How's her heart? Does she feel good about it? Or is she like, Is she like, hell yeah, this is the best thing ever. Or is she like, I feel like my worth is this and what happens to me in 20 years?
C
Well, I think right now they love it because the money's hot. But I think like you said, in five, ten years change.
B
Yeah.
C
A certain point you don't want to sacrifice your dignity for money. Right?
B
Yeah. And I wonder, I have, I don't have, I don't have many friends that are in onlyfans and I wonder if they would consider it their dignity or not. Do they feel that way? You know, because it's easy from the outside to say, well, no, sacrifice your dignity. Do they think that or I had some friends who came from that walk of life and they, it really wrecked them and they didn't realize it till later because while the money's hot, while it's happening to you, and this is all great, it feels great. Sin feels great for a little, for a little time.
C
Yeah.
B
You know, and I'm not saying what they're doing is wrong, but it would feel bad for me immediately. So that's in our videos. We just, we steer pretty clear from that.
C
How big's the team now? I've met some of the guys and they've all been great.
B
They're awesome. We are so blessed to have a great team. And our team looks so different than it did when we were producing 18 videos a day in this house.
C
18 a day.
B
18 a day. I know we were a machine. We would shoot a video, come up here, go to editing, go to approval and get posted within the hour.
C
Oh my God.
B
We weren't even testing anything because it was so hot there for a second and we just had our formula down. But now the team looks a lot different as we're focused on branded content and kind of take the same psychology, but apply it to brands and personalities, celebrities.
C
So what's next for you? Just doubling down on that.
B
Doubling down on the work for brands, doubling down on Tick Tock, Shop and then and then. And personal brand trying to build community back. I had it before we started making really, really cringe videos in order to test our formula as far as we could take it. And now I'm really excited too. I'm excited to speak on more stages. I'm excited to share what we've learned. It's so fun for me when we can share these tips. And there's people who've taken our programs and they were averaging 2 to 400 views. Their very next video, after told them three things to do. 1.4 million views.
C
Whoa.
B
3.6 million views. 18.2 million views. Their next videos. I'm like, that is the most rewarding thing that I've ever done. You're changing lives because once you do it for yourself, enough time, it's like you calibrate. Right. It's normal now. And I was. I was. We'd be so disappointed if any video didn't hit 5 million views there for a while.
C
Wow.
B
It was like, oh, it's only 4 million views. Oh, what a failure. That's crazy, right?
C
Yeah.
B
But now it's so we calibrate. So now by teaching brands or celebrities how to do this, or just everyday people how to 10x the views on their videos, it is the most fulfilling thing that I've ever done because it's usually just one little light bulb for them that they apply in a way that's most authentic to them and it'll absolutely change their lives, change their business.
C
It's cool to see you pivot because like you said, views were down 60% for everyone. A lot of people probably went out of business.
B
So many of our friends quit.
C
Yeah.
B
And we were saying, don't quit. Keep yourself in the game that you have to stay in. This is a lesson. The same tools that got you to this mountain are not the same set of tools that are going to get you to the top of the next one. So even when we are on our prime, so even when we were making the most amount of money that we've ever made, we're still able to recognize that the top of every mountain is still the bottom of another. And what tools, as soon as the platform changes, are we supposed to pick up here so that we can climb the next mountain? Because I'm not just paving the way for me and my own financial success. I'm paving the way for all the creators that trust us, for the brands that trust us to create narratives for them and help them break through. Because it is hard. It is so saturated now more than ever. So if we can give a couple tips to brands that can 10x their views, which 10x their leads and not 10x their income, but a portion of that, certainly, then I feel like I have a mandate to do that. If I have that ability and God's given me this platform, I should share it. I'm not just going to go sail off on a yacht somewhere and keep it to myself.
C
Absolutely. Where can people learn from you and potentially sign up for mentorship or whatever you offer?
B
Oh, sure, Nick. What's the link go viralish.com. no, put a link.
C
We. We'll put a link.
B
Yeah, we changed them so often. I think we'll put a link at Adley on Instagram. Awesome.
C
Thanks for watching, guys. If you want to go borrow, check out the link in the description. See you next time.
B
Bye.
Digital Social Hour Podcast – Episode Summary: "Viral Video Secrets: 100M Views Twice (FOMO) | Adley Kinsman Part 2 DSH #985"
Release Date: December 16, 2024
Introduction
In the second part of the episode titled "Viral Video Secrets: 100M Views Twice (FOMO)", host Sean Kelly continues his in-depth conversation with Adley Kinsman, a renowned expert in creating viral content. The episode delves deeper into Adley's journey from producing seemingly "trash videos" to mastering the science of virality, exploring the psychological underpinnings that make content irresistible and the strategic pivot towards helping brands and creators amplify their reach.
From Cringe Content to Viral Mastery
Adley begins by reflecting on his early days of creating content that many would dismiss as low quality or "trash videos." Despite their initial reception, these videos inadvertently laid the groundwork for understanding what makes content go viral.
Adley Kinsman [02:48]: "We have this unique superpower of being able to make pretty much anything go viral and get attention, whether it's on a roofer or a plumber or a thought leader."
He shares his obsession with deciphering the formula behind virality, leading to a pivotal moment where he tested the effectiveness of his methods on what he considered his worst video ever. This experiment paid off spectacularly, achieving 100 million views twice, thereby validating his approach.
