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- ALEX GARCIA: 6 FRAMES TO CREATE VIRAL CONTENT
ALEX GARCIA: 6 FRAMES TO CREATE VIRAL CONTENT
6 frames to view content in to create like Alex Garcia...
Niall Ratcliffe
December 15, 2024
Morning!
I’ve just spent the day at the Manchester Christmas markets. My brain is a little tired, my wallet is a little hurt, and I spent 45 minutes waiting for a “viral” croissant in the cold.
(That’s 45 minutes I’ll never get back.)
Anyway, there is marketing to be learned and today we’re going to be talking about how to cheat vitality with pre-validated content.
Let’s get into it!
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION HERE
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
BREAKING DOWN THE STRATEGY
In the middle of the pandemic, I stumbled upon a marketing newsletter called “Marketing Examined”.
Unlike most of the marketing tripe I was reading online, this newsletter actually had some substance, I was learning things, hearing new concepts, and genuinely enjoying reading it.
But I didn’t just want to be a regular reader, I wanted to get my knowledge from the source and understand who the owner of the newsletter was. That’s when I became aware of Alex Garcia.
At the time, Alex probably had 40,000 followers on Twitter and no presence anywhere else.
But over the next 6 months, I saw him completely take over every social platform.
He hit 100k on Twitter, then he grew to 75k on Instagram, and then he was getting 1000s of views on TikTok.
I’d never seen a rise like it, especially for someone putting out technical marketing breakdowns.
I was envious, but more so, I wanted to know his secret. I wanted to know how he was doing it. I wanted to do the same.
So I’ve spent months studying his content, listening to his podcast and figuring out how in the world he has been able to master content.
His great production is a factor.
His in-depth knowledge is a factor.
But his true silver bullet is the way he views content
Here are 6 frames to look at content so you can grow your content channels like Alex Garcia:
Frame 1: You’re Not Einstein, So Steal Off Einstein
Great content doesn’t come from genius ideas while in the bathtub, great content comes from seeing what others are doing and getting inspired by it.
Alex knows this better than anyone.
On Twitter, he saw Sahil Bloom growing rapidly by sharing “threads” on finance. So Alex set himself a challenge to post 1 marketing thread a day for 30 days. He finished that challenge with 50,000 followers.
On Instagram, he saw his friend Oren John going viral by sharing brand breakdowns with a green screen. So Alex started sharing marketing breakdowns with a green screen - these are now some of his most viral videos.
You don’t become a creative genius by coming up with brand-new ideas, you become a creative genius by seeing what works and finding creative ways to apply it to what you talk about.
Frame 2: Not All Content Should Be An MVP
Some creators treat every piece of content as a one-off experiment. If it works, great. If not, they’re on to the next idea. This sounds clever on paper until you realise you’re constantly experimenting and never capitalising.
Alex says, “Out of every 7 pieces of content you post, 4 should be tried and tested formats”. Content types you’ve used before and already know your audience enjoy.
Look at his "Good vs. Bad Content" series for example. Nearly every week, Alex puts out a post on good vs bad content in a certain industry.
He’s done:
Supplement brands.
Sunscreen brands.
Running brands.
Beauty brands.
B2B brands.
+ many more.
It’s not a one-time post. It’s a format. The audience knows what to expect, and they come back for it. The series has become a "content asset," not just a viral hit.
And this is what more marketers need to understand when it comes to content.
You should have 4-5 formats you crank out week in and week out that your audience has come to know and love. If you don’t you’re probably endlessly experimenting.
Frame 3: Volume Matters
How in the world do you experiment while keeping to those tested content formats? Volume.
You’ve heard the phrase "quality over quantity," but Alex Garcia’s content strategy challenges that. He knows that quantity produces quality.
Every day he’s posting across a host of different platforms:
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
TikTok
Alex is putting out a BOATLOAD of content.
But by doing so he’s able to get real-world feedback while also putting out the usual content his audience knows and loves.
No volume = no progress.
If your content is struggling, there’s a good chance you aren’t posting enough.
Frame 4: The New Idea Trap
As a marketer, it’s so easy to fall into the new idea trap. Every day you feel like you always have to create something new. So, each week you sit down and…
Think of NEW ideas.
NEW types of content.
NEW ways to communicate things.
When the reality is, you’re sitting on a gold mine and letting it gather dust - your old ideas.
Every week, you shouldn’t be sitting down to think of new ideas, you should be trying to communicate old ideas in a new, more engaging, more concise way.
Take Alex for example, he doesn’t post a brand-new idea every day. All he does is package his core thesis’ around marketing in new ways.
If a tweet talking about how to build a content team performs…
He’ll turn it into a thread.
Read it out and create a TikTok.
Then go on his podcast and talk about it.
He’s not trying to think of a cleverer idea to talk about, he’s trying to improve an idea that he knows resonates with his audience.
Just go and look at your top 10 best-performing posts. Then ask yourself: How can you reframe, reformat, or remix those ideas into fresh content?
Frame 5: The Midwit Bridge
Too many content experts try too hard to be “Content experts”.
They’re always giving advice.
Trying to game the algorithm.
Making sure they sound clever.
When the reality is, all they need to do is post stuff their audience can relate to.
Alex calls this the “Bridge” in his content and it’s often the last step of his content creation process.
For example, he wanted to start creating vlogs of “A day in the life building a billion-dollar media brand” - but he knew no one would relate to that.
So instead, he created multiple “Bridges” to make the content more relatable.
Some vlogs he would title, “Trying to build a billion-dollar company while being present with my kid” - making it relatable to dads.
Other vlogs he would do, “Trying to grow my company while staying consistent at Crossfit“ - making it relatable to athletes.
People want to stare at their screens and see people like them. The more they can relate to the content, the more engaged they’ll be.
Frame 6: The People Are The Algorithm
Fools hack algorithms, great marketers talk to people.
If you seriously set up the two stalls in the image below that’s exactly the split queues you would see.
But this obsession with beating the algorithm is a fool's game. Because people forget the algorithm is simply built to please people.
Please people and you’ll please the algorithm.
This is something that Alex Garcia understands so well. He knows that algorithms change, but people don’t. They want to feel understood. They want to feel seen. Before Alex posts anything, he asks himself two questions:
"Does this make my audience feel seen?"
"Does this spark an emotional reaction?"
If the answer is yes, he posts it. No algorithm hacks, no trendy tactics. Just empathy. The irony is that by focusing on people, he ends up "winning" the algorithm anyway. People engage, people comment, people share—and the algorithm follows their lead.
This shift in mindset changes everything. Instead of fighting an algorithm, you’re connecting with people. Instead of chasing trends, you’re tapping into timeless human triggers like curiosity, validation, and relatability.
🌱 THE GREENHOUSE
Things I’ve saved this week that are worth seeing:
TL;DR
1/ You’re Not Einstein, So Steal Off Einstein
2/ All Content ≠ MVP
3/ Volume Matters
4/ The New Idea Trap
5/ The Midwit Bridge
6/ The People Are The Algorithm
The irony of content is that the greatest content creators just find what works and post more of it.
There are so many of us always trying to act like Einstein and come up with clever theories, hacks, or strategies to game our way to viral content.
Yet all we need to do is find what’s working and apply it to what we want to talk about.
The content game really is that simple.
Hopefully reading this got you excited about creating more content in 2025. If it did, why not share it with a friend?
Until next Sunday.
— Niall
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