Read Time: 3 minutes

How to Create an Animated Video for Instagram (and get 12M views)

When I first started on Instagram, I thought I could just wing it.

I'd prop up my iPhone in my garage, or in the backyard of my Airbnb in Puerto Escondido, hit record, and hope for the best.

Then, I'd hire a cheap editor to add visuals.

Here's the first short I ever posted:

Spoiler alert:

As you can probably tell by looking at it, this didn't work well.

But back then, I didn't know. Well, I knew something had to change, but I couldn't put my finger on what.

Until I met the woman who would become my Creative Director.

She took one glimpse at my amateur Instagram feed, looked at me, and said:

"Matt... this won't do."

(The most merciful way to say it.)

She broke it down for me:

"If you want to hit your audience goals, everything needs to change. You need 11 new pieces of equipment. You need a brand style. And for the love of all that is holy, you need to stop filming in sweaty tank tops in your garden!"

I couldn't argue with her, so I spent an eye-watering $11k on recording equipment.

But man, did it make a big difference.

Here's how my Instagram feed transformed:

Just these changes helped me grow 3X faster.

But the real unlock for me came when I discovered the power of animated videos.

I mean... not THOSE animated videos but the minimalistic ones:

These minimalistic, actionable 45-second animated clips went crazy well.

My view count skyrocketed.

Followers flooded in.

They've gotten anything from 1-12 million views.

Here's a recent one that reached 8 million views:

Today, I'm sharing my complete animated shorts process with you (so you can go viral on command).

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But now, back to creating world-class animated shorts…

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9 Steps to create an animated short (and get millions of views)

Here's the system I use to craft scroll-stopping animations:

#1: Choose a pre-validated idea

Creating animated videos takes 100X more effort than writing a tweet.

Don't test new ideas in your shorts. Instead, look for:

• Viral tweets
• Viral threads
• Viral LinkedIn posts

...that you can turn into shorts.

Test in text. Expand in videos. (Click to Tweet)

(This also makes writing the script easier.)

Almost all my biggest video hits started as written posts.

#2 Find a pre-validated shorts format

When creating shorts, you have 2 options:

a) Spend years figuring them out for yourself

b) Reverse-engineer someone who's already crushing it

I could only grow so fast on Instagram because my team & I spent 100+ hours learning from other creators.

Before writing a new script, do this:

1) Assemble a list of your top 5 favorite shorts/reels creators

2) Collect their top 5-10 shorts in a swipe file in Notion (or steal mine)

3) Optional: Have your assistant download and transcribe the shorts to see the scripts

Then, learn from them:

• How did they structure their hook, and how can you apply it to yourself?
• What do you like about their videos, and how can you use those elements yourself?
• How do they use CTAs to drive traction for their account?

#3: Write a 95-word script

Re-write the viral tweet, thread, or LinkedIn post into a 95-word script.

Keep the sentences short and punchy.

With scripts, you're a digital dopamine drug dealer -

The faster you can deliver value, the more views you'll get.

#4: Write a world-class hook

If your video doesn't grab attention in the first seconds, it's dead.

That's why I spend 80% of my creation time writing the first 10 seconds of the script.

Take hook inspiration from short videos that have over 1M views - and them make them even stronger.

The key is sparking curiosity and promising a payoff.

Mine often start with "I", "I've", "If", or "When".

#5: Record the script

Muffled audio is an instant credibility killer.

I use a Shure SM7B mic to record studio-quality sound straight into OBS (recording software).

Give yourself no more than 3 tries to read the script.

Remember - you're your own biggest critic.

#6 Add animations via After Effects to the sound

Hire a rockstar animator to bring your words to life with eye-catching visuals.

(Need help finding one? Consider joining Founder OS to access our talent network, or reply to this email)

Their goal is to make every frame a work of art.

Boring stock graphics just won't cut it (remember my first animated video?).

If you're going to invest in video, go all out and make it a feast for the eyes.

#7: Decide on a core brand identity

Humans crave consistency.

My old feed looked so ugly because every video had different:

• Colors
• Animation Style
• Recording format

Now, I add my signature "Founder Green" on every single video.

Over time, people start to associate that specific shade with me and my content.

Pick your brand identity. Then, follow it strictly.

Brand repetition creates brand recognition.

#8: 1% to infinity (never stop iterating)

Commit to constant, never-ending improvement.

Yes, your first few videos will suck (just look at mine!).

Embrace the suck.

Before you've made 100 shorts, don't measure success by the outcomes.

Instead, measure success by output (videos created).

The key is showing up, putting in the reps, and focusing on getting 1% better every single day.

#9: Have fun being an artist - make art not content

If you want to play a game forever, you need to make it fun.

That's why I've re-framed content creation for myself:

I'm NOT creating content.

I'm creating art.

That means:

• I'd rather make it more like "me" than following a stupid algorithm trend
• I'd rather creatively express myself than just being a slave to virality
• I'd rather spend a little extra time on 1 video to make it tasteful

Sure, I still optimize for the hook - but there are so many opportunities for creativity.

Make content creation fun for yourself.

Animate OS - Get Your Viral Short Swipe File

To make this system plug-and-play, I've put together Animate OS - your new secret weapon for Instagram domination.

Inside, you'll find:

• A swipe file of 15+ viral shorts
• A list of my top 7 shorts creators
• An AI prompt to draft your own scripts that inspire, entertain, and convert on demand (based on the viral ones!)

​>>> Access Animate OS ​

By the way - if you want to create your own swipe files, extracting these scripts from the shorts takes time.

You have to:

• Download the video
• Put it into an AI transcription tool
• Extract the transcript

It’s an important task, but not something I suggest you do as a founder. For these important but low-leverage tasks, I use an Executive Assistant.

An Executive Assistant can take care of things like:

• Calendar management
• Travel management
• Writing emails
• Ad hoc delegations

If you don’t have an assistant, you need to do these small tasks - you are the assistant.

The only problem with assistants?

You need to train them yourself. Training is a long process I never enjoyed.

So when I recently found Athena on Tim Ferriss podcast, I was stunned -

Athena pre-trains their EAs for you, so that they can delegate to themselves.

I heard they have a long waitlist right now. But with this link, you can bypass it (and also save $1500 on your first month with them).

Let's win together,

Matt

PS. Whenever you are ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

#1: Ready to grow your personal brand with an organic content engine to $1 million or more? Let's chat. ​>>> Click here to apply for your Founder Clarity Call with my team​​​

#2: Have you seen my ​YouTube Channel​​? I'm putting a ton of energy into creating heaps of valuable content that I think you'll like. ​​Come check out my latest stuff​​, and give me a like and subscribe.

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