Fyreside Newsletter - 3/30/26

Hey Reader,

Do you know who The Rizzler is? If you don't, I'll tell you. It's this 9 year old kid. If you don't want to click that Wikipedia link, The Rizzler is a social media personality who went viral in 2023 and has managed to ride the waves of digital fame to remain relevant in 2026. That's it, that's all you need to know about The Rizzler.

This newsletter isn't actually about him, it's about a TikTok trend that utilizes him. More on that below.

But first, a video!

Matt | Bahnfyre PR 🔥

Learning business suite is mostly trial and error tbh. #MemeCut #digitalmarketing #marketingtiktok #metabusinesssuite #socialmediamanagerlife

♬ original sound - Chief Green Screens

Low Effort Means Free Value

If you scroll TikTok often, this video format is likely familiar with you. Short clips of an individual, removed from their original context, played over a static image or unrelated video, is the formula for a number of TikTok trends like...

These videos are VERY easy to make. There's a mobile app called CapCut that will create these videos for you in just a few clicks. Most of the time, they don't do very well. My Rizzler example above has nearly 700 views and less than 30 likes. In comparison, the video I posted immediately before the Rizz Kid himself has just over 900 views and over 120 likes. So if these videos don't perform well, what's the point of posting them?

Because they're easy to make! Anyone who's produced short form video content, myself included, will tell you that it is not easy. It's not nearly as time consuming as making long form content, but it isn't quick. In a social media environment that values consistency, ease can be worth more than engagement. I posted that Rizzler video on a Friday when, truth be told, I didn't have the time or energy to make anything else. This weird little Rizz Clip (a rizzlet, if you will) helped me check a box that was going unchecked, and for that I say thank you.

Chum Doesn't Catch Sharks

Longtime Fyreside readers will know that the average engagement rate across the internet is between 1% and 3.5%. My Rizzler video is at about a 4% like/view rate and that's not nothing. It's not great and it's nothing to write home about, but it's not nothing. These short meme clips become trends because a few of them go viral. They're quick, they're relatable, they're easy to understand, inevitably, some of them will do numbers. These clips chum the social waters, but they don't catch fish.

I've seen plenty of folks try to capture the magic of these trends. They'll post dozens of the same meme clip with a different background or caption, in hopes of becoming the one that goes viral. That's a waste of time and effort. You may bring out some views and you may generate a little engagement, but no one will convert/follow/purchase/etc. after watching a 6 second meme. That's a silly thing to expect.

The value of hopping on trends is that they are easy. They fill space. They check boxes. They relieve the stress of content production. You should use them in that way! If your goal is to go super viral and gain a bunch of followers, you're just dumping buckets of fish guts into the ocean. You'll certainly gather a bunch of sharks, but eventually, you've got to drop a hook.