Measured Updated dailyMarkdown copy
Play the famous riff, then teach it
A viral culture and creative format on TikTok and Instagram
The tutorial opens with a few seconds of the instantly recognizable riff or song, then promises to teach it in under a minute.
3
accounts it worked for
7x
median, times their usual
#56
of 63 in culture and creative
Editing trick
Talking head
Why it works
The recognizable sound stops the scroll and proves the payoff before any explaining starts. Tutorials of famous beginner songs outperformed the same creators' niche song picks.
Hook formulaHave you heard this song? [play riff] I'll teach you how to play it in under a minute on [instrument].
How to make it
- 1Play 1-7 seconds of the iconic riff with no spoken intro
- 2Say you'll teach it quickly
- 3Show the notes or chords on screen and walk through them
Examples
Best first, one per account. Each links to the original post.
- @bennewportguitar
342K followers, TikTok
“I'm Yours Jason Mraz Day 6”
27x their usual views, talking head, music
- @mynameisnotdrewww
185K followers, Instagram
“have you heard this song?”
7.0x their usual views, talking head, music
- @mynameisnotdrew
746K followers, TikTok
“have you heard this song?”
5.2x their usual views, talking head, music
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How this is measured
- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.