Andrew recently launched a TikTok account and hit 3 million views and 25,000 followers in just two weeks. This post shares the viral content strategy behind that result for anyone looking to grow a social media following. Having built an audience of over 240,000 across LinkedIn, X, and email, the author developed a theory that the principles of virality apply universally across all social media platforms. This post shares the results of testing that theory on TikTok, along with 9 core principles to help readers build their own social media audiences.
1. Events and Opportunities Worth Knowing About ✨
Andrew highlights a range of useful events and opportunities for readers. In New York, several gatherings are planned across February and March 2026, including a founder showcase, a breakfast club, and dinners. He also encourages attendance at the HumanX AI Conference in San Francisco, running April 6–9. 🌉
In Austin, Texas, a private dinner for CEOs is scheduled for March 12–15 during SXSW at a private mansion, and a Secret Garden Party—which draws thousands of attendees each year—is planned for March 14. 🥂 Andrew is looking for ambitious young people to help run that event and is accepting volunteer applications. He also shares the unofficial SXSW 2026 event list and provides an opportunity to register your own event.
2. Results: Testing the Virality Theory on TikTok 📈
Over years of building more than 240,000 followers across LinkedIn, X, and email, Andrew developed a theory that the principles behind viral content apply universally to all social media platforms. To test it, he created a new TikTok account and spent 14 days rapidly producing around 50 videos. 🚀
The results were remarkable:
- Followers grew from 1,000 to over 25,000 in 14 days.
- Total views surpassed 3,000,000.
- Over 200,000 likes, 26,000+ shares, and 55,000+ profile views.
- 36% of videos hit over 10,000 views, and one video exceeded 2.5 million views.
"The theory worked. Each platform has its nuances, but the core principles that create virality are universal."
These results confirmed Andrew's hypothesis. He chose not to keep the method to himself, calling it some of the most valuable information he could share with anyone looking to build a social media audience in 2026. 💡
3. The 9 Universal Principles of Virality 💡
Andrew lays out 9 core principles for sustainable social media growth—strategies powerful enough to work across every platform.
3.1. Build a Perpetual Content Engine ⚙️
The secret to producing content consistently is creating a system that generates ideas endlessly. Andrew, despite not being a full-time creator, is able to produce 60+ pieces of content per week. His secret: a disciplined habit of reading and consuming high-quality, curated content.
"Curate your feed and inbox well, and you'll build an engine that produces infinite content. The downside? You can't turn your brain off."
When you absorb quality information, ideas naturally surface and content production becomes fluid and effortless. 🧠
3.2. Appeal to Fundamental Human Desires ❤️🔥
Billions of people scroll every day looking to learn something or be entertained. Content that stops the scroll does one of two things:
- (a) entertains, or
- (b) teaches something that can meaningfully impact their lives
If you go with (b), focus on the most basic human motivations: making or saving money, finding love, improving health, or gaining status. Deliver real value that people genuinely need.
3.3. Borrow Credibility 🤝
When starting on a new platform, your personal credibility is naturally low. The solution is to borrow credibility from others—cite and collaborate with trusted sources like news outlets, academic institutions, and respected experts.
Tim Ferriss famously called himself a "curious novice" when launching his podcast, borrowing the credibility of the experts he interviewed. Years later, he became the expert himself. Use this approach while you build your own authority. 💡
3.4. Craft a Scroll-Stopping Hook 🎣
The importance of the hook cannot be overstated. Think of it as the headline that makes someone stop scrolling.
- On LinkedIn, it's the first sentence.
- On TikTok, it's the first 3 seconds.
- On YouTube, it's the title and thumbnail.
Experts invest enormous amounts of time crafting the perfect hook, often going through dozens of revisions. Your hook must grab attention, feel distinctive, and carry emotional intensity. Aim to trigger an emotional reaction from your audience. 🤩
3.5. Create the Sliding Door Effect 🚪➡️🚪
How you package your content matters as much as the content itself. Like a slippery slope, once a viewer steps inside your content, they shouldn't be able to stop.
- The first sentence (the hook) pulls them in,
- the second sentence leads to the third,
- the third leads to the fourth, and so on.
Each sentence earns the right to deliver the next. Whether text or video, the principle is the same: once they start sliding, they can't stop. 🎢
3.6. Optimize for Debate (Debate = Distribution) 💬
Social media platforms prioritize content with high engagement. The clearest example is when people debate in the comments. Platforms reward engagement because it keeps users on the platform longer and creates more monetization opportunities. In other words, debate equals distribution.
To generate debate, take strong positions and strip away the nuance. It may feel uncomfortable, but the nuances can always be addressed in later content. The posts that perform best say what people are thinking but afraid to say. 🔥
3.7. Localize and Engage for Each Platform 🗺️
Every platform has its own nuances. Acting like a "good user" who plays by each platform's rules earns rewards in engagement and feed prioritization.
- LinkedIn favors video content.
- TikTok rewards content gaps (new trends or niches).
- X prefers vertical niches.
Andrew discovered that creator friends with 500,000+ followers maintain close relationships with TikTok, LinkedIn, and Instagram creator teams and receive direct product updates. He recently attended a LinkedIn creator event and connected with a "creator manager" who helped him resolve issues. 🤩
One principle that applies universally across all platforms: become a "reply guy." Go beyond broadcasting your own content—actively engage with others and participate in conversations.
