The strongest patterns, the scripts behind them, and what to try in your own content. You can use this breakdown before setting up a single API key.
Saved metrics from 21 September 2026. The archive spans April to September. We exclude unavailable speech, existing duplicate flags, and posts less than seven days old. These are patterns worth testing, not proven causes of reach.
Eight findings to use with judgment.
Finding 01
Start with a useful sequence of ideas.
613K median plays · 31 Reels · 1.71× the sample median
The steps label had the highest median plays among script structures with at least 15 examples. Its median like response was 26.1 per 1,000 plays, versus 17.6 overall. In the reviewed examples, this includes both ordered instructions and compact lists of lessons. A repeatable format to test is a clear promise followed by several distinct, usable points.
What held up, and what limits it
The signal stayed above the period baseline in both April-June (853K; 12 Reels) and July-September (453K; 19 Reels). Among structure labels with confidence of at least 0.70, steps still had a 613K median across 21 Reels. That is a consistency check, not a significance test.
One high-performing personal reveal was labeled steps. Removing it leaves 30 Reels and a 584K median. Within marketing alone, steps had 330K median plays across eight Reels, below 345K for the other marketing structures. The overall result does not transfer equally to every topic.
Try this: Turn one topic you know well into 3-5 concrete decisions or actions. Give each point a different job. Cut any point that only restates the promise.
Finding 02
A specific dilemma gives a story somewhere to go.
494K median plays · 33 story-structured Reels · 1.38× baseline
Story structure ranked second among structures with at least 15 examples. The co-founder example below moves from an awkward, recognizable problem to a personal parallel, then a decision and its cost. That progression gives the viewer a reason to stay beyond the opening sentence.
What held up, and what limits it
Story-structured business posts had a 536K median across 12 examples, versus 330K for the other 200 business posts. The subgroup is small. Story hooks are a separate label: those 35 Reels had 427K median plays, versus 357K for curiosity hooks.
A story is not automatically a winner. The lower-performing interview example below also contains a personal lesson. These are different subjects, speakers and publication dates, not a controlled comparison.
Try this: Use a real situation: what someone wanted, what made it difficult, what they chose, and what changed. Bring your own experience instead of borrowing Hormozi’s life story.
Finding 03
Human stakes reached beyond the core business topic.
714K median plays · 20 relationship Reels · 24.9 likes / 1K
Relationships had the highest topic median among categories with at least 15 examples. Habits followed at 495K across 18 Reels. Mindset offered a larger sample: 92 Reels, 408K median plays and 24.0 likes per 1,000. Business made up 212 Reels, with 338K median plays and 14.6 likes per 1,000.
What held up, and what limits it
After removing later posts flagged for similar scripts, relationships still had a 781K median across 18 examples. This category includes both advice and personal or emotional material, so it is not a single repeatable format.
Broader subjects may attract a broader audience. These figures do not show leads, customers or revenue. Money had an even higher raw median, but only seven examples, so it is not a reliable topic recommendation from this sample.
Try this: Connect your expertise to a real human tradeoff: time with family, embarrassment, uncertainty, commitment or a difficult decision. Keep the connection relevant to the people you want to help.
Finding 04
A direct instruction is worth testing, not crowning.
511K median plays · 19 instruction openings · 26.9 likes / 1K
Among opening forms with at least 15 examples, instructions led the raw median. Story openings had 424K across 42 Reels; claims had 352K across 287; questions had 331K across 77. The useful creative move is to give a particular viewer something concrete to do immediately.
What held up, and what limits it
The instruction median was 459K across the 15 examples with opening confidence of at least 0.70. Several high-performing instruction posts address broad money or mindset concerns, so subject matter may account for part of the difference.
Opening form and hook mechanism are different. A question can create curiosity or recognition; an instruction can promise a result. Most Reels here started with a claim, which describes frequency, not the best choice for your next post.
Try this: Try: ‘Before you [specific action], check [specific thing].’ Deliver the check immediately, then show why it changes the decision.
Finding 05
There is no universal winning hook in this archive.
Story hooks: 427K · result hooks: 418K · curiosity: 357K
Story and result hooks led median plays across the seven hook categories. Direct hooks had the highest median like response at 24.8 per 1,000, but lower median plays than story or result hooks. The best-looking option depends on whether you care about reach or response.
