Measured Updated dailyMarkdown copy
Dismiss the famous pick, push the lesser-known one
A viral travel format on TikTok and Instagram
Name the obvious, overdone or famous option in the hook, then position your lesser-known alternative as the better choice.
15
accounts it worked for
9x
median, times their usual
#1
of 63 in travel
Angle
Talking head, Voiceover, Slideshow
Why it works
Naming the famous option sets the benchmark, so the alternative feels like insider knowledge. Posts using it often hold back the real name for a few seconds.
Hook formulaEveryone knows [famous A], [famous B] and [famous C], but here's [your pick]
How to make it
- 1Quote or list the famous or default choices
- 2Say yours is less obvious, cheaper or better
- 3Reveal the alternative after a short delay
Examples
Best first, one per account. Each links to the original post.
- @livelohy
8K followers, TikTok
“The best travel experience you've never heard of”
35x their usual views, green screen, budget travel
- @sandras.world
18K followers, TikTok
“WHERE TO GO INSTEAD: MEXICO EDITION less touristy travel recommendations”
42x their usual views, talking head, budget travel
- @lyndseaaa
27K followers, TikTok
“5 places in the US that deserve a spot on your bucket list”
48x their usual views, talking head, budget travel
- @loveandlondon
250K followers, TikTok
“OVERHYPED VERSUS UNDERRATED FESTIVE LONDON EDITION”
15x their usual views, voiceover, city guides
- @travelandsqueak
26K followers, Instagram
“London: what to skip and where to go instead”
12x their usual views, voiceover, city guides
- @thetravelsquadfamily
147K followers, Instagram
““Oh, you’re going to the Bahamas, enjoy Nassau!””
9.1x their usual views, video, luxury and hotels
- @journeyswithkris
104K followers, Instagram
“SKIP THE MAASAI MARKET IN NAIROBI, KENYA”
11x their usual views, talking head, city guides
- @luxurytravelermedia
431K followers, Instagram
“The most luxurious hotel group in the world isn't Aman And you've probably never heard of them”
8.5x their usual likes, slideshow, luxury and hotels
- @jackwithawap
4K followers, TikTok
“Noosa is great and all, but let me introduce you to Perigian Beach (a 10 minute drive from Noosa, more local and dare I say even nicer)”
10x their usual views, slideshow, budget travel
- @alexlaurenceco
59K followers, Instagram
“everyone knows about St Barths, Aspen and the Maldives for a winter”
6.3x their usual views, green screen, luxury and hotels
- @little.welch.travelers
394K followers, Instagram
“3 Places to travel with your kids FOR FREE (and the last one will SHOCK you! 🤯)”
4.6x their usual views, talking head, luxury and hotels
- @lucy.explores_
5K followers, TikTok
“Is this NSW version of the Whitsundays??”
8.8x their usual views, video, budget travel
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Get the MCPMore travel formats
- Place name held back until the last seconds
15 accounts, median 7x their usual
- Google Earth zoom drops into the place
9 accounts, median 23x their usual
- One-second cuts under a single text hook
12 accounts, median 9x their usual
- Credential line before your personal verdict
11 accounts, median 10x their usual
- Day-by-day itinerary with every stop labeled
10 accounts, median 10x their usual
- Hours-from-a-big-city anchor in the hook
9 accounts, median 8x their usual
- Outsider's nagging question answered by showing
8 accounts, median 10x their usual
- Unknown spot pitched against famous one
6 accounts, median 23x their usual
- Shockingly low price in the opening text
9 accounts, median 7x their usual
- Urgent warning with the exact workaround
9 accounts, median 6x 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.