How Viral Videos Can Shape Your Next Ad Creative (Seriously)

Hey friend,

We really enjoy diving in and cracking the code behind videos that actually take off.

At Brick, we don’t just scroll past viral content, we study it.

Steal our process and how we break it down 👇

🔍 Hook Dissection

We analyze what grabs attention in the first 3 seconds. That could be a bold visual, a relatable audio cue, or a text overlay that stops the scroll.

Sometimes it’s a guy in a suit talking like a sommelier. Other times, it’s women jokingly swirling wine like they’re auditioning for The Real Housewives.

Steal this: Make a Google Sheet, add columns like the ones below and get to analyzing viral videos in your niche on Instagram Reels and/or TikTok.

Here’s an example from one of our clients we did for a curly hair product:

💬 Comment Mining

We also dive deep into the comments to understand sentiment.

Are people tagging friends? Are they laughing, sharing, or hitting “I need this”? That tells us more than the view count ever could.

Steal this: Get inspiration from comments. Add rows to your sheet of Top Comment 1 and Top Comment 2. Look for patterns or for potential new video ideas from these.

Here’s what we pulled for that same hair product example:

I immediately think of 2 possible ads that can come from those:

1. The first can be a skit about how someone is sad they can’t use the product on their straight hair (literally acting out the comment in a new ad).

2. The second example can be another skit about someone who has actually mastered the game of curls (this could be shown and amplified in various ways, or be as simple as a guy walking around with other curly haired men looking envious at him/asking him questions about how he got there).

🎯 Visual Patterns

We track what looks native to the platform, not what looks like an ad. The goal is to match the vibe before we add the pitch.

We call these chameleon ads. We want to study virality as these videos often look organic and native to the platform. This immediately gets our ads past the first screen people have when scrolling to check if it’s an ad or not (hence the name chameleon).

First we study what works organically with virality, then we take what’s working and remix it with product USPs and direct-response CTAs, so the end result feels like content but sells like a machine.

It’s virality plus conversion. 🤑 

🎁 Bonus: How to Boost Views + Engagement

Once your research is done and your planning videos, here are a few more ways to pour extra gas on the fire:

🔥 Raise the Stakes

Film in public. Add a challenge with a consequence if you fail. Viewers stay longer when they feel the pressure.

This increases watch time and immediately pulls people into the video.

You want to keep people’s attention once you grab it, but if you tee them up at the start with a conclusion they must see, it gives you a bit of wiggle room to talk a bit more about the product throughout the video.

😬 Do Something “Wrong”

Say a word incorrectly. Use a product backwards. These trigger comment storms, and the algorithm loves the extra chatter.

Some brands would never do this… We love the ones that do and they love us for helping them get more sales leveraging these tools.

I’m a foodie, and often see videos of people biting tacos straight from the middle. This is the kind of stuff that grabs attention and gets people talking.

Don’t be afraid to get a little goofy and think of ways to do things a bit unconventional.

💬 Reply to Comments with Questions

Don’t just say “thanks.” Ask something back.

Meta and Instagram prioritize longer threads and conversation, not just sentiment. Whether the vibe is positive or critical, it still lowers your CPMs and boosts reach.

If someone has a strong take, lean into it and ask them more questions about it. Continue to spark conversations and comments to help fuel performance even further.

Alright, I think that’s enough special sauce for you today. Steal these tactics and ideas and watch your video performance start to improve more and more over time.

TL/DR: Analyze what works organically (find the patterns) then add in your product USPs and a clear CTA. Get conversations happening in the comments and watch your performance improve and your CPMs drop.

That’s it for now!

Back in your inbox next week.

- Tony

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