What held up, and what limits it
Hook rankings changed under a confidence filter. At confidence of at least 0.70, result hooks fell to a 355K median across 28 examples, while curiosity rose to 423K across 36. Story retained 533K but only seven examples. Business + story had 424K across 18 Reels; mindset + curiosity had 400K across 24.
These are overlapping topic, length, format and hook differences. Jev’s label confidence is not a probability of success. The data does not support ‘use this hook and go viral.’
Try this: Pick two hook mechanisms for the same topic family. Publish several genuinely different ideas in each, then compare at the same post age.
Finding 06
Longer Reels were competitive here.
90+ seconds: 427K median plays · 89 Reels · 22.7 likes / 1K
The 90+ second group led median plays and median like response among the four duration buckets. Under-30-second Reels had 278K median plays and 20.4 likes per 1,000. The 30-59 second group had 382K; the 60-89 second group had 338K.
What held up, and what limits it
The older and newer groups are not evenly distributed: median post age was 53 days for the 90+ second bucket and 132 days for the under-30 bucket. A length comparison cannot isolate editing, topic or audience effects.
We do not have watch time, completion rate or retention curves. Nothing here proves that making a Reel longer improves it.
Try this: Let the explanation earn its length. Use extra time for a concrete example, an objection or a demonstration, rather than repeating the same advice.
Finding 07
Personal experience is a useful ingredient, not proof by itself.
414K median plays · 85 personal-evidence Reels
Personal-evidence posts had 21.1 median likes per 1,000 plays, versus 17.2 for reasoning-led posts. The reviewed co-founder story makes its advice concrete by showing an actual conversation and decision. That is a more useful writing lesson than adding an unsupported number to an opening.
What held up, and what limits it
Personal evidence retained a 399K median across 52 high-confidence labels. The numbers category had 430K across only 13 Reels, and only three high-confidence labels. The apparent winner ‘no evidence’ had just five examples.
An anecdote can illustrate a lesson without proving a universal rule. Emotional categories were also noisy: amusement had 526K across 24 labels, but only two met the 0.70 confidence threshold.
Try this: Show an experience you can honestly describe, then separate what happened from what you think it means. Let the viewer see the decision or before-and-after.
Finding 08
A spoken CTA was rare. That says little about conversion.
419 of 431 Reels had no detected spoken CTA
About 97% of the comparison sample had no spoken call to action. Comment, buy, follow and visit categories were too small for a sensible performance ranking. This archive mostly shows how content delivers an idea, not how different CTAs convert.
What held up, and what limits it
CTA labels came from speech. A CTA in a caption, graphic or profile would not necessarily appear in these transcripts. Shares, saves, profile visits and sales are absent.
Do not interpret ‘no spoken CTA’ as ‘no offer’ or ‘never use a CTA.’ Public plays and likes cannot tell you which posts produced business results.
Try this: Finish the promised lesson first. Add one relevant next step when there is a real resource, action or offer that helps the viewer use it.
The full comparison, not just the winners.
Open any dimension to see every category, including the weak and small groups. All figures are medians of individual posts. Confidence-filtered columns include only labels at or above 0.70. Missing or low confidence is not proof of a bad post.
On a phone, swipe a table sideways to see the remaining columns. Under 15 Reels is marked as a small sample; larger groups are still observational.
