Measured Updated dailyMarkdown copy
Second character voices the beginner's mistake
A viral tech and ai format on TikTok and Instagram
Use two characters, where one plays the beginner who makes the mistake or voices their doubts and the other corrects them, to carry a technical tip.
3
accounts it worked for
12x
median, times their usual
#21
of 26 in tech and ai
Editing trick
Skit, Talking head
Why it works
The dialogue voices the exact fears or oversights beginners have, which makes dry settings or hardware tips funny and relatable. Insiders also enjoy recognising the mistake.
Hook formulaThe BIGGEST [niche] mistake... [two-person scene].
How to make it
- 1Set up a beginner character with a costly mistake or an intimidated question
- 2Have the second character call it out and explain the fix step by step
- 3Land the fix with a punchline or a clear result
Examples
Best first, one per account. Each links to the original post.
- @dan_kam_you_know
211K followers, Instagram
“The BIGGEST PC gaming mistake...”
29x their usual views, skit, setups and gear
- @cap_labss
138K followers, Instagram
“Why your "white" RGB actually looks blue”
12x their usual views, talking head, setups and gear
- @gg.sheed
388K followers, Instagram
“How to Build Your FIRST Homelab Getting Started”
10x their usual views, talking head, setups and gear
Your post here and want it removed? Email [email protected].
This is the preview. Start a free trial for the full library.
The full library has every post, format and hook in tech and ai, 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.
For AI agents
Start a free trial, add this MCP server to your agent (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex), then ask it for what’s working or make this request:
Get the MCPMore tech and ai formats
- Label the product one model ahead
11 accounts, median 10x their usual
- Default setting is secretly spying on you
7 accounts, median 19x their usual
- Show the finished result in second one
8 accounts, median 11x their usual
- Settings to change on a brand-new device
4 accounts, median 45x their usual
- Saveable flashcards you'll want to screenshot
4 accounts, median 30x their usual
- Five quick tricks inside one daily-use feature
3 accounts, median 84x their usual
- Open with the tool builder's credentials
3 accounts, median 82x their usual
- Whole cheat sheet visible from second one
6 accounts, median 8x their usual
- Custom animated mockup for every list item
3 accounts, median 54x their usual
- Gate the prompts or links behind a one-word comment
3 accounts, median 51x their usual
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.