Viral Hooks
Trending short videosFunny ratings of squirrels' politeness
R

@rspb

Instagram · Carousel

@rspb We politely request your eyes upon these rather well-mannered and respectful Red Squirrels.\n \nExcept for number 8. Not a polite squirrel.

View original on Instagram

The edit1 shot · 10 text
Shots Text

Performance

Views
624.6K
Likes
41.6K
Comments
407
Engagement
6.7%
Outlier
8.6×

Video #9821 · Carousel

Funny ratings of squirrels' politenessfrom @rspb

[01]

Overview

A 10-slide carousel by the RSPB that humorously rates red squirrels on a scale of 'politeness'. Each slide features a high-quality photo of a squirrel with text overlays assigning them human personality traits and a numerical score out of 10.

[02]

Simple outline

  1. 1Establish absurd rating premise
  2. 2Introduce relatable micro-personas
  3. 3Deliver promised outlier/villain
  4. 4Conclude with exaggerated winner

[03]

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[04]

Classification

Format
Carousel
Concepts
Product DemoBrand ManifestoGuide Carousel
Elements
Text OverlayConsistent Visual ThemeAnnotation Overlay
Account
Brand
Topics
Nature & WildlifePets & AnimalsComedySatire

[05]

Hook analysis

What stops the scroll in the first 3 seconds

Title hook · 55%

Rating Red Squirrels on their politeness*

Verbal hook · 30%

We politely request your eyes upon these rather well-mannered and respectful Red Squirrels.

Visual hook · 15%

High-quality, cute close-up photography of red squirrels with expressive faces and poses.

[07]

Hook and payoff

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

Hook

Introduce the subject and the arbitrary, humorous metric by which they will be judged, explicitly establishing the subjective authority of the creator.

Payoff

Break the established rating scale with an exaggerated, definitively perfect score to provide a satisfying, definitive conclusion to the list.

[08]

Narrative framework

The structural pattern this video runs on

Framework

The Absurd Anthropomorphic Rating Scale

Assigning highly specific, relatable human traits and arbitrary numerical ratings to non-human or inanimate subjects to create humor and drive swipe completion.

  1. 1

    The Baseline Archetypes

    Establish the slide format using easily recognizable human personas (e.g., the rule-follower, the complainer) applied to the visual subject to train the reader on how to consume the carousel.

  2. 2

    The Escalating Specificity

    Deepen the humor and maintain swipe momentum by introducing increasingly niche, relatable, or absurd emotional states (e.g., the panicker, the introvert).

  3. 3

    The Caption Callback / The Outlier

    Deliver on a specific expectation or 'easter egg' set in the post's caption by presenting a subject that completely fails the established metric, acting as a narrative pattern interrupt.

Themes

  • Anthropomorphism
  • British humor
  • Wildlife appreciation
  • Social etiquette

Techniques

  • Personification
  • Rating system
  • Macro photography
  • Graphic overlays

Trends

  • Rating things trend
  • Animal captioning
  • Wholesome content

Post caption

We politely request your eyes upon these rather well-mannered and respectful Red Squirrels.\n \nExcept for number 8. Not a polite squirrel.

Text overlays

  • title · photo_0

    Rating Red Squirrels on their politeness* *As decided by the RSPB social team

  • informational · photo_1

    This squirrel would queue without complaining. A polite squirrel. Polite Red Squirrels 7/10

  • informational · photo_2

    This squirrel would like to speak to the manager. (This squirrel is not particularly polite). Polite Red Squirrels 4/10

  • informational · photo_3

    This squirrel is acting polite to hide a crime. Polite, but performative. Polite Red Squirrels 5/10

  • informational · photo_4

    This squirrel is waiting to be introduced. (He is eager to make a good impression). An exceptionally polite squirrel. Polite Red Squirrels 9.5/10

  • informational · photo_5

    This squirrel would ask if you need anything while panicking. Overwhelmed. But unwaveringly polite. Polite Red Squirrels 8/10

  • informational · photo_6

    This squirrel has no plan. Politeness unknown. Tail: immaculate. Polite Red Squirrels 5/10

  • informational · photo_7

    This squirrel is very politely pretending we don't exist. A polite little introvert. Polite Red Squirrels 8.5/10

  • informational · photo_8

    This squirrel will not share snacks. This squirrel is giving deliberate side-eye. This is not a polite squirrel. Polite Red Squirrels 3/10

  • informational · photo_9

    This squirrel is the politest of them all. There has never been a politer squirrel. Polite Red Squirrels 100/10

Funny ratings of squirrels' politeness | Viral Hooks