Live cuts from 460 videos analyzed this month. Updated on the 1st. Built for creators who want signal, not vibes.
460
videos this month
Hot Take
most consistent hook
Skit
top format (255K median)
+27%
median reach vs July
data as of August 20, 2026
01 · Hook leaderboard
vs. July 2026
Hot Take
n=98
Investigator
n=121
Fortune Teller
n=51
Contrarian
n=61
Teacher
n=51
The story: reach expanded almost everywhere this month. Contrarian more than doubled (+128%), Fortune Teller jumped +52%, Investigator +35%. Hot Take dipped slightly (-10%) but still holds the top median at 93K, so it remains the workhorse. Teacher went nowhere again (+5% on the lowest median by far). If you're choosing what to film this week: a Hot Take for the floor, a Contrarian for the upside.
02 · Format leaderboard
The story: Skit content (255K median) is pulling about 11x what plain talking-head content gets (22.7K median, n=165, still the most common format and still the worst-performing). Layered talking head (voiceover + B-roll on top) runs 170K, roughly 7x the plain version. The lesson hasn't changed since spring: the camera-on-face format isn't the problem, the lack of a second visual layer is.
03 · This month’s biggest hits
I really don't need you on my bumper right now, man
@benlikessports · 2.0M · TikTok · Commentary · Skit views
Sophie Cunningham was assaulted on the basketball court today
@jackmacbarstool · 1.8M · TikTok · Hot Take · Talking Head views
Can we talk about the Raiders drafting a demigod at running back?
@theballboypodcast · 1.6M · Instagram · Hot Take · Mixed views
Wow, went in the face. Might need a different club to be honest.
@hammy.golf · 1.4M · TikTok · Experimenter · Skit views
The Sun isn't the center of our solar system! At least not right now.
@cleoabram · 1.4M · Instagram · Contrarian · Mixed views
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Next edition: September 1, 2026
Methodology
Pulled from 460 TikTok and Instagram videos posted in August 2026that we’ve analyzed across hook archetype, format, runtime, and emotional trigger. Buckets shown only when n ≥ 20 to avoid noise.
Median views (not average) is the headline metric. A handful of celebrity virals can pull averages 10-20x higher than what a working creator should expect. Median is the honest summary.
Pulled from our analyzed video dataset on August 20, 2026.