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The Underground Social Media Tactics That Big Creators Won't Share
Social media is full of advice about consistency, engagement, and quality content — but let’s be real, those tips alone won’t make you go viral or turn you into an influential creator.
Big creators don’t play fair. They have access to underground strategies, growth hacks, and behind-the-scenes tactics that help them rise above the competition. Many of these strategies are either unspoken or deliberately kept secret to maintain an advantage.
If you’re tired of slow growth and generic social media advice, this article will reveal the hidden tactics big creators use — but never talk about.
1. Reverse-Engineer Comments to Get on Viral Posts
Most people focus on creating viral content, but there’s another way to gain exposure without making a single post go viral yourself — by strategically commenting on viral posts before they blow up.
How It Works:
Find niche influencers or pages right before they go viral. You can use tools like TrendPop, TweetDeck, or TikTok’s trending sounds to identify rising content.
Be the first or second commenter with a witty, insightful, or controversial comment. This ensures your reply gets thousands of likes, and people start checking out your profile.
Engage in discussions under viral posts. When people like your take, they naturally explore your page and follow you.
This method allows you to hijack virality without needing to create a viral post yourself.
2. ‘Scrapbook Growth’ — Leveraging Dead Accounts
Did you know that abandoned social media accounts still have active followers? Instead of building an audience from scratch, you can acquire these accounts legally and repurpose them.
How to Do It:
Look for old but active accounts on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok that haven’t posted in a while but still have decent engagement.
Contact the owner and offer to buy, partner, or manage the account.
Merge your brand into the existing audience. Example: If the account was a meme page, you can subtly transition it into a personal brand while keeping engagement intact.
This technique is often used by big media brands to take over inactive pages and retain an existing audience.
3. ‘Rabbit Hole Content’ — Getting Users Hooked on Your Page
Most creators focus on getting one viral post, but the real growth happens when you trap people into consuming multiple pieces of content at once.
The Strategy:
Post “Thread” or “Series” Content: Instead of just making random posts, create linked content where each post makes the audience want to check out the next one.
Use ‘Open Loops’ in Captions & Videos: Ever watched a video where they say, “I’ll explain that in the next post”? That’s an open loop. It forces people to stay engaged and return to your page.
Pin a Content Funnel: Have 3–4 pinned posts that create a “mini-rabbit hole” for new followers. If someone stumbles upon one, they naturally go down a content spiral on your page.
Big creators use this method to increase watch time, boost engagement, and signal algorithms to push their content.
4. The ‘Engagement Pods’ You Didn’t Know Existed
You may have heard of Instagram pods — where small groups like and comment on each other’s posts to boost engagement. But what big creators actually use is cross-platform pods.
How It Works:
Instead of just Instagram, create a private group (Telegram, Discord, or WhatsApp) with people in your niche.
When someone posts on TikTok, Instagram, or even YouTube Shorts, the group immediately engages across multiple platforms at the same time.
The goal is to trigger algorithmic momentum — the faster a post gains traction on multiple platforms, the more likely it is to go viral.
These hidden engagement pods exist among big creators, but they rarely admit it.
Everyone knows that getting a shoutout from a bigger creator can help you grow. But what if you could borrow their authority without them even knowing?
Here’s how:
Feature their name in your content. Example: If you’re in business, you might post, “What Alex Hormozi doesn’t tell you about sales” — even if he never interacts with you.
React to their content. Create a TikTok or YouTube reaction video and use their name in the caption.
Use Similar Hashtags & SEO: If someone searches for “Gary Vee business tips,” your content might appear next to his.
This trick lets you leverage big creators’ audiences without direct collaboration.
6. ‘Velocity Engagement’ — Hacking the First 5 Minutes
The first 5 minutes of a post’s life can determine whether it flops or goes viral. Big creators manipulate this by hacking early engagement.
What You Can Do:
Send traffic from a different platform: Immediately after posting, send an Instagram story link or push the post on a Telegram group.
Reply to yourself: Comment on your own post with a follow-up question or inside joke. This triggers more engagement.
Tell people to “Save” instead of just liking: Saves are weighted heavier than likes on Instagram and TikTok, which increases post reach.
Velocity engagement is a secret weapon for rapid growth.
7. The ‘Hacked Hashtag’ Strategy (Stealing Other Creators’ Momentum)
Most people use generic hashtags, but big creators use strategic “borrowed” hashtags.
How It Works:
Instead of using #fitness or #travel, find mid-level creators (20K-100K followers) in your niche and copy their exact hashtags.
Because their audience is engaging with that set of hashtags, your content gets mixed into their audience’s feed.
This is stealing algorithmic momentum and makes your content appear next to theirs.
It’s an effortless way to tap into existing engagement cycles.
Ever wondered why new creators suddenly gain verified badges, press features, or credibility overnight? Many of them engineer their authority.
Here’s how:
Get small media features first. Sites like Medium, Thrive Global, or even niche blogs boost credibility.
Apply for a blue check early. Instagram and Twitter verification are easier to get after you appear in online articles.
Use credibility on all platforms. Once you get one verification, cross-apply to other social networks(Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, etc.).
This strategy fast-tracks your brand authority without waiting years for recognition.
Final Thoughts: The Real Growth Hacks Are Hidden
Most social media advice is generic and outdated. Big creators are constantly testing underground tactics, but they rarely share their best-kept secrets.
By using these lesser-known strategies — hijacking viral posts, repurposing abandoned accounts, and engagement stacking — you can level up your social media growth much faster.
These strategies aren’t magic, but when executed correctly, they give you an unfair advantage over 99% of people struggling with social media.
🚀 Which of these tactics will you try first?