Measured Updated dailyMarkdown copy
Lead with FREE at a costly place
A viral travel format on TikTok and Instagram
Make the free or nearly free options the hook, whether inside an expensive event or in an expensive city.
7
accounts it worked for
6x
median, times their usual
#20
of 63 in travel
Angle
Voiceover, Video, Talking head
Why it works
Budget-conscious viewers save the list straight away. 'Free' is the whole reason to watch.
Hook formula[N] free things at [expensive event/city]
How to make it
- 1Put FREE or 'nearly free' on screen first
- 2List the options with a countdown
- 3Remove friction in the caption, like 'no registration'
Examples
Best first, one per account. Each links to the original post.
- @modicumofjoy
84K followers, Instagram
“this is the biggest pumpkin patch in the Bay Area (Free to Visit)”
12x their usual views, video, destinations
- @lemaitravel
6K followers, TikTok
“A FREE Moon Festival near ATLANTA!?”
14x their usual views, video, destinations
- @kids.guide.nyc
12K followers, TikTok
“FREE Carl Schurz Park Harvest Festival Free Pumpkins+Art and Crafts+Live Music”
13x their usual views, voiceover, city guides
- @noms.brews.views
21K followers, Instagram
“these are the top nearly free things to do in Edinburgh”
7.2x their usual views, voiceover, city guides
- @emilyyyybuchtel
71K followers, TikTok
“Denver's Free Night at the Museum is BACK 🌃🏺”
4.6x their usual views, voiceover, destinations
- @fortworthlovelist
413K followers, Instagram
“10 FREE THINGS AT THE STATE FAIR OF TX”
3.3x their usual likes, voiceover, city guides
- @ellie_travel
14K followers, Instagram
“Free events in Seattle (For any age!)”
2.7x their usual views, talking head, city guides
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Get the MCPMore travel formats
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15 accounts, median 9x their usual
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9 accounts, median 23x their usual
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10 accounts, median 10x their usual
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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
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.