Topics 9 categories
Topics: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| MoneySmall sample | 7 | 850,771 | 24.8 | 0.368 | 59s | 80d | 6 | 905,215 |
|---|
| Relationships | 20 | 713,590 | 24.9 | 0.353 | 51s | 85d | 14 | 780,742 |
|---|
| HealthSmall sample | 2 | 702,605 | 17.3 | 0.206 | 45s | 50d | 2 | 702,605 |
|---|
| Habits | 18 | 495,092 | 21.9 | 0.309 | 49s | 71d | 14 | 495,092 |
|---|
| OtherSmall sample | 5 | 477,349 | 18.5 | 0.384 | 56s | 125d | 1 | 2,894,088 |
|---|
| Mindset | 92 | 407,942 | 24.0 | 0.335 | 50s | 79d | 74 | 402,577 |
|---|
| Marketing | 69 | 345,285 | 17.1 | 0.273 | 61s | 77d | 62 | 345,398 |
|---|
| Business | 212 | 337,826 | 14.6 | 0.231 | 72s | 92d | 181 | 346,110 |
|---|
| TechnologySmall sample | 6 | 279,661 | 15.8 | 0.242 | 32s | 148d | 4 | 276,515 |
|---|
Hook mechanisms 7 categories
Hook mechanisms: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| Story | 35 | 427,443 | 17.7 | 0.262 | 76s | 95d | 7 | 533,429 |
|---|
| Result | 61 | 418,288 | 18.6 | 0.293 | 74s | 108d | 28 | 354,912 |
|---|
| Direct | 51 | 375,478 | 24.8 | 0.293 | 47s | 77d | 9 | 231,989 |
|---|
| Curiosity | 127 | 356,516 | 16.7 | 0.247 | 58s | 92d | 36 | 423,129 |
|---|
| Recognition | 105 | 326,549 | 17.1 | 0.255 | 71s | 71d | 45 | 344,257 |
|---|
| Contradiction | 40 | 322,163 | 18.8 | 0.315 | 50s | 82d | 16 | 322,163 |
|---|
| MistakeSmall sample | 12 | 314,709 | 14.6 | 0.233 | 67s | 88d | 6 | 314,709 |
|---|
Opening forms 5 categories
Opening forms: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| DialogueSmall sample | 6 | 743,597 | 16.2 | 0.363 | 85s | 73d | 2 | 422,514 |
|---|
| Instruction | 19 | 510,802 | 26.9 | 0.291 | 51s | 83d | 15 | 458,610 |
|---|
| Story | 42 | 423,999 | 21.7 | 0.260 | 77s | 91d | 25 | 413,607 |
|---|
| Claim | 287 | 351,874 | 16.7 | 0.259 | 66s | 91d | 244 | 343,147 |
|---|
| Question | 77 | 330,788 | 17.9 | 0.285 | 54s | 65d | 68 | 333,157 |
|---|
Script structures 8 categories
Script structures: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| Steps | 31 | 612,524 | 26.1 | 0.276 | 80s | 77d | 21 | 612,524 |
|---|
| Story | 33 | 494,122 | 19.0 | 0.263 | 62s | 84d | 27 | 508,456 |
|---|
| Q&A | 76 | 397,799 | 15.9 | 0.247 | 65s | 93d | 35 | 447,619 |
|---|
| Comparison | 21 | 373,677 | 17.6 | 0.266 | 60s | 64d | 12 | 332,533 |
|---|
| UnclearSmall sample | 4 | 367,827 | 10.5 | 0.339 | 36s | 66d | 0 | — |
|---|
| Opinion | 53 | 356,450 | 22.8 | 0.354 | 31s | 67d | 26 | 355,519 |
|---|
| Explanation | 41 | 349,234 | 22.5 | 0.292 | 46s | 86d | 13 | 430,176 |
|---|
| Problem → solution | 172 | 314,988 | 15.8 | 0.246 | 74s | 86d | 88 | 302,149 |
|---|
Evidence 6 categories
Evidence: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| NoneSmall sample | 5 | 1,203,753 | 39.4 | 0.445 | 31s | 33d | 1 | 1,203,753 |
|---|
| NumbersSmall sample | 13 | 430,176 | 12.1 | 0.311 | 68s | 86d | 3 | 219,941 |
|---|
| Personal | 85 | 414,089 | 21.1 | 0.292 | 61s | 86d | 52 | 398,988 |
|---|
| Reasoning | 262 | 344,666 | 17.2 | 0.262 | 66s | 92d | 182 | 336,179 |
|---|
| Example | 62 | 342,458 | 17.0 | 0.244 | 61s | 75d | 32 | 294,531 |
|---|
| SourceSmall sample | 4 | 324,659 | 15.1 | 0.246 | 46s | 32d | 1 | 352,044 |
|---|
