⚠️ BEFORE USING THIS SKILL: Review all files in the

resources/

directory. These contain AI tell catalogs, platform templates, refinement protocols, and 40-source research basis required for proper skill execution.

• BuzzSumo: 100M headlines study → optimal length is 11 words/65 characters
• Outbrain: Negative superlatives outperform positive by 63%
• Netflix: 82% of browsing time on thumbnails, 1.8s decision window
• Face Psychology: +35-50% CTR with faces in thumbnails
• A/B Testing Research: 30-40% CTR improvement over time

resources/research-statistics.md

1. Generate initial draft
2. Attack it from audience perspectives
3. Identify AI tells and weak points
4. Refine with human voice
5. Repeat until unbreakable

"I think [CONCEPT] is the [YEAR] [CATEGORY] that [OUTCOME]."

• "I think" = personal conviction, not corporate announcement
• Year = creates FOMO and timeframe
• Category = helps reader self-identify
• Outcome = stakes that matter

"[TECHNIQUE] separates [WINNERS] from [EVERYONE ELSE]."

• Creates in-group/out-group
• Reader immediately picks a side
• Ego investment drives engagement

"What used to require [OLD COMPLEXITY] now [NEW SIMPLICITY]."

• Concrete efficiency gain
• "I had no idea" response
• Shareable stat

1. WHAT - Explain the concept (1-2 sentences max)
2. HOW - The mechanic with concrete examples
3. WHY NOW - The breakthrough that makes it possible
4. PAYOFF - What you can actually build/achieve

• Starting with "why it matters" before explaining "what it is"
• Generic benefits without specific mechanics
• Selling the sizzle before showing the steak

BAD: "Try it. Change my mind."  (beggy, engagement bait)
GOOD: "Your next [ACTION] shouldn't [OLD WAY]. It should [NEW WAY]."

• Ends on authority, not weakness
• Gives immediate actionable next step
• Mirrors the thesis in its structure

• ❌ "Here's the wild part:"
• ❌ "Here's the thing:"
• ❌ "Let's dive in"
• ❌ "But here's the kicker:"
• ✅ Direct statement with no transition needed

• ❌ "I'm excited to share"
• ❌ "This is a game-changer"
• ❌ "Revolutionary"
• ✅ Let the content create excitement

• ❌ Numbered lists for everything
• ❌ "First... Second... Finally..."
• ❌ "In conclusion"
• ✅ Prose that flows naturally

• ❌ "Change my mind"
• ❌ "What do you think?"
• ❌ "Let me know in the comments"
• ✅ Strong closer that doesn't ask for permission

• ❌ "Leverage"
• ❌ "Utilize"
• ❌ "Implement solutions"
• ✅ Plain verbs: use, try, build, ship

• ❌ Em-dash overuse — like this — everywhere (max 1 per 500 words)
• ❌ Paragraphs starting with "However," "Moreover," "Overall,"
• ❌ Pleonasms: "true fact," "end result," "close proximity"
• ❌ Tautologies: "collaborate together," "revert back"
• ❌ Uniform sentence lengths (all 15-18 words)
• ✅ Vary punctuation, sentence length, and structure

• Hot Take: [Contrarian Position]
• [Technique]: Why [Common Practice] is dead in [YEAR]
• The [category] technique that [concrete result]
• Stop [old behavior]. [New behavior] is the [year] meta.

• 200-400 words optimal
• Use bold for section headers sparingly
• End with TL;DR that's actually quotable
• Don't ask "what do you think?" - invite specific discussion

• r/MachineLearning: Technical, invite discussion, conservative claims
• r/ChatGPT: Practical, show the meta shift, power-user focus
• r/singularity: Hype-friendly, maximum viral coefficient
• r/LocalLLaMA: Add self-hosting angle
• Hacker News: "Show HN:" format, understate rather than overstate

1. Hook tweet (standalone viral potential)
2. "Here's how:" transition
3. 3-5 mechanic tweets
4. Payoff/result tweet
5. Call-to-action tweet

• Each tweet must standalone
• No "1/" numbering (algorithmic penalty)
• Use line breaks for readability
• End threads with something quotable

• Personal story + professional lesson
• "Unpopular opinion:" framing
• Contrarian take on industry norm
• Before/after transformation

• Pure promotional content
• Asking for engagement explicitly
• Hashtag stuffing

• Curiosity: "Most people don't know [surprising fact]..."
• Problem: "If you struggle with [problem], watch this..."
• Result: "I tried [thing] for [time]. Here's what happened..."
• Controversy: "This is why everyone is wrong about [topic]..."

