Find ideas
Start every reel from evidence: a reference that already worked for someone with a
similar audience, or a result from the creator's own posts. The output is a short
list of ideas, each with its reference, why it's worth copying and the angle that's
true for this creator. Hand the chosen one to write-script.
Where ideas come from
- References the creator supplies: a reel URL, a saved post or a screen recording.
- The creator's saved inspiration: with FavStash connected, search the stash by topic, hook pattern or audience problem, and read saved transcripts and on-screen text instead of guessing them. Saving a new URL keeps it with the rest.
- Niches and competitors: recent posts from creators the audience already follows. Compare each post with that creator's own baseline, not with other accounts.
- The creator's results: with FavStash analytics, their own outliers and their weakest openings are the best guide to the next test.
Without FavStash, work from supplied URLs and transcripts; everything below still applies.
Is the reference proven?
Call a reference proven only against its own creator's baseline: views at least 3× the median of a comparable recent sample of their posts. Record the views, publish date, capture date and sample size. Without a baseline it is a format reference: useful for structure, not proof that the hook works.
- A high comment count on a comment-to-DM post shows the gate converted, not that the hook earned reach.
- Performance shows association. Topic, timing and distribution stay confounded.
- Saved content is taste and structure, never factual proof for the creator's claims.
What to record for each idea
textIdea: one line, in the viewer's words Reference: URL, creator, views vs their median (proven | format | original) Why it worked: the hook lever, the first frame, the payoff True for this creator: what they can honestly say or show; what must change Proof available: footage, screen capture, real numbers (or what's missing)
Look at the reference itself when the treatment matters: the first frame, the cuts,
the captions and where sounds land. A transcript alone doesn't show the edit;
edit-video's reference helper samples frames from a URL into an analysis copy.
Give the creator three to five ideas, strongest first, and say which one you'd make. Rights don't transfer with an idea: adapt the hook, structure and pacing, and make the video from the creator's own footage.
