YouTube tactics

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.

On YouTube Shorts and TikTok (no ManyChat), cut the video shorter with no CTA and pin a comment: 'There's many apps you can use to do this, but the one I use in the video is called Payout.' Viewers search it on the App Store. Tried 'click my profile / link in bio' on YouTube and people didn't do it. CTAs reduce retention on these platforms.

Jack found an Instagram post with ~1M views: four pictures with a funny caption listing 'most attractive hobbies'. He remade it with hobbies from his app, using pictures of the app's widgets so viewers could tell where they came from, and a new caption. He posted it ~400 times over about a year across two accounts and reposts to TikTok and Shorts. Roughly every 20th video had the app itself in one of the pictures. He posted a download CTA as a comment and pinned it early, because thousands of commenters argued about the hobby lists and in the process saw the pinned comment. He never changed the format because making something new takes more effort than reusing what works.

Make many organic creator videos (multiple creators, multiple hook styles), then put the platform minimum behind each one rather than judging by organic views, since good videos sometimes flop on timing or the algorithm. TikTok: ~20 creatives at the $20 minimum each, can switch off after ~$5; Meta: 30-40 creatives at ~$1 each since it is easier to duplicate. Judge within hours on top-of-funnel clicks only: most get 0-2 clicks, one gets 5-20. Keep spending on that one to see whether it was a fluke, then track it down to purchases and make variations (change the first or last second). Mid-virality videos (top 25%) often convert better than the most viral, clickbaity ones. For a $5K starting budget he'd spread it over as many hypotheses as possible, aiming for 100 variations, and compress '500 videos' of learning into a week. Test the same creative across Google, YouTube, Meta and TikTok; one platform can give 2x results.

Applicants come in via a Typeform linked to a CRM. Course modules: getting started, warm-up playbook, creating content, content bank examples, content policies, account management, next steps, resources, bonuses. Each module is an engagingly edited video of the founder talking with examples (how to edit, how to introduce the app so it converts). A quiz ends every module to quality-check completion. Creators start brand-new accounts. 1,000+ creators onboarded; 200+ active at once.

For every viral format: idea, details, example videos, audios, and a line-by-line script where each line has the emotion to portray (sarcastic tone, eye roll) and the shot (long, medium, close-up). Founder films example videos herself for creators to copy. Formats include fake recruiter-call skits and talking heads.

Treats revenue = views x conversion rate, and total views = creators x videos per creator x posts per video (platforms) x views per post; pushes every variable up daily. Creators post on fresh US accounts (no followers needed) and cross-post each video to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube Shorts. Scaled from ~10 creators to 25 in the initial ramp and 85 now, ~300 posts/day.

Reached the Skibidi Toilet creator (DaFuq!?Boom!) early, at ~5M subscribers, and built a game with him on a 50/50 split. His audience followed a saga of characters but could only watch it; the game let them enter that world. He made one YouTube Shorts promotion; word of mouth did the rest. Good fits have an inside joke or a universe the game can extend, and comments that show a real community rather than follower count.

Instead of paying 5-10 creators to post twice a day, give up to 50,000 regular users everything: the assets, what to say and the description. They only curate their account and post on schedule, and get paid for every view. Brands set the CPM, usually from their target cost per install. With 100,000+ posts a day, something hits; if not, analytics show why and small tweaks to text, picture or first seconds can turn 1,000 views into 10M. Noise runs its own growth this way.

Met creator Casper (life-hack/savings finance content) through a mutual connection and partnered with him for equity on an app built specifically for his audience. Casper owns the content format: scripted skits that end in an app demo, a hard integration rather than a subtle mention. He posts often with no per-post fee because both own the app. Connor uses a different creator partner for each app, with terms that depend on the creator's size and how complex the app is. Pitch: creators on brand deals and affiliate links have unstable income and want to own something with value. Once his apps made enough, he switched to paying creators and keeps equity only for creators who can also run distribution/UGC.