Emotion 6 categories
Emotion: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| Amusement | 24 | 525,999 | 17.0 | 0.290 | 59s | 57d | 2 | 527,263 |
|---|
| SurpriseSmall sample | 11 | 415,256 | 12.3 | 0.284 | 62s | 70d | 5 | 415,256 |
|---|
| Concern | 131 | 362,067 | 17.3 | 0.272 | 74s | 84d | 69 | 346,110 |
|---|
| Aspiration | 213 | 352,044 | 17.9 | 0.259 | 63s | 87d | 129 | 356,516 |
|---|
| Relief | 30 | 321,562 | 21.7 | 0.279 | 55s | 106d | 12 | 277,207 |
|---|
| Neutral | 22 | 242,568 | 16.1 | 0.239 | 44s | 75d | 4 | 307,835 |
|---|
Specificity 5 categories
Specificity: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| UnclearSmall sample | 1 | 758,821 | 17.0 | 0.395 | 58s | 14d | 0 | — |
|---|
| NoneSmall sample | 13 | 751,471 | 19.8 | 0.356 | 53s | 86d | 5 | 525,411 |
|---|
| Sequence | 73 | 374,500 | 17.1 | 0.251 | 83s | 85d | 44 | 390,787 |
|---|
| Principle | 156 | 356,085 | 17.1 | 0.277 | 50s | 84d | 96 | 382,038 |
|---|
| Action | 188 | 347,138 | 18.1 | 0.266 | 68s | 82d | 83 | 346,520 |
|---|
Spoken CTAs 5 categories
Spoken CTAs: saved performance across the 431-Reel comparison sample| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age | Confident n | Confident median plays |
|---|
| CommentSmall sample | 3 | 510,315 | 24.3 | 5.155 | 85s | 84d | 2 | 400,959 |
|---|
| FollowSmall sample | 1 | 502,344 | 27.0 | 0.330 | 92s | 8d | 0 | — |
|---|
| BuySmall sample | 7 | 458,610 | 18.9 | 0.234 | 92s | 115d | 5 | 661,917 |
|---|
| None | 419 | 356,516 | 17.6 | 0.266 | 64s | 84d | 414 | 356,483 |
|---|
| VisitSmall sample | 1 | 313,715 | 24.7 | 0.274 | 42s | 10d | 0 | — |
|---|
Topic + hook combinations 11 combinations
Only combinations with at least 15 examples are shown. These groups are subsets of the same 431 posts, not independent experiments.
Topic and hook combinations with at least 15 Reels| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age |
|---|
| Business + Story | 18 | 423,999 | 18.1 | 0.229 | 78s | 96d |
|---|
| Mindset + Curiosity | 24 | 399,567 | 21.2 | 0.329 | 49s | 94d |
|---|
| Mindset + Recognition | 24 | 375,844 | 23.1 | 0.331 | 64s | 50d |
|---|
| Mindset + Contradiction | 16 | 369,396 | 22.8 | 0.346 | 47s | 91d |
|---|
| Business + Result | 41 | 362,067 | 14.9 | 0.236 | 78s | 115d |
|---|
| Marketing + Curiosity | 21 | 355,935 | 18.0 | 0.226 | 61s | 75d |
|---|
| Business + Direct | 19 | 352,044 | 15.8 | 0.205 | 60s | 70d |
|---|
| Marketing + Recognition | 21 | 337,144 | 17.1 | 0.259 | 59s | 87d |
|---|
| Business + Curiosity | 63 | 331,408 | 13.6 | 0.220 | 68s | 101d |
|---|
| Business + Contradiction | 15 | 285,042 | 13.8 | 0.269 | 66s | 69d |
|---|
| Business + Recognition | 50 | 263,523 | 14.4 | 0.226 | 79s | 78d |
|---|
Video length 4 duration groups
Duration buckets; post age and topic differ between groups| Pattern | Reels | Median plays | Likes / 1K | Comments / 1K | Median length | Median age |
|---|
| Under 30 seconds | 52 | 277,883 | 20.4 | 0.340 | 24s | 132d |
|---|
| 30–59 seconds | 146 | 382,038 | 17.0 | 0.270 | 46s | 81d |
|---|
| 60–89 seconds | 144 | 337,982 | 15.8 | 0.233 | 74s | 81d |
|---|
| 90+ seconds | 89 | 427,443 | 22.7 | 0.270 | 109s | 53d |
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