3.8. Play the Game for Your Stage 🎮
Your content strategy should evolve with your follower count. The approach you need at 0 followers, 10,000, 100,000, and 1,000,000 is different at every level.
- What works at 0 (high volume, hook testing, riding trends)
- won't necessarily work at 100,000 (deeper insight, consistent voice, community engagement).
As your audience grows, keep learning and adapting. Don't fall into the trap of endlessly playing the same game that worked at an earlier stage. 🚀
3.9. Optimize for Remarkability 🌟
A common mistake new content creators make is focusing too heavily on tactical tricks—trending audio, formulaic hooks, and so on. These can generate short-term views, but they don't build a lasting audience.
Andrew's one piece of advice:
"Optimize for sharing ideas that are genuinely valuable, unique, and remarkable. Tactics matter, but remarkable ideas matter far more."
Read the best writers in your field. Study the great thinkers who came before. Identify the themes that resonate with your culture and community. Understand what makes content truly capture people's minds—tactics alone rarely get you there.
In a world flooded with AI-generated content and endless imitation, being remarkable is the only sustainable advantage. 💖
4. Personal Brand in the Age of AI & Recommended Resources 🤖
Andrew believes that as AI advances, "verified" forms of humans will matter more than ever. As text-based platforms become saturated with AI-generated content, he's betting more heavily on short-form video, which he says is his top priority in 2026.
In an AI-driven world, personal brand and audience will only become more critical—a topic he plans to cover in depth in a future post. He also returns to a key maxim:
"Volume negates luck."
Finally, Andrew expressed gratitude to the many creator friends who inspired and taught him along the way. 🤝
4.1. Recommended Reading 📚
Andrew curates a few interesting reads to help readers think smarter and more creatively.
- Why Everything is Becoming a Game by Gurwinder – Explains why so much of life—from fitness streaks to follower counts—now runs on scores, rankings, and feedback loops, and how platforms convert behavior into scoreboards, nudging us to optimize for metrics over meaning.
- Taste for Makers by Paul Graham – Paul Graham's argument that great builders possess not just technical skill but "taste," which converges on common qualities like simplicity, timelessness, and usefulness.
- Dreams of Stability by Anu Atluru – How the tech industry once rewarded risk-taking, but now, as the middle layer disappears and technology becomes cheaper, people are seeking stability at top AI labs, big tech companies, and even VC firms.
- Build Your Own Lore by Cameron Langford – Communications expert Cameron Langford, who helped Palantir go public, explains how founders and CEOs can build their own "lore"—a compelling narrative identity.
5. Resources for Entrepreneurs, Investors, and Tech Professionals 🛠️
Andrew also shares a range of useful resources for entrepreneurs, investors, and tech professionals.
- 💸 Fundraising: Opportunity for startups to get introduced to a network of 2,000+ top VC investors, angel investors, and family offices. Apply here.
- 📈 Investors: Receive curated deal flow from Andrew's network each month. Apply here.
- 🚀 Startup Idea Validation: A program with Forum Ventures' Studio to validate your idea, understand the market, and gain clarity on whether it's worth pursuing. Apply here.
- ⭐ Rare Opportunity: Andrew's friend Andrew D'Souza is helping 100 founders raise funding by year-end. Fill this out here.
- 🏢 NYC Office Space: Reach out to Andrew if you're looking for office space in New York.
- 🧮 CPA: Get an introduction to Alex, who specializes in tax services for high earners and entrepreneurs. Learn more.
- 🗣️ Wispr Flow: A productivity tool that saves you time typing. Andrew says it's his favorite tool. Try it here.
- ⌨️ Kondo: The best tool for LinkedIn DMs, turning your LinkedIn inbox into a lightweight CRM. Try it here.
- 🤝 Fast Hiring: Morpheus Talent specializes in finding GTM, business, and engineering talent for startups. Learn more.
- 🍽️ InKind: The ultimate dining app for foodies—get up to 30% back when you dine out and $50 off every month. Sign up here to get $25.
- 🤖 Winner AI: An AI-powered recruiting engine for fast-growing startups, combining advanced machine intelligence with human expertise to deliver top tech talent quickly and accurately. Learn more.
- 🏦 Fidelity Private Shares: A best-in-class equity management platform with 409A valuations and a secure data room. Learn more.
- 🏃 Superpower: A personalized action plan that tracks 100+ biomarkers to help you achieve peak performance and improve your health. (A company Andrew has invested in!) Learn more.
- 🇺🇸 US Immigration Attorney: Get an introduction to a lawyer specializing in O1A/EB1 visas.
- 🚴 Equinox: Reach out for a free trial and discounted membership.
Conclusion 🌟
Through his remarkable success on TikTok, Andrew proved once again that the core principles of virality apply universally across all social media platforms. He emphasized the importance of consistently growing your content volume, appealing to fundamental human desires, borrowing credibility, and crafting hooks that capture attention. He also stressed making content flow like a slippery slope—each part naturally leading to the next—using debate to drive distribution, localizing for each platform's culture, and engaging actively. Finally, he underscored the need to adapt your strategy flexibly as your audience grows, and above all, to focus on creating ideas that are genuinely valuable, unique, and remarkable rather than chasing trends. 💡 Andrew's insight that personal brand and differentiated ideas will matter even more in the age of AI offers lasting inspiration for any content creator.