TikTok ‘Axes of Virality’ Framework Behind 950M Faceless Views

PLUS: 15 Acquisition Channels I Discovered From Reading 479 Founder Interviews

TikTok ‘Axes of Virality’ Framework Behind 950M Faceless Views

Robin Dormion’s Instagram growth—from 440 to 10,000 followers in just 16 days—is a case study in structured virality.

This wasn’t driven by trends or guesswork. It was the result of a five-step system based on clarity of audience, data-backed content topics, recycled formats from proven creators, and one of the most effective early-stage CTAs in recent short-form content strategy.

The approach stems from his broader claim: generating 950 million views across TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram—many of them without ever showing his face.

Start with One Person and One Problem—Then Engineer Backwards

The foundational idea: you can't go viral by speaking to everyone. Robin starts by understanding who he is and who he’s trying to serve. He answers specific self-assessment prompts:

  • What do you possess that 99% of people don’t?

  • What have you done that 99% haven’t?

  • What can you offer that others can’t?

  • Who do you want to speak to—and how qualified are they?

From there, he uses what he calls the “burner account method.” He creates fresh TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube accounts, engages only with content from his niche (like “content creation” or “personal brand”), and lets the platform’s algorithm surface exactly what new users in that niche are shown.

He pays special attention to the type of content these users are “used to hearing,” so he can say or show something they’re not. This helps his videos stand out in a crowded feed.

Mine TikTok for the Content Ideas That Always Go Viral: Find Your 'Axes of Virality'

Once Robin understands his audience, he focuses on discovering what they consistently respond to.

He searches various terms related to his niche—“content creation,” “marketing digital,” “personal brand,” and “social media”—and looks for patterns in high-performing content. He records each repeatable theme in a Google Doc template he distributes via Telegram.

His identified axes of virality include:

  • “Four steps to make quality videos”

  • “Three things to do before posting a Reel”

  • “Best tools for creators in 2024”

  • “How to make money online with content”

  • “The truth about online courses no one tells you”

These are not just topics—they’re emotional triggers. Each hits a blend of desire (growth, money, credibility) and fear (missing out, wasting time, being wrong).

Robin suggests creators should build a library of 10 to 20+ axes like these and constantly rotate through them. Justin Welsh does a similar thing with his Content OS (Operating System) strategy.

Blend Three Viral Formats Into One to Lock in Retention: Find and Combine Viral Formats

Robin makes it clear: do not invent new formats. Instead, analyze what works for other creators and recombine them into something familiar but personalized.

The three specific formats he used as building blocks:

  1. The Daily Challenge Format

    • Inspired by: @tristan_vncnt

    • Format: “I’m documenting my journey to €100,000/month”

    • Function: Narrative stickiness—people come back to see progress

  2. Split-Screen Miro Board Explainers

    • Inspired by: @pashamoga

    • Format: Bottom half = speaking head; top half = live visuals on Miro

    • Function: High retention through visual engagement and annotation

  3. The Reaction Format

    • Inspired by: @alexhitchhns_off

    • Format: Reacting to a trending or controversial clip

    • Function: Hijacks relevance and attracts attention quickly

Robin's final format is a hybrid of all three:

  • Start the video by reacting to a viral video in his niche

  • Transition into daily progress toward a financial challenge (“365 days to earn €1 million”)

  • Use Miro to illustrate or explain the key insights or takeaways

He even tested inverting this by showing someone else reacting to him, or him reacting to someone else reacting to a topic—adding more viral “layering” to the structure.

Convert Views Into Followers with a Unique CTA

Robin's call to action isn’t “like and follow”—it’s a game mechanic. He uses a high-stakes challenge with a tangible reward:

“I have 365 days to earn €1 million—or I give €10,000 to one of my subscribers.”

The CTA appears in the first few seconds of the video. He shows his low follower count in the frame, which makes the reward feel realistic and attainable. It’s psychologically sticky:

  • The challenge creates narrative tension

  • The money adds reward value

  • The follower count adds urgency (“I might win”)

A key mistake other creators make is placing CTAs at the end of a video. The only viewers who stay that long are already converted.

Extract What’s Working and Reuse It in Every New Post: Systemize Content Formats

Robin reviews his own stats and finds that his top three performing videos—736k, 223k, and 181k views—all opened with the same core format: a reaction to a trending video.

He codifies this into a personal framework:

  • Hook: Start with a reaction

  • Structure: Insert either the challenge, Miro breakdown, or both

  • End: Show how far along he is in the €1M journey

  • CTA: Remind viewers of the €10,000 giveaway

This lets him avoid rebuilding from scratch each time. He can scale to 2–4 videos per day, with consistent structure and only rotating the content topic.

He emphasizes: the goal isn’t to chase virality every time. The goal is to build a branded, recognizable format that performs consistently over time.

After hitting 10,000 followers, Robin shifted from growth mode to authority-building.

He began creating podcast-style, longer-form videos—even though they earned fewer views. The goal was to gain credibility with a more specific audience: entrepreneurs and content creators with personal brands.

He openly states that he could reach 100,000 followers in 3–4 months if he wanted to—but he now prefers depth over scale. The strategy evolves from visibility → credibility → influence.

Robin's 7-step growth playbook:

  • Perform a personal audit: List your 99% edge—skills, experience, assets.

  • Create a burner account: Let TikTok show you what your audience sees.

  • Log your axes of virality: Write down 20 viral themes using search.

  • Steal format DNA: Combine the Challenge + Miro + Reaction models.

  • Build a CTA with stakes: Give viewers a reason to follow now, not later.

  • Track what works: Let your top-performing post dictate the structure of the next 10.

  • Evolve when ready: Growth is the first step. Authority is the long game.

This framework is grounded in data and execution, not theory. Robin Dormion’s results speak for themselves—but more importantly, his system is transparent enough for anyone to replicate.

Whether your niche is fitness, education, entrepreneurship, or entertainment, the same building blocks apply.

Hat Tip Robin Dormion for sharing his strategy in French. Merci beaucoup.

Top Tweets of the day

1/

Never has someone described Mr.Beast so well.

Context: If you are living under a rock, chatgpt "Coldplay scandal".

2/

Underrated hack: Build a utility Mac OS app that everyone uses daily and sell it on Set App. Set App already figured out distribution so they now distribute profits on usage.

3/

Keyword research > Blog quality

Lots of AI slop gets ranked because they've done the keyword research to fool Google.

Rabbit Holes

What’d ya think of today’s newsletter? Hit ‘reply’ and let me know.

Do me a favor and share it in your company's Slack #marketing channel.

First time? Subscribe.

Follow me on X.

More Startup Spells 🪄

  1. Silicon Valley's Russ Hanneman: Acquire’s $299 Branding Hack (feat. Cameo) (LINK)

  2. Milk Road Marketing Playbook: How a Crypto Newsletter Hit a 7-Figure Exit in Just 10 Months (LINK)

  3. How The Stock Insider, a Finance Newsletter, Weaponised Price Psychology (LINK)

  4. Negative Word of Mouth (LINK)

Reply

or to participate.