creator

How I fought my way to 1M organic views on my most viral Instagram reel 🧵

1. I hated making content 

I was an artist who never had fun going out, putting on an outfit and lip syncing my music to try and get attention. I felt like it was a drag. And I knew that if anything was going to happen, I’d need to be consistent. 

So it needed to be fun. 

🧵

musician + designer 🌟 ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎  ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ host /creator | follow → x.com/pasteleth

2. Working with what I had 

I had developed some skills in Blender over the last couple years and commissioned some other 3D artists (who were much better than me) to make a ton of 3D assets that I had in my head including my 3D character (GRLKRASH)

At the top of the year, @leopastel  started working with me on content strategy and knew that I already had some sick 3D assets. 

First, experimented with some performance videos. But I just never made enough of those to be consistent enough with producing engaging videos. 

After weeks of trying things, strategizing and hopping on calls — we came up with the idea of GRLKRASH dancing in the performance videos with me.

After a few tutorials, I found out how to make her dance and edit her into my videos next to me and make it look as real as I could. 

People reacted super positively and the videos were even more engaging than my solo performances videos. 

This was the very beginning. 🧵

4. Experimenting pt. 2

From here I struggled for weeks trying to get my 3D model set up to be able to animate in the software. 

I took courses, I read through the software’s official docs, I even reached out to the company directly. 

Eventually, a breakthrough would happen as @kevinonearth999 would connect me to someone that could help. 

Now I was ready to start producing content. 🧵

5. Trends + not reinventing the wheel

First we continued shooting our own videos and replaced me with GRLKRASH (3D), I was obsessed with the results. I was having fun. I was excited. 

After months of trial and error, I knew we were on to something special. 

But the engagement was modest to say the least. Just a few hundred views. 

Then it became clear to me that I could put her in ANY video on earth. 

Now I *really* started to have fun. 

I started exploring tiktok to find popular dance trends. 

The first video I made using this new idea was one I found of a popular TikTok dancer named JerseyyJoe. 

It got around 1K views on Instagram Reels. 

But the best part was how the video turned out. I sent it to Pastel immediately. His response was just excited as when I saw the video myself for the first time… “This IS a viral video”

Now, I could leverage viral internet trends that already exist and videos that have already been proven to be engaging. 

Now we KNEW we were onto something.

6. Consistency 

From here, I started producing and posting as many videos as I could as consistently as I could. 

I searched for more videos, Pastel sent me videos and told me about the most popular trends happening on the internet moment by moment, I had my partner (avid TikTok user) send me videos. 

And I just kept making them. And posting them. Twice a week. Then (eventually) every day. 

Then finally after months… something happened. 

After months of reaching just 1-2K people per video on Instagram, one video using “Apple” by Charli XCX from her super viral Album BRAT (song rec from Pastel) —- broke 10K. 

This was HUGE!!! 

We finally had a breakout moment. 

Then within 24 hours it got to 20K. 

Then 30K.

Then 50K. 

Then 100K.

Wow. This is INSANE. I’d never gone viral iml.

I thought for sure that was the top of how far it would spread. 

But it kept going…

Until a few days ago it reached 1 Million people on Instagram. Completely organically. 🧵

7. What’s next? 

Since then, the consistency hasn’t stopped. And I’ve had a few other breakout, mini-viral moments since then on other reels. 

And I’m having so much fun bringing my character to life, sharing her and the world she’s apart of with other people and strategizing new ways to go even crazier with @leopastel  . 

The limit doesn’t exist on how much content can be made, how much fun can be had and how many people we can reach on the internet.

Now, I’m working on finding ways to convert these views to community, longer term support, revenue and how to make even bigger viral moments on the internet. ⭐️

Join us for our next live conversation Thursday night on how we can find a sustainable path as artists 👇

Join us for our next live conversation Thursday night on how we can find a sustainable path as artists 👇

https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1zqJVYzdRQMGB

3. Streamlining & Experimenting 

I continued trying to post consistently while promoting my first single of the year “RIDE OR DIE” with these new mixed reality videos. 

Myself and GRLKRASH (3D) dancing / singing next to each other. 

But the process was SUPER long.

I had to shoot each videos with Pastel or with myself and my partner, style outfits for each, edit and match the lighting in Blender manually for each video, render each frame individually in Blender and compile it all in After Effects. 

Then render the full version out again. 

I just couldn’t keep up with the consistency I needed because of how complex the process was and most importantly — I wasn’t having fun. 

Then one day in one of our strategy calls, Pastel recommend a software that would change everything. It would allow me to produce tons of these mixed reality videos at once. With much higher and more consistent quality. 

Plus — the process would be much more fun. 🧵