Hey Reader,

I ran a little experiment on Instagram.

One video, filmed outside in Dubai. Same clip, same caption, word for word.

The only thing I changed was the red text hook on top.

And the difference wasn't small.

The setup.

Here's exactly what I did, so you can copy it:

• One video. I didn't change a single frame.
• One caption. "Stop using Claude in…" on every version.
• Four text hooks. That's the only thing that was different.
• Posted as Trial Reels. Instagram shows those to people who don't follow you yet, so your followers don't see the same video four times.

The result.

• "Claude fans will hate what ChatGPT just did": 4,201 views
• "They don't want you knowing this about your ChatGPT subscription": 1,918 views
• "Every coach paying for Claude needs to see this": 329 views
• "Stop using Claude in your business, seriously": 189 views

The best version got about 22x the views of the worst one.

Literally everything was the same, frame-by-frame!

It's like two shops selling the exact same stuff with different signs over the door. Most people decide from the sign whether they walk in at all.

Stop fixing the wrong thing.

Here's the thing: when a reel flops, the natural move is to blame the video.

So you re-film it. Or you spend another evening editing it.

And honestly... a more polished edit won't save it. Simple beats polished. Every time, the edited version gets fewer views (trust me, I tried and tried).

Your old videos aren't dead either.

One of my clients had trial reels sitting at about 100 views.

She moved them to her feed, and they became her top posts. 🤯

Same videos, nothing re-filmed or reposted at all.

Run it yourself.

1. Pick one video you already posted that didn't do well.
2. Write 3 or 4 new text hooks for it. Change nothing else.
3. Post each version as a Trial Reel.
4. Give them a few days, compare the views, and move the winner to your feed.

Of course, I do this automatically through The Attention Machine.​

But it only takes you a few minutes per video you do by hand.

What not to do.

Listen, I get this question a lot.

What if I flip my video? What if I speed it up?

Let me say this loudly for the people in the back: do not try to trick Instagram.

Meta has become a major player in AI, and I tried outsmarting it.

it doesn't work.

Test the hook. Leave the video alone.

Try this on one video this week and hit reply.

Send me your hooks and the numbers. I want to see which one won!

Talk soon,
Rob

P.S. I just launched an AI content community, exclusively for coaches and consultants. This is very early and it will take a few weeks to get it up and running. But the first 10 spots get in for $97/mo locked-in for life. This is NOT for you if you don't already run a business. Reply "I'M IN" if you want to join.