Our AI Video Went Viral (10k Followers in Days) ✨

Want to create viral AI content without expensive subscriptions? Here's my exact process...

Author

James Lee
November 05, 2024

In partnership with

Happy Tuesday, Futurepreneurs! Welcome to AI Side Hustler, a newsletter for people who want to learn how to make money using new AI technologies.

Every week, we'll explore new strategies, share insider tips, and uncover the latest AI tools that can help you boost your income.

I’m still experimenting with which day I will send the newsletter, but know that it’ll hit your inbox 1x per week (at least).

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In This Week’s Issue of AI SIde Hustler:

  • Get Access to a FREE AI Content Masterclass

  • Our Facebook Case Study Took a Turn (For the Better)

  • Learn How to Make Viral Videos for Less than $1

  • Discover the AI Tools I'm Using to Boost My Bottom Line

Let's go ahead and get after it.

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💬 Let’s Connect!

Enjoying AI Side Hustler? Make sure to follow me on Twitter/X for real-time updates and further discussions. If you’re new here, browse our archive to catch up on all the case studies and past insights

How are your AI side hustles going? Hit reply and let me know your biggest win or challenge this week. I read every email!

BEST LINKS

🔗 My Favorite Finds

DEEP DIVE

Sometimes the best stories come from unexpected places. While I had different plans for this week's Deep Dive, something incredible happened that I just had to share with you immediately.

💫 Our Viral Moment

Remember last week when I mentioned adjusting our Facebook case study strategy? Well, we didn't just adjust – we exploded!

One of our AI-generated videos went astronomically viral, crossing 3 million views!!!

This viral surge brought us 10k+ FREE followers to the page. Not bad for a video that cost just $.50 to produce! (Though I'm definitely bummed about not being monetized in the Bonus Performance Program yet 😥)

Before diving into the technical details, let me share the strategic thinking behind this viral hit.

I wanted to move beyond our usual content of AI-generated women showcasing tattoos. While those perform well, I aimed for something different – something visually captivating that would make viewers question its authenticity and, ultimately, spark discussion.

The plan worked perfectly. Using Midjourney, I created a "3D tattoo" with striking visual appeal. When converted into a 10-second video, the optical illusion became even more pronounced.

Keep reading for a link to the viral video

The video's trajectory was fascinating to watch:

  • Tuesday night: Initial posting, standard performance with positive comments about the cool design

  • Mid-week: Shift begins with skeptics calling it fake, AI-generated, CGI, or Photoshopped

  • Friday: Comments exploded, transforming from skepticism to outrage

  • Final stage: Full-blown discussions about "AI destroying the world," "ruining our children's future," and "starving real artists"

The Facebook algorithm thrives on this kind of engagement – watching the conversation spiral from appreciation to chaos in just days was remarkable. While I deliberately created content that might provoke some reaction, I never anticipated this level of virality.

I talked about rage bait in a past newsletter, and it’s certainly something you should be aware of. I created this video intending to incite some rage, but I never expected it to go nearly as viral as it did.

As discussed in a previous newsletter, rage bait is a powerful tool, particularly on platforms like Facebook and X. While it proved incredibly effective here, it should be used thoughtfully and strategically.

Now, let me show you exactly how I created this viral AI video...

📹 How I Created Our Viral AI Video (with Prompt)

While testing AI videos for Facebook, I wanted to avoid getting locked into expensive subscriptions that I'd never fully use (or worse, forget to cancel).

Although Runway, Kling, and Hailuo dominate the I2V (image to video) space, I've discovered a better solution: FAL.AI. This powerful platform operates on a pay-as-you-go credit system and gives you access to all the major I2V models plus premium AI image generators – all under one roof.

FAL gives you access to different AI Video Models

While you won't have access to all the premium features that come with direct subscriptions (like negative prompts and camera controls), you really don't need them for creating engaging content.

I used Runway Gen3 Alpha through FAL for our viral video – it's particularly great for animating tattoos, producing cleaner results with fewer artifacts and visual glitches.

The cost is reasonable: $0.50 for a 10-second video or $0.25 for a 5-second clip. I opt for 10-second videos on Facebook, hoping the extra watch time might eventually get us into their bonus program (a boy can dream, right?).

For optimal performance on FB Reels, I set the aspect ratio to 9:16 (vertical).

Creating your video is simple – just hit "Run" and in about 30-45 seconds, you'll have your finished piece ready to upload to Post Planner or directly to Facebook.

Here’s a link to our finished video to see the results for yourself.

Next Week's Preview: Get ready for some exciting new developments I've been keeping under wraps 🤫

Stay tuned!

FREE NEWSLETTER OF THE WEEK

📰 AI TOOL REPORT

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TOOLS

AI moves at warp speed. Check out this week's hottest AI tools👇

📈 Trending AI Tools

1/ Cuppa - Write Inexpensive AI Content at Scale

2/ InstaHunter - Grow Your IG Faster with AI Posting and Engagement

3/ Tad.ai - Create Original Songs Based on Genre and Mood Using AI

4/ MyEmailExtractor- Use AI to Extract Emails from ANY Website

PROMPT OF THE WEEK

👨🏻‍💻 The $50/Hour Prompt Builder

People are struggling to use AI effectively. You can help them - and get paid. This week's prompt helps you write custom AI prompts that actually work.

"You are a business consultant who specializes in prompt writing. Help me create 3 done-for-you prompts for [target industry]:

For daily tasks like:

Writing social posts
Answering emails
Creating basic content
Handling customer service
Planning schedules


Each prompt should:

Work the first time
Save at least 30 minutes
Be easy to customize
Get consistent results
Prevent common AI mistakes


Write them in a way that:

A beginner can use them
Fixes their biggest headaches
Shows clear value
Gets quick results
Makes them want more


Focus on prompts that solve real everyday problems."

👋 That’s All For Today

Thanks for reading. Until next time, keep innovating and hustling!