In partnership with
Something interesting stood out this week.
A reel with 72M views didn't begin with an extraordinary opening.
Instead, it proved that viewers don't always need a dramatic first second to continue watching.
Before that, this week's audio collection is ready.
Inside the file:
🎵 English Audio — Western audience
🎵 Hindi Audio — Indian audience
🎵 Phonk Audio — Worldwide audience
Creator Tip
Keep the trending audio at around 5 percent volume while your original reel audio stays at 100 percent. This keeps your original audio clear while still attaching the trending sound.
Why This Reel Reached 72M Views
Reel Stats
• 72M views
• 3.85M likes
• 16.4K comments
• 57.7K reposts
• 3.6M shares
• 102K saves
The Opening Wasn't Extraordinary
The reel begins with a rainy road.
A bike enters the frame at high speed.
Nothing unusual happens during those opening moments.
If this had been a text-based reel or an edit built around captions, many viewers might have continued scrolling.
Instead, this was an IRL (Real Lifee) video.
IRL clips naturally hold attention because viewers don't know what's about to happen.
That uncertainty keeps people watching.
The Surprise Changed Everything
Moments later, viewers notice a tuk-tuk moving in reverse while travelling surprisingly quickly.
That unexpected moment completely changes the viewing experience.
Almost everyone watching wants to see how it continues.
The surprise encourages viewers to react.
Some laugh.
Some send it to friends.
Others replay it because it feels unusual.
That combination creates powerful engagement.
The Numbers Tell The Story
This reel received:
• 3.85M likes
• 16.4K comments
• 57.7K reposts
• 3.6M shares
• 102K saves
Combined, that's 7.26M interactions.
With 72M views, the engagement works out to approximately 10.59 percent.
Maintaining engagement above ten percent while reaching this many viewers is a strong signal that audiences genuinely enjoyed the content.
What Creators Can Apply
1. IRL Moments Can Hold Attention
Not every reel needs heavy editing.
If something interesting happens naturally, let the moment speak for itself.
2. Give Viewers A Reason To Continue Watching
The biggest moment doesn't always need to appear first.
Building curiosity before revealing something unexpected can keep viewers engaged.
3. Surprise Creates Conversation
Unexpected moments encourage people to react, discuss the reel and send it to friends.
Those interactions help content spread further.
4. Think Beyond The Opening
The opening attracts attention.
The next few seconds decide whether viewers stay.
Build your reel so something interesting continues happening after the beginning.
Powering 1M+ users across 100+ countries.
Mesh helps engineering teams across 100+ countries scale AI reliably in production.
Reduce AI costs with intelligent model routing: gateway, observability, and agentic tools across 1000+ AI models.
Trusted by HP, Globe and enterprises delivering AI access at country scale.
Need Feedback On Your Instagram Page?
Reply to this email with the @username of the Instagram page you'd like me to review.
I'll select pages from the replies and share ideas that creators can apply in future emails.
See you on Friday.
Tirth
The Growth Codex
