Make a Video Like This: How to Turn Any Viral Video Into a Creator Brief
By INFLUENCE · Published November 7, 2026 · 7 min read
“Make a video like this” is an INFLUENCE feature that turns any video you like into a creator campaign. Pick a video from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X or INFLUENCE itself, click the button, add your notes and send. Matched creators then remake that proven format with your product built in, and nothing posts until you’ve signed off on both the creators and their drafts. It’s for growth teams that would rather build on what’s already working than bet the budget on a brand-new creative idea.
Here’s the conviction behind it: the best creator content is usually a remix, not an invention. Every day, creators test thousands of hooks, demos and ways to explain a problem, and a few of them work spectacularly. INFLUENCE built “Make a video like this” so you can start from those winners instead of a blank brief. This post covers how it works, what makes a good reference video, where remixing crosses the line into copying, and how teams use it. For the strategy side of creator campaigns, see our guide to promoting an app with influencers.
Why remixing proven videos beats brainstorming from scratch
Because a format that already held millions of people’s attention has passed the hardest test a video can face. A new concept hasn’t. Remixing trades a creative gamble for a creative head start.
Brands are also asking creators for more of this kind of content. In Collabstr’s 2026 report, UGC-style work made up 35% of all collaborations on its marketplace, second only to Instagram at 40%. (Collabstr) That’s demand for native, creator-style videos that look like the feed, not like an ad.
What a remix keeps and what it changes:
| Keep from the reference | Change for your brand |
|---|---|
| The hook structure (first 2–3 seconds) | The words, setting and creator |
| The pacing and length | The product, which becomes the payoff |
| The format (before-and-after, POV, “watch me try it”) | The real use case and outcome |
| The emotional beat (relief, surprise, a laugh) | The call to action |
The hardest creative decision is picking which angle to bet on. INFLUENCE turns that into choosing from formats that have already proven themselves on the exact feeds your buyers scroll.
How “Make a video like this” works
It takes about as long as sending a LinkedIn connection request. Here’s the full flow.
Find a reference video. Anything public on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube or X, or a video already inside INFLUENCE.
Click “Make a video like this.” INFLUENCE pulls in the video as the reference for a new brief.
Add your notes. What the product should do in the video, the must-say points, anything off-limits, and your goal (installs, sign-ups, trials).
Approve the matched creators. INFLUENCE curators shortlist creators whose audiences fit and whose own style suits the format. You approve or swap each one.
Approve the drafts. Briefs combine the reference, your notes and each creator’s own voice. Nothing posts until you sign off.
Let the agent run the rest. Your INFLUENCE AI agent handles outreach, negotiation, contracts, posting dates, tracking links and codes, and payouts. Results show up in one dashboard as delivered views by creator and post.
You can also save reference videos to lists, so your next campaign starts from your best-performing formats, and browse lists other marketers have curated when you need ideas.
That’s the entire workflow: you pick the format and approve the people, and INFLUENCE does the rest.
What makes a good reference video?
A good reference has a clear, repeatable structure that works without the original creator’s fame. Before you hit the button, run it past this checklist.
The hook doesn’t depend on who’s talking. “POV: you just found out…” travels; a celebrity’s catchphrase doesn’t.
The format has room for a product. Problems, comparisons, routines and transformations do. Pure dance trends rarely do.
It’s relevant to your buyer’s problem, even if the original is about something else entirely.
It’s recent enough to feel native on the platform today.
It performed for its audience size. A video with 3 million views on an account of 20,000 followers says more about the format than one from an account of 20 million.
Choosing the right reference is the one creative call that stays with you. INFLUENCE curators flag references that won’t travel before any creator is booked.
Remix, don’t copy: where the line is
Remixing a format is how the internet works. Copying someone’s actual video isn’t. Keep the structure, change everything that belongs to the original creator.
| Fine to borrow | Not fine to borrow |
|---|---|
| A hook pattern or story structure | The original video’s footage or audio, unless the platform licenses it for reuse |
| A trending format or sound offered in the platform’s library | Someone’s script word for word |
| A type of demo or comparison | Another creator’s face, name or signature catchphrase |
| Pacing, length and editing style | Another brand’s product claims |
A few more rules worth keeping:
Credit inspiration when it’s specific. If a remake is clearly a response to one creator’s video, a nod or stitch is good manners and good content.
Disclose every paid post. Remixes are ads too. Our FTC disclosure guide covers what that looks like.
Keep claims true. The remake has to show what your product really does, not what the original video implied.
We’re not lawyers, so check anything unusual with your counsel.
Every remake on INFLUENCE goes through draft review for disclosure and brand safety before it reaches you, so remixing at scale doesn’t mean losing control of what goes out.
How growth teams use “Make a video like this”
Teams use it in four main ways, depending on what they’re trying to fix.
| Use case | What they send | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Launching a new product | Viral videos about the problem the product solves | Borrows attention for a problem people already care about |
| Scaling a winner | Their own best-performing creator video | Turns one hit into ten, across new audiences |
| Entering a new category or market | Top videos from that category | Learns the format the audience already expects |
| Refreshing tired creative | Recent trending formats | Keeps paid ads from fatiguing |
Scaling a winning video used to mean finding, briefing and paying a dozen new creators by hand. With INFLUENCE, it’s one click and a round of approvals.
How to run your first remix campaign in INFLUENCE
Here’s the quickest way to try it.
Start a campaign at campaigns.influence.technology. Choose your goal, the most you’ll pay per 1,000 views and a total budget.
Pick three reference videos. One from your category, one about your buyer’s problem, one wildcard format.
Hit “Make a video like this” on each, with a two-line note: what the product does in the video, and the one thing it must not say.
Approve the shortlist and drafts. Expect a mix of creators across each format, so you learn which format wins.
Read delivered views by format in the dashboard, then save the winning reference to a list for the next campaign.
Billing works like the rest of INFLUENCE: you pay only for delivered views, never past your ceiling or cap. Our pricing page has worked examples.
The internet has already run the creative tests. “Make a video like this” lets you build on the results instead of rerunning them with your own budget. Pick formats that travel, keep the structure, make everything else your own, and let the views tell you which remix to scale next. INFLUENCE handles everything after the click.
Start from what’s already working. Make it yours.
Set up the campaign. Approve the creators and content. INFLUENCE handles the rest.
FAQs
What is “Make a video like this”?
It’s an INFLUENCE feature that turns any public video you like into a creator brief. Click the button on a video from TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, X or INFLUENCE, add notes, and matched creators remake the format with your product built in. You approve every creator and draft.
How do brands remix viral content with creators?
Pick a video whose structure works without the original creator’s fame, keep the hook, pacing and format, and have creators change the words, setting and payoff to feature your product. Disclose every paid post and keep product claims accurate.
Is it legal to copy a viral video for an ad?
Copying someone’s footage, audio or script isn’t okay without permission or a license. Borrowing a format, hook pattern or editing style is common practice. When in doubt, check with your counsel.
What makes a video worth remaking?
A clear, repeatable structure, a hook that doesn’t depend on who’s talking, room for a product to be the payoff, and strong performance relative to the account’s size.
How much does a “Make a video like this” campaign cost?
It’s priced like every INFLUENCE campaign: you choose the most you’ll pay per 1,000 views and a spending limit, and you’re billed for delivered views only. Prices start at $1 CPM, with nothing added on top.