# Slip fake entries into a real list

A gaming format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/gaming/slip-fake-entries-into-a-real-list

Put deadpan fake items, such as invented heroes, future games or a made-up product, into otherwise real content and never point them out. It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 55x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Green screen, Slideshow.

## Why it works

Viewers rush to the comments to correct the fakes or ask whether they're real. Gamesdotgg, jacobm.stevens and jampacksam each hide absurd entries inside useful or believable content.

## How to make it

1. Build a normal ranking, deals list or product announcement
2. Add one or two plausible but fake items
3. Don't acknowledge them and let commenters catch them

## Hook formula

[Real-sounding list or announcement] with [fake entry] hidden inside

## Examples

- @jampacksam (20K followers, Instagram green screen): 79x their usual likes. Hook: “XBOX” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DefA4sXhMzs/)
- @jacobm.stevens (225K followers, TikTok green screen): 33x their usual views. Hook: “Best Deals During Steam Autumn Sale (A LOT under $5)” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@jacobm.stevens/video/7691772908875549983)
- @gamesdotgg (51K followers, Instagram slideshow): 55x their usual likes. Hook: “Every Deadlock hero ranked by pick rate” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DfA3R5njXVI/)

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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