11-second video played for 1088 hours

This week, I had a post blow up.

It's been watched for 1,088 hours so far.

But the crazy part is that the video is only 11 seconds long.

It's using a pretty ordinary video of my truck pulling out of a parking spot and driving away.

So, why does it have 529,350 views and counting?

Let's break it apart so you can steal the format and make your own version.

Here is the video I'm talking about. (watch here then come back)

The funny thing about the actual video portion is that it's old footage from years ago.

I didn't come up with an idea and then shoot it. I came up with an idea and then found footage to match it.

Today is not about editing video. It's about copywriting.

It's about taking an idea and structuring it in an easily repeatable format. (I think it's more important than the video footage)

It's called the HRR format.

H - Hook

R - Retain

R - Reward

If you really boil down this format, this is what you are saying:

1. "Hey, I'm about to tell you something interesting."

2. Then, tell them.

It’s not rocket science, but it works really well, and a lot of people totally miss the mark.

Here’s how it works:

The hook is the big idea of the content, like a newsletter headline, "Man Walks on the Moon".

It’s by far the most important part of this whole thing. If they don’t read the hook, or "headline", then the rest of the content is useless.

The hook provides context about what the video is about, piques people's curiosity, and clearly outlines the value of the content.

The hook can be text, audio, or visual. In this case, I used text and then had a voice read the text out loud to make it even more engaging.

My hook was "Legally Driving my 'illegally' Imported Kei truck". It sounds like a secret that I'm revealing.

I used "illegally" and "legally" on purpose. Opposites cause confusion and make people curious. It makes you want to learn what I mean.

Then, I use another hook to back up the first one. “I found a loophole…”

Think of it as a sub-headline in a newspaper. It adds a bit more context and draws you in even further.

I wrote six versions of the hook before I settled on this one. It's that important. I wanted it to be as few words as possible and still get the point across.

Then, halfway through the video, I prompt people to "Learn how in the caption"

This is where it transitions into the Retain section.

The Retain section is all about keeping attention. This section is formatted in one of three ways:

A list, a series of steps, or a story. This part is very simple to write.

I went with a little story.

Each sentence is short and simple and is double-spaced.

All you are doing is explaining what you mean. Nothing fancy here.

Writing like this makes it easier to read, and viewers are more likely to read this than a giant block of text.

That’s why I write this newsletter as I do.

It draws the reader in and keeps them reading further into the text.

Now comes the reward section. It’s less of a section and more about ensuring that you deliver on the promise that you made in the hook.

If I teased a loophole (the value) that I found and then never told you what it was, you’d be pissed, right?

The reward or the “payoff” needs to satisfy what you promised in the hook. Make a promise; keep a promise.

Don't promise someone five tips for washing their car and then only give them four.

Now, for the overall format of this video, I like to call it a “More In Caption” style video. They are simple to create.

I see them mostly in business and marketing content. But I think there is an opportunity for automotive content creators to jump on the bandwagon too.

They are great for informational or “how-to” style content.

These are 5-10 second videos paired with a long caption.

The ninja part of this format is that they get watched over and over again while the text in the caption is being read.

Because the video is playing multiple times by the same viewer, it signals to Instagram that it is valuable content and pushes it to more people.

Check out how many of the views are replays. It’s a big chunk.

Here’s how you can steal this format:

1. Choose a topic where you can teach something. A “secret” thing. (a process, idea, technique, or method)

2. Find a way to frame it with opposites. Get creative.

3. Create an on-screen hook “headline” and a sub-headline for the first line in the caption.

4. Talk about it using a list, steps, or a story.

5. Find a 5-10 second video that pairs with the hook (shorter is better).

6. Find some audio that works well with it (trending audio if possible).

7. Post it.

This post took me 20 minutes to make and has resulted in over half a million views and gained me hundreds of followers.

Give this a shot. It’s a fun and easy way to whip up good content.

Tag me in the post, I’d love to see what you come up with. - @sammweb

Sam “drives on the opposite side of the car” Webster

P.S. I recently found a guy building an engine in his dorm room and his account is blowing up. I’m going to pull apart his content and see if I can come up with a simple way to replicate it. I’ll be sharing this soon.