Random Thought #1
Should you even make videos like this?
Six seconds, static, no app mention, and a wall of text.
Now, I'd ask myself whether I can scale this format or beat whoever is already doing it in my vertical. You need tens of millions of views per month, maybe even per week, to make up for the low conversion rate to downloads.
Yet Bloom does it, and it works. But there are a few things to consider: the scale it requires, how much conversation you can create around the core topic, and how much comment hacking you can do by placing your app name in the comments.
They hit all three.
Say, "AI could do that" - indeed, yet I'm also always thinking about the cost of scaling so many accounts without real people behind them. You'd think it's easy, but it's not. Getting active U.S. accounts is hard, and community management matters too if the strategy lives in the comments section.
Should you use this strategy?
Probably not. Unless you can scale it enough to create that "everyone's talking about us" feeling.
For it to work, you need to own and dominate your segment. Airbuds did it. Bloom is doing it. Many have tried and failed.
Random Thought #2
There's this race now to the most what-the-f*ck objects, props, and gimmicks. You've seen it. We've talked about it. Why is it happening?
After format specialization (here from, Studley, StudyFetch, and half a dozen others), when it becomes harder and harder to compete, every little detail helps make the format stronger. Even that gets harder over time.
It's also clear proof of humanity. AI content still cannot really pull off those advanced gestures. Honestly, it still can't make great talking videos either, so that format still feels pretty safe.
Something I hear a lot is whether talking videos are the last moat of UGC.
I kinda think so. Theoretically, it makes sense. It doesn't mean other formats will stop working, but viewers will likely stop watching them once they know they're AI. Yes, the eye adapts (+ the novelty effect in content consumption).
Globally, AI slop is still spreading slowly. Right now, it mostly shows up in carousels. Maybe Gemini Omni and Seedance will make this scale, but I'm still not seeing that much when I scroll.
Generally though, an army of talking heads is still the way to go. But don't tell anyone. The more slop out there, the better it is for me.
If you decide to use AI, then at least be outrageously creative.
Don't make mid content because it won't work. I'm always shocked by people who think they can "automate" marketing. Marketing and distribution are not things you automate.
Scaling can be automated, at least partly, but creativity cannot. The moment everyone makes mid content, mid content stops performing (yet few seem to understand that).
These guys are smart with it.
They added a Zuko Airbender anime reference because a lot of those teenage fit boys already connect with that world (audience<>content<>product<>market<>fit). That's how you target a niche correctly. You deeply understand what the audience relates to, then build stories around it in a way that feels completely natural to them.
Random Thought #3
I'm shocked more people don't do this.
That video is a direct promotion for a physical book, yet it generated 4.1M views and 163K bookmarks. Some real ROI there.
Think about what's actually happening here. If you reverse the process, what we're really doing is telling stories, creating plots, and entertaining people. With a product like this survival book, you can literally start from the story itself and build the entire strategy directly around it.
This isn't new either. The best companies, like Apple, have always treated marketing as a core part of product creation ."Marketing is an equal member of the team creating our products, along with the engineering and operations team.".
Understand the distribution first, then build the product around it. You'll have a much easier time.
And your conversion rate will likely be dramatically higher than those extremely indirect formats where it goes from "my boyfriend is cheating" straight into "buy my hair fryer."
Beyond everything said here, the basics still work surprisingly well, huhu.
Those simple 101 hooks still perform. As long as the product hasn't been recycled a thousand times already, and you can bring some novelty into it, you'll probably be alright.
Start there, then slowly evolve into your own thing. Because over time, you realize that one viral moment does not equal long-term distribution. The real game is finding your edge within the edge and competing relentlessly.
Then once you figure that out, you move to the next one and keep going. It's an endless treadmill, and that's fine.
In the end, what really matters is your creativity and your ability to outcompete everyone else.