• Keywords in first 3 words
• 5-10 words optimal
• Hashtags at end, not stuffed

• First frame visual hook
• Text overlay in first 2 seconds
• Pattern interrupt opening

• First slide: Hook with curiosity gap
• Middle slides: Value delivery
• Last slide: Quotable statement or CTA

• Curiosity: "Is this why your [metric] is stuck?"
• Personal: "[Name], noticed you haven't tried this"
• Value: "Get 2x [outcome] with one tweak"

• ❌ ALL CAPS urgency
• ❌ "Quick question" (when it's not)
• ❌ Emoji overload 🚀🔥💡

1. Read aloud test: Does it sound like a human talking to a friend at a bar?
2. Transition audit: Remove every "Here's the thing" type phrase
3. Enthusiasm check: Delete excitement language, keep exciting content
4. Specificity check: Replace every generic noun with a concrete example
5. Length check: Cut 20% - viral content is always shorter than the draft

• Hook strength: First sentence must create curiosity or stakes
• AI tells: Zero tolerance for blacklisted phrases (see

  resources/ai-tells.md

  )
• Word count: Platform-specific (Reddit: 200-400, Twitter: <280 per tweet)
• Specificity ratio: ≥1 concrete example per abstract claim
• Closer strength: Must end on authority, not request

• Optimizing your own content for maximum social reach
• Improving engagement for genuine value propositions
• Learning viral content mechanics for personal skill development
• Making AI-generated content pass hostile audience scrutiny

• Astroturfing or coordinated inauthentic behavior
• Spreading misinformation with viral mechanics
• Impersonating others' expertise or voice
• Engagement farming without substance

• Required: When promoting products/services you're paid for
• Recommended: When AI assisted in content generation
• Not required: For general content creation and ideation

• Reddit: Casual expert (bar conversation with someone smart)
• LinkedIn: Professional but not corporate
• Twitter: Punchy, fragmentary ok
• YouTube: Accessible, can be slightly more casual

• Overconfident = gets attacked in comments
• Underconfident = doesn't spread
• Target: Strong conviction + specific evidence

⚠️ CRITICAL: Titles determine 70% of content performance. Consult

resources/viral-titles.md

and

resources/title-formulas.md

for 50+ formulas.

• Optimal length: 11 words / 65 characters (BuzzSumo 100M study)
• Magic number: 10 performs best; odd numbers beat even
• Negative superlatives: +63% CTR vs positive (Outbrain)
• Specific numbers: $1,247 beats $1,000

⚠️ CRITICAL: Thumbnails drive 70%+ of video performance. Consult

resources/viral-thumbnails.md

and

resources/thumbnail-checklist.md

for design protocols.

• Face CTR boost: +35-50% (neuroscience: amygdala activation)
• Decision time: 1.8 seconds average (Netflix study)
• 82% of browsing time spent on thumbnails
• Custom thumbnails: 90% of top videos use them

• Face with clear expression (shock/surprise = highest CTR)
• Maximum 3 elements in frame ("Limit Your Lamborghinis")
• High contrast colors (test in dark mode)
• Text: 3-4 words max, bold sans-serif
• Mobile test (legible at 120px width)
• Title synergy (complement, don't duplicate)

I'm excited to share a revolutionary new productivity hack that will 
change your workflow forever. Here's the thing: most people waste hours 
on email. Let's dive into how inbox zero can transform your day. First, 
you batch process. Second, you use templates. Finally, you schedule 
check-ins. What do you think?

Email before noon is self-sabotage. Tested this for 3 weeks. No inbox 
until 2pm. My deep work hours went from 2 to 4+. That 7:47am Slack 
ping? Not your fire. Morning brain builds. Afternoon brain reacts. 
Flip the order and you're always playing defense. Two inbox windows: 
2pm and 5pm. Handles everything that actually matters.

• Removed enthusiasm tells ("excited to share", "revolutionary")
• Removed transition tells ("Here's the thing", "Let's dive in")
• Removed structure tells ("First... Second... Finally...")
• Removed engagement bait ("What do you think?")
• Added concrete metrics (3 weeks, 2 to 4+ hours, 7:47am)
• Used contractions ("I", "you're", "That's")
• Varied sentence length (4 words to 15 words)
• Strong conviction opener instead of hedged announcement