Breathquest: 📈20M+ Views, 100K Likes, 30+ videos

How this founder had one video do 20M+ views within a week of posting

A common misconception many founders have when trying to find their groundbreaking format is relying solely on TikTok’s search to spot viral formats. 99% of the time, this will only show you influencer brand deals with accounts that have millions of follower. The real viral formats are buried deep within your feed. You HAVE to put yourself in the shoes of your users. Consume the content they would consume. Only then will you uncover hidden formats that resonate uniquely with your niche audience.

Background 📓

Martin Maly created his first TikTok video for his meditation app on September 6th, 2024, and within less than a week, one of his videos had over 20 million views. This is a perfect example of how building for a niche user base can lead to exponential success. Martin knew this format would work because he had seen it go viral within a specific TikTok community. He noticed that TikTok users loved playing a game where they tried to hold their breath for as long as possible while a video played in the background. He also observed that these videos had incredible engagement, with players commenting their scores, trying to one-up each other, and sharing the videos with friends. With a few iterations and a consistent posting schedule, Martin was able to develop a formula that fueled growth for his meditation app, BreathQuest.

Here are some of his most successful videos and how he did it 👇:

🎬 How strong are your lungs: 20.6M Views, 376K Likes, 230K Shares

Hook: How strong are your lungs? 🫁💪

Format: Pacman looped video

Why this video worked:

• Games = inherently sharable content

• Large prompted question

• Clear logo positioning

🎬 What type of lungs do you have: 787K Views, 16K Likes, 900 Shares

Hook: “🫁 What type of lungs do you have? 🫁”

Format: Pacman looped video

Why this video worked:

• Humorous checkpoints: “athlete’s lungs”

• Clear CTA at the end of the video

• Uses original sound for very video

Key takeaways from BreathQuest💡

• Build around a trend

  Im not entirely sure if Martin built the app around the game or if he found that format after but either way it was based in a niche discovery.

• Believe in your format

  Martin knew this format would work so kept with it for 7 days until he found content market fit. Sometimes it takes a couple of days for the algo to push your videos to the right audience.

• People love games

  One of the key reasons this format is gold is because it’s an inherently viral format. People love competition and will always try to one up someone.

• Iterate until one sticks

  If you have strong reason to believe a format to work then keep the general idea while refining each video. You can play with sounds, compositions, and even captions.

What you can replicate from this format 💰

• Stay with a format for 7-12 days

  Post 3 times a week and give the algorithm enough time to push out your content to the right type of people. If you’re not seeing results after that time period then switch to the next.

• Don’t sell your product, sell entertainment.

  How could you gamify or create an entertaining experience for viewers. Give them enjoyment first, then include the CTA.

• Create videos with engagement in mind.

  In your ideal world what would you want people to comment on your videos? Them answering a question? Them relating to a situation?

Know a founder that could use some help creating content? Feel free to share!

That’s all I got for this one. If you have any other viral consumer products you want me to break down my DM’s are always open.

Cheers!

Nick 🤝