How 2 Pre-Launch Apps Used ChatGPT-4o Ghibli Carousels to Get 60M TikTok Views

Two unreleased apps are quietly rewriting the TikTok growth playbook using an unexpected tactic: AI-generated carousels using ChatGPT-4o image generation model.

These image-first posts aren't just aesthetic novelties—they’re driving millions of views and building massive waitlists before the apps are even live.

In just under 2 weeks, this format has delivered over 41 million views across TikTok.

One app, Locked In (65.3k followers), pulled 3.1 million views in the last seven days alone.

Another, Grind AI (80.4k followers), hit 22.7 million views in 30 days. Both have no product available to download—yet they’ve already nailed the most elusive challenge in consumer apps: early traction.

This kind of performance is due to a mix of visual pattern-breaking, smart content loops, and a psychological tool marketers call the "pattern interrupt."

Locked In Pulled 3.1M Views in 7 Days using Ghibli Carousels

Locked In is a self-improvement app focused on habit formation. Think of it as a gamified version of your morning routine, complete with daily task streaks, a leaderboard, and a “celebration feed” where users post their small wins.

But what makes Locked In interesting isn’t just the product vision—it’s the distribution. The app has published dozens of carousels on TikTok, all using a Ghibli layout.

These carousels deliver punchy motivational advice and habit cues in image format so it specifically targets the kind of audience who would be interested in downloading such apps.

In the last 7 days, it did:

• 3.1 million views

• 121.2K likes

• 3.6K shares

• 17.6K bookmarks

• 142.9K total engagements

Their top-performing video got 5.2M views and 260K likes.

The visual format is doing the heavy lifting. Instead of battling for attention with faces, dances, or skits, the carousels stand out because they look like something you’d never expect to see in your feed.

That novelty—paired with emotionally resonant messages around discipline, identity, and personal growth—keeps viewers locked in.

They have a secondary account @lockedinapp2 that they use for testing new ideas and experimenting with different styles.

It'll be interesting to see its progress.

Ghibli Carousels Use Pattern Interrupt to Hijack Attention

This strategy hinges on something called a “pattern interrupt.” In behavioral psychology and marketing, this refers to any visual or structural break that disrupts a viewer’s mental autopilot and forces them to pay attention.

Most TikToks follow a predictable format: vertical video, music, talking heads. These Ghibli-styled image carousels break that mold completely. At a glance, they don’t even look like TikTok content. That’s the point. They hijack your scrolling instinct.

This is why the format is quietly outperforming traditional videos:

• It visually mimics a inspiring quotes, which signals value.

• It creates momentary confusion—"Is this a cartoon? A story in images?"

• It invites curiosity and triggers viewers to swipe through the carousel.

It’s not a gimmick—it’s a loop. Once you view one, you’re more likely to stop on the next. This visual signature becomes a form of brand recognition.

How Two Pre-Launch Apps Are Building Massive Waitlists Before the Product Exists

Both apps—Locked In and Grind AI—have no app on the App Store. There’s no paid media. No influencer campaigns. No press drops. Yet both are rapidly filling waitlists and building fanbases.

It’s a content-first go-to-market strategy.

Here’s why it works:

1. It creates demand before there’s even a product. These carousels position the app as already desirable because people associate high engagement with value.

2. It builds pre-qualified audiences. If someone bookmarks a motivational carousel or signs up from a waitlist CTA, they’re showing intent.

3. It serves as a real-time test for product-market fit. If your carousels about streaks, peer motivation, or habit tracking are hitting millions of views, that’s a signal you’ve hit a nerve.

Most early-stage founders wait until launch to go public. These apps show that you can reverse that: launch content first, then ship the product to meet the demand.

This is a fleeting hack so use it before everyone and their mom uses it. One guy already used a similar strategy to go viral on X.

This is a growth strategy that AI-native consumer startups can keep using as tools like ChatGPT-4o make this level of image quality and consistency available to anyone. Its easier now but it'll get harder to stand out when everyone starts using the same visuals on their TikTok.

Top Tweets of the day

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