Adley Kinsman [10:19]: "But this formula is damn good. It did 100 million views twice."
The Science Behind Virality
Adley emphasizes that virality isn't just about content quality but about compelling storytelling rooted in human psychology. He outlines key elements that contribute to a video's viral potential:
Adley Kinsman [10:23]: "It's about a sense of urgency, sense of scarcity, and holding people's attention on a singular thought."
He likens the ability to retain attention to the skills of magicians, who maintain suspense and engagement over extended periods.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Adley provides concrete examples of how these principles have been successfully applied:
Pizza Guy Transformation Video: A deliberately awkward video where a girl dressed as a pizza delivery person undergoes a transformation, retaining viewers' attention for minutes with minimal movement, showcasing the power of suspense and curiosity.
Adley Kinsman [10:22]: "They stood still for 12 minutes… people thought something was going to happen any second."
YouTube Short Sensation: A simple prank video featuring someone walking down a beach gained 1.4 million subscribers from a single short, demonstrating the effectiveness of perfect timing and psychological hooks.
Adley Kinsman [11:10]: "One short gained us 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube."
Business Model and Monetization Strategies
Transitioning from content creation to business, Adley discusses the evolution of his team and their focus on branded content. Recognizing the shifting landscape where platforms like Facebook and Snapchat reduced payouts to creators, Adley highlights the necessity of diversifying revenue streams.
Viralish Services: Offering tailored services to brands, celebrities, and individuals to craft viral content that aligns with their unique goals and messaging.
TikTok Shop Integration: Leveraging the burgeoning TikTok Shop economy to create shoppable content, enabling creators to earn commissions from conversions rather than relying solely on views.
Adley Kinsman [15:20]: "TikTok Shop is going to be the next gold rush. ... we've seen six-figure payouts from a single 12-second video."
Affiliate Model Evolution: Moving towards performance-based partnerships where creators earn based on the sales their content generates, making advertising more cost-effective for brands.
Adley Kinsman [17:11]: "It's 2.0 of the affiliate model because they don't have to pay break the bank money upfront."
Community Building and Creator Sustainability
Adley underscores the importance of community in the creator economy. While virality can amplify reach, fostering a loyal community ensures long-term sustainability and engagement. He advises creators to:
Go Wide Before Niching: Initially casting a broad net to build a diverse audience before focusing on specific niches.
Adley Kinsman [19:53]: "The key to success is unleashing yourself. I do not think you should pick a niche. ... go wide first and then you can do whatever the heck you want."
Avoid Commoditization: Encouraging creators, especially those with significant reach, to offer value beyond superficial metrics like likes and follows.
Adley Kinsman [27:21]: "I want to be an example of family-friendly values and that you don't have to do that to have a successful career in entertainment."
Ethical Considerations and Content Responsibility
Adley touches on the ethical responsibilities of content creators, particularly the impact of their content on younger audiences. He advocates for family-friendly content and steering clear of platforms or content types that could perpetuate harmful narratives or exploitative practices.
Adley Kinsman [26:30]: "We steer pretty clear from only fans because we're family-friendly. ... you don't have to sacrifice your dignity for money."
Future Outlook and Scaling Up
Looking ahead, Adley envisions expanding his offerings to include mentorship and training for creators and brands. He aims to scale Viralish by focusing on high-retention content and further integrating shoppable features.
Adley Kinsman [29:51]: "Doubling down on the work for brands, doubling down on TikTok Shop, and then personal brand trying to build community back."
He remains committed to helping others achieve viral success, emphasizing the fulfillment derived from transforming lives through his expertise.
Adley Kinsman [30:22]: "It's the most rewarding thing that I've ever done. You're changing lives because ... it absolutely changes their lives, changes their business."
Key Takeaways
Notable Quotes with Timestamps
Adley Kinsman [02:48]: "We have this unique superpower of being able to make pretty much anything go viral and get attention, whether it's on a roofer or a plumber or a thought leader."
Adley Kinsman [10:19]: "But this formula is damn good. It did 100 million views twice."
Adley Kinsman [15:20]: "TikTok Shop is going to be the next gold rush. ... we've seen six-figure payouts from a single 12-second video."
Adley Kinsman [19:53]: "The key to success is unleashing yourself. I do not think you should pick a niche. ... go wide first and then you can do whatever the heck you want."
Adley Kinsman [27:21]: "I want to be an example of family-friendly values and that you don't have to do that to have a successful career in entertainment."
Adley Kinsman [30:22]: "It's the most rewarding thing that I've ever done. You're changing lives because ... it absolutely changes their lives, changes their business."
Conclusion
This episode of Digital Social Hour provides invaluable insights into the art and science of creating viral content. Adley Kinsman’s journey from producing unconventional videos to mastering virality offers a roadmap for creators and brands aiming to amplify their digital presence. By combining psychological principles with strategic execution, Adley not only achieved remarkable personal success but also built a platform dedicated to empowering others to navigate and thrive in the ever-evolving digital landscape.
For those looking to delve deeper into these strategies or seeking mentorship, Adley directs listeners to visit his resources on Instagram and Viralish.com.
Connect with Adley Kinsman:
Thank you for reading the summary of Digital Social Hour Podcast’s episode “Viral Video Secrets: 100M Views Twice (FOMO) | Adley Kinsman Part 2 DSH #985.” Stay tuned for more insightful episodes designed to fuel your personal and professional growth in the digital age.