# Live counter or timer stays in frame

A gaming format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming/live-counter-or-timer-stays-in-frame

Keep a persistent scoreboard, price tally or stopwatch on screen for the whole video. It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 11x their usual reach. Type: Editing trick. Seen as: Screen recording, Talking head.

## Why it works

The running number creates stakes and a reason to watch to the end. It works for matches, builds and puzzle races.

## How to make it

1. Add the counter from the first second
2. Update it with every score, part or round
3. Save the biggest number or the reveal for the end

## Hook formula

[Challenge], Total [cost/score/time]: starts at zero.

## Examples

- @playqb54 (86K followers, Instagram screen recording): 670x their usual likes. Hook: “FIRST TO 54” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DedSKEWNB9U/)
- @lt_times (16K followers, TikTok talking head): 12x their usual views. Hook: “Oct. 30” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@lt_times/video/7702806504407043342)
- @linustech (1.4M followers, TikTok screen recording): 7.7x their usual views. Hook: “Total Cost: $0” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@linustech/video/7689920996253469973)

More gaming formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in gaming, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Gaming")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Gaming")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## 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.

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