Viral Hooks
Trending short videosWildlife highway crossing success story
W

@wsdot

Instagram · Faceless

@wsdot Want a success story? In July, we recorded the 10,000th successful crossing on our I-90 Snoqualmie Pass wildlife overcrossing. Between that overcrossing and our 11 undercrossings on Snoqualmie Pass, we’ve seen nearly 40,000 crossings since 2014. 🥹 There’s a few reasons we built these structures. For one, it allows wildlife to safely access their full range of habitat. Isolated wildlife populations lead to weaker genetics over time. Fewer wildlife in the middle of the highway keep people safer, too. Wildlife crossings also carry an economic benefit. On average, a deer collision carries an economic cost of around $15,000. For elk, that figure jumps to $54,000. Fewer collisions can save the state hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Between 2019-2023, we removed 39,258 carcasses from state highways. In the stretch of I-90 Snoqualmie Pass where the overcrossing and undercrossings exist… that number has shrunk to nearly zero. And there’s more to come! Between now and 2031, we have plans to build an additional 15 undercrossings and one more overcrossing along Snoqualmie Pass East. Our mission is keeping travelers connected to wherever they need to go, no matter if it’s by wheel, foot, paw or hoof. 🐾

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Performance

Views
4.1M
Likes
511.4K
Comments
3.5K
Engagement
12.6%
Outlier
78.7×

Video #39272 · Faceless

Wildlife highway crossing success storyfrom @wsdot

[01]

Overview

The video presents a problem-solution narrative, first showing the dangers animals face when crossing highways, supported by statistics on carcasses and collision costs. It then documents the construction of a wildlife overpass and showcases its success with a montage of various animals like elk, bears, and cougars using the crossings safely, concluding with data showing a dramatic drop in wildlife collisions in the area.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Present empathetic problem
  2. 2Escalate negative stakes
  3. 3Introduce ambitious solution
  4. 4Provide proof of concept
  5. 5Reveal overwhelming impact

[03]

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[04]

Classification

Format
Faceless
Concepts
Public Service AnnouncementCase Study Breakdown
Elements
Text OverlayMontage EditingB&W CutawayArchival FootageTitle Text Hook
Account
Brand
Topics
Nature & WildlifePublic SafetySustainability

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 40%

For them, home is on both sides of the highway

Visual hook · 60%

A deer is shown in motion, gracefully running/leaping on a path under a large concrete highway overpass, creating immediate visual interest through the animal's movement and the scale of the structure.

[06]

Hook template

Steal this for your own video

A [wild animal] moving through [unexpected man-made structure] — filmed at [dramatic scale or angle] to show nature and human infrastructure colliding.

  • — A wolf pack trotting single-file through an abandoned highway tunnel — filmed from inside the tunnel looking out to silhouette the animals against the light.
  • — A family of deer leaping through the steel skeleton of a construction site — filmed wide to contrast their delicacy against the industrial scale of the beams.
  • — A bear calmly crossing beneath a roaring freeway overpass — filmed low and steady to hold the full arch of the structure above the animal in frame.

[07]

Hook and payoff

The promise the opener makes, and how the video pays it back

Hook

Establishes an immediate, emotionally resonant problem from a vulnerable perspective to generate instant empathy and frame the central conflict.

Payoff

Delivers a profound sense of satisfaction and hope by showcasing the complete and quantifiable victory over a seemingly tragic and intractable problem.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Problem-Solution Triumph

To create a powerful emotional journey by presenting a severe, empathetic problem, introducing a hopeful, large-scale solution, and then providing overwhelming, data-driven evidence of the solution's success.

  1. 1

    The Empathetic Premise

    Visually establishes the core conflict and the subjects it affects, framing it as a natural need being obstructed by a man-made obstacle.

  2. 2

    The Tragic Reality

    Escalates the problem by showing the direct, grim, and often fatal consequences of the conflict, moving from abstract problem to tangible loss.

  3. 3

    The Quantified Stakes

    Reinforces the severity of the problem with objective data, translating the emotional issue into measurable, large-scale negative impact (e.g., costs, statistics).

  4. 4

    The Heroic Intervention

    Pivots the narrative with a dramatic tonal and musical shift, introducing a large-scale, ambitious solution designed to solve the core problem.

  5. 5

    The First Proof of Life

    Provides the initial, crucial evidence that the solution is viable by showing the very first instance of its successful use, confirming the hypothesis.

  6. 6

    The Widespread Adoption

    Demonstrates the solution's effectiveness at scale with a montage of diverse users successfully engaging with it, proving its universal appeal and utility.

  7. 7

    The Problem's Reversal

    Presents data that directly contrasts with the initial problem metrics, proving the solution has not just worked, but has effectively nullified the original negative impact in the target area.

  8. 8

    The Overwhelming Success Tally

    Delivers a final, cumulative, and impressively large statistic of success, often accompanied by rapid-fire visuals, to leave the viewer with a powerful sense of accomplishment and resolution.

Themes

  • Human-wildlife coexistence
  • Problem-solving
  • Conservation success

Techniques

  • Emotional storytelling
  • Data visualization through text

Trends

  • Cause-driven content
  • Success story format

Post caption

Want a success story? In July, we recorded the 10,000th successful crossing on our I-90 Snoqualmie Pass wildlife overcrossing. Between that overcrossing and our 11 undercrossings on Snoqualmie Pass, we’ve seen nearly 40,000 crossings since 2014. 🥹 There’s a few reasons we built these structures. For one, it allows wildlife to safely access their full range of habitat. Isolated wildlife populations lead to weaker genetics over time. Fewer wildlife in the middle of the highway keep people safer, too. Wildlife crossings also carry an economic benefit. On average, a deer collision carries an economic cost of around $15,000. For elk, that figure jumps to $54,000. Fewer collisions can save the state hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. Between 2019-2023, we removed 39,258 carcasses from state highways. In the stretch of I-90 Snoqualmie Pass where the overcrossing and undercrossings exist… that number has shrunk to nearly zero. And there’s more to come! Between now and 2031, we have plans to build an additional 15 undercrossings and one more overcrossing along Snoqualmie Pass East. Our mission is keeping travelers connected to wherever they need to go, no matter if it’s by wheel, foot, paw or hoof. 🐾

Text overlays

  • title · beginning

    For them, home is on both sides of the highway

  • informational · beginning

    Every year, thousands never make it across

  • title · beginning

    These scenes are familiar 💔

  • informational · middle

    We remove about 7,800 carcasses from state highways annually

  • informational · middle

    The average deer collision costs $15,000

  • informational · middle

    It can also cost a life

  • title · middle

    So we built them a crossing

  • informational · middle

    First overcrossing December 2018

  • informational · end

    In this area, wildlife collisions have dropped to nearly zero

  • informational · end

    10,000TH OVERCROSSING! July 2026

  • contextual · end

    Between our overcrossing and undercrossing structures...

  • informational · end

    We've recorded 39,000 successful crossings on I-90 Snoqualmie Pass

  • contextual · end

    hey bear 👋 safe travels

Transcript

You're gong gong gone away. I wish it disappear. All that's left is a ghost of you. Now it's torn, torn, torn apart. There's nothing we can't do.