👀 Availability
Free users can see the overall numeric Viral Score. Paid users can also see detailed text breakdowns for each score dimension.
Each generated clip gets a Viral Score. This article explains what the score means, what free users can see, and what paid users can see in the detailed score breakdown.
The Viral Score is a recommendation signal, not a promise. A high score means a clip has many of the traits that tend to perform well in short-form video.
What Free and paid users see
Every generated clip includes an overall numeric score, such as 99/100. This total score helps you compare clips quickly.
Paid users can also see detailed text breakdowns for each score dimension. These breakdowns explain why the clip received its score and how it performs across Hook, Story, Value, Engagement, and Reach.
User type | What appears on each clip |
Free users | Overall numeric Viral Score |
Paid users | Overall numeric Viral Score, dimension grades, and detailed text explanations |
How the Viral Score is built
The detailed score breakdown is built from five dimensions. Each dimension looks at a different reason a clip may/or may not work.
Dimension | What it measures |
Hook | Does the clip grab attention in the first few seconds? |
Story | Is there a complete idea, arc, or payoff? |
Value | Is the content useful, surprising, or emotional? |
Engagement | Does the clip make people want to watch, react, or share? |
Reach | Is the format and topic likely to travel beyond your current audience? |
Paid users may also see letter grades, such as A or A-, and a short explanation for each dimension.
Hook
Hook measures how likely the first few seconds are to stop someone scrolling.
A strong hook usually has one or more of these:
A surprising statement, question, or visual
High energy or strong emotion right at the start
A clear promise of what the viewer will get by watching
Fast pacing that signals something interesting is happening
An unusual or unexpected moment that creates curiosity
A weak hook often starts slow, has a long intro, or feels like the middle of a conversation the viewer was not part of yet.
Hook is important but not everything. A clip with an amazing hook that delivers nothing will still disappoint viewers. That is what the other dimensions check.
Story
Story measures whether the clip feels like a complete, satisfying watch.
A strong story usually has:
A clear beginning, middle, and end within the clip
A sense of direction — the viewer knows where the clip is going
A payoff: a punchline, a reveal, a conclusion, a lesson, or a resolution
Good pacing that does not rush the payoff or drag before it
A weak story feels like a fragment. It starts in the middle of something, ends abruptly, or never gets to a point. These clips can still be interesting, but they are harder for viewers to commit to.
Even a 15-second clip can tell a complete story. The key is that the clip itself feels self-contained — a viewer who has never seen the full video should still feel satisfied.
Value
Value measures whether the clip gives the viewer something worth their time.
Value can take many forms:
Useful — a tip, trick, tutorial, or how-to that the viewer can apply
Surprising — a fact, reveal, or twist that the viewer did not expect
Emotional — a moment that makes the viewer laugh, feel moved, or get fired up
Relatable — something the viewer sees themselves in
Informative — news, insight, or context that helps the viewer understand something
A clip scores high on value when it delivers one of these clearly. A clip that is hard to describe or that leaves the viewer thinking "so what?" scores low.
Value is often the difference between a clip people watch once and a clip people send to a friend.
Engagement
Engagement measures how likely the clip is to drive interaction: likes, comments, shares, and saves.
A high-engagement clip often has:
A moment that makes viewers feel something strongly enough to react
A take or opinion people will want to agree with or argue against
A question or prompt that invites a response
Content people want to share because it represents them or their views
Re-watchability — a moment viewers want to see again or show someone
Engagement is closely tied to Value and Story. A clip that delivers strong value through a satisfying story is naturally more engaging than one that does neither.
Engagement also depends on platform norms. A clip that drives comments on YouTube Shorts may drive saves on TikTok. The Viral Score considers common short-form patterns across platforms.
Reach
Reach measures the clip's potential to travel beyond your existing audience.
A high-reach clip usually has:
A universal topic that does not require prior context or insider knowledge
Broad appeal — it works for people who do not know you or your content
Language and visuals that are clear without subtitles or captions
A format that fits platform algorithms and discovery surfaces
Timely or trending relevance that increases the chance of algorithmic pickup
A low-reach clip is not necessarily a bad clip. It may be highly valuable to your existing audience — a deep-dive tutorial, a community inside joke, or a niche topic. Those clips can still perform well with the right audience, even if they will not go viral.
Think of Reach as the ceiling. A clip with high Hook, Story, Value, and Engagement but low Reach will perform well with the people who see it. A clip with high Reach on top of those has a chance to break out.
How to use the Viral Score
The Viral Score is a comparison tool, not a final decision. Here is how to use it in your workflow:
Sort by score to surface the most promising clips first.
Watch the top clips and pick the ones that match your brand, voice, and goals.
Check the text breakdowns (paid plans) — if a clip scores well overall but Hook is lower, you might add an AI Hook in the editor.
Do not ignore lower-scoring clips — they may contain moments that matter to your specific audience even if the algorithm would not push them.
Use scores to learn — over time, you will notice which dimensions your best-performing clips score high on, and you can look for those patterns in future videos.