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Hey - moussari here,
I haven’t sent an email in months.
Not because I had nothing to say, but because I’ve been DEEP in the trenches.
And for that, I apologise.
But after countless sleepless nights studying, and intimate stares with my coffee mug,
I have found a pattern.
Every viral video, regardless of the niche, uses the exact same psychological principle:
Contrast
What is contrast?
Well, your brain is a prediction machine - it constantly predicts what should happen next.
When a piece of content violates that prediction, it creates a prediction error that must be resolved - so the viewer keeps watching.
The bigger the prediction error, the bigger the curiosity to keep watching.
Let’s see what this look like in action:
EXAMPLE 1
HOOK: “This is the exact same video but the second time I posted it, it got 11 times more views, and the reason has nothing to do with the video itself“
Expectation: “if the same video is posted twice they should perform similarly“
Violation: “The same video was posted twice, and there was a significant view difference“
Prediction Error: “How is that possible?”, “If it’s not the video content, what else can it be?” “How could it get more views after it was reuploaded?”
Now, Mr & Mrs. viewer HAVE to keep watching to resolve that tension.
Let’s look at another example, shall we?
Example 2
HOOK: “Why is Sam Sulek doing half reps? Is this actually effective for muscle growth? Wouldn’t a full range of motion be smarter? Actually, the latest science says Sam is onto something.“
Expectation: “Half reps are lazy, full reps are better. Pro bodybuilder should know this best“
Violation: “This body builder is purposely doing half reps, science backs it up.“
Prediction Error: “Wait, have I been doing it wrong?" "Should I be doing half reps?”
The bigger the gap between the expectation, and the reality - the bigger the pull to keep watching.
See you soon :)
- moussari
