Have you ever stumbled upon this video?

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Or this one?

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Or perhaps this one?

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If you have, then you’ve contributed to Justin Flom’s monthly billion views.

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Who is Justin Flom you ask?

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Oh, you know, just a guy with 21 million YouTube subscribers, 9.4 million TikTok followers, nearly 20 billion YouTube views, and over 260 million TikTok likes. No biggie.

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Then how come you’ve probably never heard his name?

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Well, that’s the point. Justin has managed to create an empire and befriend the algorithm of almost every social platform without relying on his personality. Just content.

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So, how did he manage to remain relatively anonymous while being one of the most successful content creators out there?

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Content over personal branding

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Justin Flom is all about creating engaging and innovative content that attracts viewers. 

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With a mastery of hooks and seemingly infinite creativity, he’s sure to catch users’ attention. 

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But, unlike many others, he doesn't primarily center himself as the personality behind it. Rather, the process and final result are always the priority of each video.

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This way, his work gains recognition while he remains less personally identifiable.

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Platform strategy

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The platforms Justin uses also play a role. 

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Facebook, YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok center around viral content that can be shared without viewers knowing much about the creator.

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Users will simply scroll through their explore pages with videos recommended for them, watch a video, like it, then keep scrolling.

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The algorithm-driven nature of these platforms means that people can consume content without ever going into the creator's identity.

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Niche audience

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Justin is definitely well-known within certain circles, such as the magic community. There, he’s earned a bad reputation for revealing secrets –it once ruined one of his investments.

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His work as a magician was closely tied to his personal image, as most magicians’ work is, which means his popularity brought recognition with it.

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But he’s not really known outside those niches. 

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While his fame within the magic community is substantial, the general public isn’t as familiar with him.

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Content style

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Justin’s content often involves revealing magic tricks, performing stunts, and creating unique art projects.

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This type of content can go viral because of its originality and entertainment value.

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It’s not tied to a strong personal narrative or persona that viewers connect with. Instead, it relies on shock value and giving people something to talk about, something to share.

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Lack of traditional media exposure

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Traditional celebrities usually gain fame through TV shows, movies, or mainstream news coverage.

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Justin's fame is largely digital.

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Even though he’s been associated with networks and running shows, they were never his main focus.

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Internet fame can be more fleeting and less personal. You may have been exposed to hundreds of his videos without ever needing to see the name “Justin Flom” before them.

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Diversification of content

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Justin keeps his audience engaged with the material rather than with him as a personality by constantly renovating his approach. 

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Magic reveals. Art projects. Home renovations.

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This helps him stay relevant and maintain high viewership without becoming a well-known public figure.

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By evolving and mutating his content to whatever works best and whatever users respond well to, he avoids being associated with a single content department. 

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His videos always feel new and different, hard to trace back to him because they may be something even the most dedicated followers would never have expected from his channel.

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Playing with anonymity

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Many content creators would hate remaining unknown.

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But not Justin Flom. He thrives on it.

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It has allowed him to play with his content. To switch it up. To stay creative.

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With time, he realized what mattered most to his audience was what we he was making, rather than who was behind it. So he went all out, studied the digital environment, and made sure the content spoke for itself.

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Sure, some of that anonymity will be lost if he grows his empire through merchandising –a new avenue he mentioned in his latest interview–. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s still the viral guy most can’t name.

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And that’s the whole point.

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‍Ever thought about creating your own thought leadership content? At TOP Thought Leader, we amplify new and established voices so they can become pioneers of their generation. Get in touch with us and embark on your journey!