# Stages the other person goes through

A relationships and dating format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/relationships-and-dating/stages-the-other-person-goes-through

A numbered, chronological map of what the ex or dumper is secretly thinking, so viewers stay to find which stage they are in. It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 17x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Talking head, Video.

## Why it works

Sabrinabendory's '7 stages the dumper goes through' works on both TikTok and Instagram, and mackenzieherman's ghoster timeline follows the same path. Anxious dumped viewers want to see inside the other person's head.

## How to make it

1. Pick the other person in the conflict (the dumper, the ghoster)
2. Lay out their mindset as ordered stages
3. Open with the painful truths first
4. Finish with a turning point or a reality check

## Hook formula

[Number] stages the [dumper/ghoster] goes through after [event]

## Examples

- @sabrinabendory (212K followers, TikTok talking head): 94x their usual views. Hook: “7 stages the dumper goes through after a breakup” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@sabrinabendory/video/7700590660335783199)
- @luna.rivers1 (4K followers, TikTok video): 27x their usual views. Hook: “how long it actually takes a man to feel it after no contact. it's not week 1.” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@luna.rivers1/video/7704902848676498702)
- @mackenzieherman (151K followers, TikTok talking head): 2.7x their usual views. Hook: “The Relief Wears Off When the break up finally hits them 😢💔😔” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@mackenzieherman/video/7696962518081654030)

More relationships and dating formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/relationships-and-dating.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in relationships and dating, 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: "Relationships and dating")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Relationships and dating")` 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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