Instagram marketing tactics

While scrolling the couples niche, Jack saw a competitor's video going viral on TikTok showing a lock-screen-style shared drawing. He turned Lovely's existing shared whiteboard into a 'presentation mode' in a day and started posting the next day: 8-10 second videos of him using the app, ending on the app itself, with native-sounding captions ('tag the one', 'may this type of love and care find you'). Went from 2 to 3 posts a day on TikTok, then posted the same videos on Instagram. He didn't analyze why it worked: 'if it's going viral for them, I can make it go viral for me.'

Every video ends with 'Comment "app" and I'll send you the link.' A Manychat automation replies to each 'app' comment with a DM ('Hey there, please click the button below to receive the link') containing a direct store link. A one-word comment is easy, and a wall of 'app' comments makes others join in. The main point is engagement: the comment flood signals Instagram to push the video; the direct link also removes the search step.

Posted the same format up to 9 times per day on Instagram. On TikTok, raising post volume after a 700K-view video dropped views to ~5 per video, so they doubled down on Instagram.

Methods first launched as 'the UGC marketplace app' and few people joined: 'what is UGC?'. It was reframed as the new way to make money online. Every gig or side hustle (dropshipping, crypto, UGC) is presented as a 'method', and the pitch is that anyone can make money. It targets people who want side income, not existing creators.

Search Instagram/TikTok for niche terms (gym, self-improvement, day in the life), open each creator profile, paste the template DM, send, repeat. Each account hits a rate limit around 100 DMs/day, so run multiple sender accounts; buy 1,000+ followers for each and get it verified so it looks legitimate. Team sent 500+ DMs/day at peak; 5,000-10,000+ creators contacted in total.

Scraped creator email addresses from Instagram bios (creators list them to get work). Loaded 1,000 Gmail accounts into a shared inbox; an internal script sends 10-30 emails per account per day, used in bursts when more creatives are needed. VAs handle replies ('Yes, I'm interested') and move them down a diagrammed flow: VA emails back with a video pre-recorded by the founder, then moves them to Telegram. Built in-house over years; guest calls it 'a little bit black hat-y'. Host notes Instantly/Smartlead and creator-list platforms now do this.

Only one format, no deviation: (1) an absurd AI-generated image as the hook with a prank caption (e.g. 'Pranking my dad, I cooked his koi fish'); (2) screen recording of generating it in the app, with a big loading screen showing the Halo AI name and logo for ~2 seconds as the only call to action; (3) a screen-recorded text conversation with the pranked person that builds up to a twist/payoff. Mostly pranks. A good format must be viral, repeatable and convert. Sounds matter; hashtags don't affect reach.

Brands paying a creator effectively fund format experiments. Gelato (print-on-demand) booked ~5 videos; the best got ~1M organic views (24K likes). A week later Casper reused the exact hook and structure for Payout, changing only the number: 'Watch me make up to $900 in just 30 seconds. First I go to Google and search class action... or an easier way could be using an app where you select a bunch of companies you've used... Here's up to $500 from T-Mobile, 250 from Mitsubishi, and 147 from Cash App... Just comment claim and I'll send you the app.'

When the pure how-to format dried up, Casper made a skit: 'Hey Temu, is it true that I can make $1,000 from your lawsuit?' / 'Yeah, and some people can make up to $5,000.' / 'How can I apply?' / 'Fine, but you didn't hear this from me.' The 'company' character then walks through the steps: 'First, you go to this app, find the Temu lawsuit... click claim... fill out a simple form... Just comment claim and I'll send you the app.' Skit is the first ~30-40%, the rest is how-to. Swap in any sued company.

End Instagram videos with 'Just comment claim and I'll send you the app.' ManyChat auto-DMs the App Store link to everyone who comments; the unread DM notification pushes them to open it. On the how-to video ~13,000 people requested the link.

Used ChatGPT to make a one-page HTML site (runify.xyz) with a one-sentence pitch and rank images. Two options: pay $5 via a Stripe link to become an 'early adopter' (lifetime subscription once live) or join the email waitlist. All Reels traffic pointed there.

Format: on-camera reaction (hand over mouth, OMG) with a text hook, then straight into the app on a phone on a table. Text hook adapted from another niche's 'I've been doing X for Y years and now I find out about this': 'I've been solo traveling for 2 years and now I find out about this [facepalm]'. Voiceover shows planning activities with nearby solo travellers and the chat. End with a specific personal detail ('Where was this when I had the most unsocial hostel in Thailand?') so it feels real and not like an ad. Creators run variants such as 'Imagine being scared of solo traveling when this literally exists', reacting while sipping a drink and winking.