“Nasa just regained contact with humanity’s most distant spacecraft.”
We’re three seconds into Cleo Abram’s most recent TikTok, and we're already hooked.
And as it turns out, we're far from the only one, as almost every video Abram posts goes viral. Don’t believe us? Let’s crunch the numbers.
On TikTok, Abram’s videos regularly reach several millions of views, and her most popular YouTube video, ‘Quantum Computers, explained with MKBHD,’ has 7.5M views at the time of writing.
One thing is clear: Abram’s content has some serious appeal. So, what is it about her videos that gets people liking, commenting, and following for more?
Let’s take a deep dive into the science behind Cleo Abram’s virality.
Who is Cleo Abram?
A self-titled optimist and video journalist with 1.4M followers on TikTok and 2.59M subscribers to her YouTube channel, Abram takes a unique approach to content creation. More on the secrets to her success in a moment…
Now an independent creator, Abram got her start at Vox, hosting its YouTube Originals show Glad You Asked and working as a producer on its Netflix show Explained.
In 2022, Abram left Vox to launch her own online series, joining the growing group of journalists who have jumped from employment with traditional media outlets to running their own shows via social media. And she’s killing it.
In the years since, she’s made her mark with her sleek, well-researched videos covering what she calls ‘optimistic science and tech stories.’
But what is it that makes her videos so shareable, engaging, and like-worthy?
The secret to Abram’s virality: research, production value, and a pinch of charisma
Abram is one of the most respected and sought-after journalists in her niche, and for good reason. Here’s why so many of her YouTube and TikTok videos go viral.
1) Carefully-selected stories
Abram specifically covers stories that fit into her niche of technology and science news while appealing to audiences en masse.
Some of her most popular videos answer common curiosities, like ‘How deep is the ocean?’ or report on breaking news stories about AI, scientific discoveries, and technological advancements relevant to our daily lives.
2) Engaging storytelling techniques
Spend just five minutes scrolling through Abram’s video catalog, and you’ll understand why her content stops people in their tracks — she knows how to tell a story.
Not only are Abram’s scripts expertly crafted, opening with one-liners that are never clickbaity and always attention-grabbing, but she speaks with intoxicatingly genuine enthusiasm.
3) A unique visual style
Whether she’s creating a 20-minute investigative YouTube video or a 30-second clip on TikTok, Abram uses a consistent visual style that is immediately recognizable.
Her videos typically include sections where she talks directly to the camera and bold animations, graphs, and textual elements that support her storytelling.
4) Research, research, research
Abram may not have studied journalism at college — she majored in political science at Columbia — but her natural talent is undeniable. Every video is meticulously researched, supporting her credibility as a source.
5) Writing for a broad audience
Abram has an uncanny ability to present typically complex topics many of us may write off as being ‘not for us,’ like quantum computing, in a way that is entertaining, inspiring, and easy to understand.
There’s something about Abram: What can you learn
Whether you’re building your podcast empire or looking to go viral on TikTok, here are five learnings we’ve taken from Cleo Abram that you can begin applying to your content strategy today:
– Talk about topics you’re passionate about. One reason Abram is so successful is that she speaks about topics she’s genuinely interested in, giving her content an air of authenticity that audiences crave.
– Lean into human curiosity. Abram may exist within a technology and science niche, but she makes her content relatable by focusing on topics that are relevant to her audiences or that feed into our innate curiosity about the world around us.
– Develop a unique style. Abram’s unique approach to storytelling is a big part of her strategy. Rather than copying what’s worked for others, we suggest experimenting with different formats and approaches to script writing and editing until you find something that’ll turn audiences’ heads.
– Make your content accessible. Unless you’re targeting a highly professional, expert audience, focus on making your content easy to understand. That doesn’t mean dumbing it down; instead, remove unnecessary jargon, use relatable examples to illustrate complex points, and prioritize clarity.
– Do your research. If you want to achieve big numbers, you’ve got to put in the work! Investing time in researching your talking points will ensure your content is seen as trustworthy and worth sharing.
