---
name: viral-shortform-kallaway
description: Use when creating, reviewing, improving, or planning viral short-form videos, YouTube Shorts, TikToks, Reels, AI Business Boomer scripts, content calendar rows, hooks, recording docs, retention notes, or Kallaway/Sandcastles-inspired short-form strategy. Applies Kallaway-derived principles for human attention, algorithm retention, proof-first hooks, contrarian corrections, niche translation, and comment-loop CTAs.
---

# Viral Shortform — Kallaway System

Use this skill to create or improve short-form videos that hold attention and convert attention into useful comments/leads.

Primary source: `references/kallaway-ai-channel-brief.md`.
Read that reference when the user asks for scripts, hooks, calendar rows, recording docs, retention strategy, or “make this more viral.”

## Non-negotiable output standard

Do not make generic AI tips. Every video needs:

1. **Hook** — one sentence with tension, proof, or a contrarian correction.
2. **Viewer pain** — the specific business/customer problem this maps to.
3. **Kallaway format** — choose one:
   - Proof-first business shift
   - Contrarian correction
   - Revenue leak warning
   - AI worker explainer
   - Boring automation makes money
   - Niche translation
   - Two-futures split
   - Comment-to-workflow loop
4. **Retention path** — 4–6 beats that progressively reveal the payoff.
5. **Script** — concise, recordable, punchy, no generic filler.
6. **Visual plan** — simple editor cues that support retention.
7. **CTA/comment loop** — specific useful action, not just “follow for more.”
8. **Watch-before-recording refs** — 1–3 relevant Kallaway videos when helpful.
9. **Why this works** — explain how the exact words apply the strategy, especially the first 5 seconds.
10. **Editor-ready cut plan** — image/speaker timing that a low-skill editor can follow.
11. **Simple editor brief** — what assets the editor gets, zoom/caption guidance, export settings, and quality checklist.

## Required thinking pattern

For every script or idea, explicitly identify:

- Belief correction: what does the viewer currently misunderstand?
- Tension gap: what makes them need to keep watching?
- Proof/example: what makes the claim feel real?
- Business implication: why does this matter to revenue, speed, leads, admin, or customer experience?
- Payoff: what repeatable mental model does the viewer leave with?
- Comment loop: what should they comment or do next?

## First 5 seconds rule

The first 5 seconds must be justified line by line.

For each opening line, include:

- why these words were chosen
- whether it creates tension, proof, or correction
- what open loop it creates
- how it connects to the business payoff
- an optional sharper alternate hook

## Cutback pacing rule

Do not leave the first image/chart on screen for the entire hook. Use this default edit pattern unless the user says otherwise:

1. **0:00–0:01.5 — Image 1 visual interrupt**: chart/title/proof creates the pattern break.
2. **0:01.5–0:04 — Speaker hook**: Sam appears quickly and says the core claim directly to camera.
3. **0:04–0:10 — Back to Image 1**: only while Sam is explaining what the viewer is looking at.
4. **0:10–0:18 — Speaker belief correction**: important take/stakes/opinion belongs on Sam’s face.
5. **0:18–0:28 — Image 2 proof/mechanism**: chart, before/after, or workflow visual.
6. **0:28–0:39 — Speaker business implication**: money, speed, leads, identity stakes.
7. **0:39–0:48 — Image 3 practical action**: workflow/action list/mental model.
8. **0:48–end — Speaker CTA**: comment keyword or business-type prompt.

Rule of thumb: **talk to the image only when the image is on screen; put opinions, stakes, and CTA on the speaker.**

## Simple editor brief rule

When producing recording docs, include a bottom section for a low-skill editor:

- assets received: raw Sam recording + 3 images/slides + doc
- exact cut pattern
- slight face zoom guidance: 100% → 108% over 2–3 seconds on hook, belief correction, and CTA
- large burned-in captions, short chunks, key words highlighted when possible
- slow zoom/pan on images; zoom toward chart/word being discussed
- clean documentary/business style, no cheesy transitions
- subtle music only, voice clear
- export: vertical 9:16, 1080x1920, MP4, under 60 seconds unless specified
- quality check: Sam appears by ~2 seconds, captions readable, no dead air, images used only when explained

Example format:

```text
First 5 seconds — why these exact words were chosen

Script line:
“AI is starting to do real work.”

Why this line:
- Belief correction: most owners think AI means captions/emails/chatbots.
- Tension: “real work” reframes AI as labor.
- Open loop: viewer wants to know what kind of work and why it matters.
- Kallaway tie-in: market-shift opener, not a generic tip.
```

## Quality bar

- First 2 seconds create curiosity, tension, or belief correction.
- Speaker appears by ~1.5–3 seconds unless the format explicitly needs otherwise.
- First 8 seconds include proof, example, or concrete business pain.
- Every line raises stakes, clarifies the idea, or moves toward payoff.
- The video leaves the viewer with a repeatable mental model.
- The CTA generates useful comments, leads, or future content ideas.
- Do not copy Kallaway’s wording; adapt his structure to the target business.
- Recording docs must be easy to hand to an editor with raw video + 3 images and still get a clean edit back.

## Sandcastles/source-video rule

When using Sandcastles examples:

- Prefer native/direct source video URLs when available.
- If Sandcastles does not expose source URLs, say that clearly.
- If native export is blocked by plan level, say that clearly.
- For important examples, manually resolve actual source URLs via YouTube/TikTok/Instagram search where possible and put those into the research sheet.
- Do not imply a native export happened if the data was extracted from visible page results.

## Telegram take-intake workflow

When Sam drops a good take in the AI Channel chat, treat it as a production input, not casual commentary.

Default flow:

1. Transcribe/clean the take if it arrives as voice audio.
2. Extract the core claim, tension gap, business-owner pain, and likely Kallaway format.
3. Check the AI Business Boomer visual evidence bank for a supporting chart/visual source.
4. Create or update the main AI Business Boomer spreadsheet row; keep the active Editor / Recording Doc link in column B when working in the main calendar sheet.
5. Create a concise Google recording/editor doc using the approved format:
   - viral format used
   - Sandcastles/example reference when available
   - why it works
   - required beats
   - 3 images or 3 image prompts
   - editor timeline with exact image vs face-to-camera timing
   - smaller teleprompter text
   - caption + pinned comment
   - simple editor brief
6. Share the doc with `shmonac@gmail.com` as writer.
7. Reply with the doc link and what row was updated/created.

Do not wait for a separate long prompt if the take is clear enough to convert into a video. Ask only if the take is ambiguous in a way that would materially change the script.

## Watch-before-recording links

Pick the most relevant 1–3:

- The NEW Way to WIN on Social Media in 2026 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImzoNTrgvFg
- How to Build an Audience That’s Obsessed With You — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuVyTmbOZjk
- How ‘Regular’ People Are Making Millions From Social Media — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqzd0h0gmU0
- How Social Media Algorithms Actually Work — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cQidXgtGmU
- How to Get Rich on Social Media — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf7ZXu4WiUs
- Copy This Hook, It’ll Blow Up Your Social Media — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VolLwMCLuY
- If I Started Social Media From Scratch in 2026, I’d Do This — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_n5ED5fE1I
- AI is About to Change Social Media Forever — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSDNiug5EH4