Why YOUR Videos Went Viral (#2)

Another in-depth look at my subscribers' online hits.

Hello, and welcome to the 7 new subscribers since my last article, How I'd Market Lin-Manuel Miranda's New Musical, Warriors. Today, I’m continuing a segment where I break down and analyze recent videos from all of YOU! It’s been deeply fulfilling to see some of my best practices put to use in the wild, and a relief to know I’m not completely full of shit over here.

In this edition, we’ll go under the hood of viral Instagram Reels from stand-up comedians Fabrizio Copano, Raye Schiller, and newly minted sketch duo Gabe Mollica and Alexis Gay, and explore ways to increase viewership for videos made by Eli Wilz and CK Steefel.

If you’d like to submit something for next time, feel free to reply in this thread with a link, or drop it in the comments below. The first section will be free, while the remainder will be available for paid subscribers only.

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ELI WILZ – TITANIC BIT

Eli from Madison, WI writes that the following Instagram Reel was, “not viral, but better than the rest of my reels comparatively. Would be interested in understanding why similar bits with a similar following fluctuate in response”. Let’s take a look.

eliwilz

A post shared by @eliwilz

Quick Stats (at time of writing):

• Followers: 1,295

• 6,322 Views, 307 Likes, 15 Comments, 17 Shares

• Like PCT: 4.9% | Comment PCT: 0.24% | Share PCT: 0.3%

• Video Length: 53 seconds

• Text Hook: TITANIC BIT

• Hashtags: #madison #standupcomedy #standupclips #titanic #movies #netflix #progressive #progressiveinsurance

Eli currently has 1,295 IG followers. Reaching nearly 5x his follow count with a Reel is a success in its own right, and a 5% Like PCT is no small feat, especially on Instagram.

But I would challenge him on his claim that this video did “better” than his other reels.

Let’s compare this video to the two jokes he posted most immediately afterwards:

What jumps out? (Data last pulled on 11/19/24)

This is a perfect example of why I’ll always encourage people to focus on engagement as a percentage of total views, rather than solely optimizing for total views.

The other two, “worse” jokes actually had higher Like, Comment, and Share PCTs.

They just didn’t scale.

The reason the Titanic Bit “did better” (received higher total reach), is because Eli included a text hook that helped strangers to stand-up comedy understand what they were watching (and even then, I think it could’ve been more compelling), and incorporated a completely different set of hashtags, which helped cast a wider net.

I first addressed this in one of my earliest articles, The Secret to a Viral Comedy Clip:

This is what elements like hashtags can offer.

They might get you more shot attempts, but a lot of them will be 35-foot heaves.

Unquestionably, hashtags like #netflix and #progressive have more of an audience on Instagram than #northcarolinacomedyfestival.

But are the people who follow any of those hashtags really in Eli’s desired audience?

Unless you want whichever 28-year-old running the @netflix or @progressive Instagram accounts to comment, “so true bestie”, I don’t see the purpose. And including too many of that ilk can come off a bit like an ad.

Going forward, Eli should explore more “audience interest” hashtags like #funny, #jokes, #comedy, and #standup, rather than hashtags related to brands in your joke.

That’s generally what Matt Rife does. Seems to be working.

I would also not close the video with that “Follow me on Instagram @eliwilz” overlay:

This reads a bit boomer-y. We’re already on Instagram, we know what your handle is.

Let us independently come to the conclusion that we want to see more of you.

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GABE MOLLICA & ALEXIS GAY

Gabe from New York, NY writes, “We’re making 1 of these a week in 2025. 4 of 7 are in the millions including one that’s at 10 million. Here’s a huge one, and then here’s a few that haven’t done as well but I think are just as good!”.

Let’s take a look.