This "Negative" Hook Gets Millions of Views

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Hey!

I'm going to teach you something that feels completely wrong.

But it's responsible for my most viral content.

Negativity gets 3x more engagement than positivity.

The problem? 99% of creators use it wrong and hurt their reputation in the process.

I figured out the right way to use negativity.

And it became my go-to method for getting viral hits.

But before I show you exactly how it works, take a quick look at this week’s news👇

📰 Important News

🚨 X might get banned in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, France, and UK because Grok AI is making sexual images of anyone including kids.

⚽ TikTok is now FIFA's "Preferred Platform" for 2026 World Cup with exclusive content and behind-the-scenes access for creators.

🎥 YouTube changed search filters - now has a Shorts filter and renamed stuff to make it "easier" to find videos.

🧠 Governments want to force Meta to give users an "algorithm off" button because research shows algorithms cause anger and disagreement.

🛒 Microsoft just launched shopping inside their AI chatbot - you can now buy stuff without leaving the chat with 53% more purchases.

🤖 Lenovo dropped "Qira" - one AI that works across all your devices plus crazy stuff like rollable laptops and AI glasses.

💥 The Negativity Hook Formula (That Gets Millions of Views)

Here's the truth nobody wants to admit.

Negativity gets WAY more engagement than positivity.

But most creators use it wrong and hurt their reputation.

I figured out how to use negativity the right way.

And it became my go-to formula for viral hits.

Why This Actually Works

Our brains pay more attention to threats than good news.

It's a survival thing you can use.

When you see "You're doing X wrong" your brain goes into alert mode.

You HAVE to know what mistake you're making.

"5 Great Exercises for Legs" gets 5K views.

"Squats Are Overrated - Do This Instead" gets 500K views.

Same information. Completely different results.

This isn't manipulation.

It's just understanding how people think.

The Wrong Way (That Hurts Your Brand)

Here's how most creators mess this up:

❌ "You're doing squats wrong" 

❌ "Your content isn't working because you don't do this" 

❌ "If you're not doing X, you're missing out"

These make people defensive.

They feel personally attacked.

They leave angry or just scroll away.

You look bad.

Your reputation takes a hit.

The Right Way (Indirect Negativity)

Call out the IDEA, not the PERSON.

Replace "you" with "people," "someone," or "they."

This creates space.

Viewers don't feel attacked but still get the emotional punch.

✅ "Most people waste time with squats when this builds legs faster" 

✅ "Someone just lost $10,000 ignoring this mistake" 

✅ "People are still using hashtags wrong in 2026 - here's what actually works"

See the difference?

Same negativity. But fewer people getting mad at you. But don’t be bothered by that.

Just focus on using negativity to attract attention.

The Actual Formula

[Negative statement about common practice] + [Better alternative] = viral content

That's it.

Real Examples From My Content

1/ Instead of: "Here are 11 free AI courses"

I use: "RIP Udemy and Coursera☠️ 

OpenAI just unlocked the new roadmap to high-paying jobs 

Here are 11 FREE courses you can't miss before 2026👇"

2/ Instead of: "New AI careers for 2026" 

I use: "AI just created 50 careers for 2026 

Most people ignore them while smart ones move early 

These jobs are about to explode soon👇"

3/ Instead of: "17 useful websites" 

I use: "17 websites so good they feel ILLEGAL to use 

They make your life easier in seconds 

Bookmark this right now👇"

4/ Instead of: "Best YouTube videos to learn from" 

I use: "YouTube is a FREE university and 98% of people waste hours on useless content while smart ones learn from these useful tutorials 

Here are 15 YouTube videos to upgrade fast in AI, business and content creation before 2026👇"

5/ Instead of: "Free Google AI tools" 

I use: "RIP paid AI tools 

Google's AI ecosystem is full of free productive tools 

Check them all out 👇"

The fourth version gets 5-10x more engagement every single time.

I've tested this across hundreds of posts.

If you want access to all my most viral hooks and templates of threads, you can get them in ViralSky with plans starting from just $5/M. 

How To Apply This Right Now

1/ Find your topic

What are you teaching or sharing today?

2/ Identify the common mistake

What do most people do wrong? 

What's the outdated method? 

What's the waste of time or money?

3/ Apply the formula

[Common practice is wrong/wastes time/doesn't work] + [Your better solution]

Write it out. Be specific.

4/ Remove "you" language

Change "you're doing X wrong" to "people are doing X wrong"

Change "you're wasting time" to "most people waste time"

Change "your strategy isn't working" to "this strategy doesn't work anymore"

5/ Give value right away

Don't just point out the old way.

Show the better way in the same breath.

The Critical Balance

Negativity stops the scroll.

But value keeps them watching.

Point out the old method in the first 3 seconds.

Then spend the rest building up your solution.

This isn't about being mean.

It's about creating reactions that start conversations.

What NOT To Do

Don't use this on every single post.

You'll become known as "that negative person."

Use it smartly - maybe 1 in every 3-5 posts.

Always give massive value after the negative hook.

Never call out people directly. Only call out ideas, methods, and old ways of doing things.

Test This Today

Go look at your last 5 posts.

Pick one with good info but low engagement.

Rewrite the hook using the negativity formula.

Post it and watch what happens.

I promise it'll beat your positive version by at least 2-3x.

This is one of those rare tricks that works IMMEDIATELY.

You'll see results in hours, not weeks.

BONUS👇

All the best,

René