The Cluely Method: How a $120M AI Startup Built a Content Army Instead of Running Ads
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EVERY STARTUPS ARE USING THE SAME BORING PLAYBOOK
As startup creation becomes easier, differentiation no longer comes from building the product. It comes from the strategy they took to grow.
EVERY STARTUPS ARE USING THE SAME BORING PLAYBOOK
As startup creation becomes easier, differentiation no longer comes from building the product. It comes from the strategy they took to grow.
EVERY STARTUPS ARE USING THE SAME BORING PLAYBOOK
As startup creation becomes easier, differentiation no longer comes from building the product. It comes from the strategy they took to grow.
Cluely took a different approach by building a content engine powered by creators, reactions, memes, and social distribution. In just a few months, the company became one of the most talked-about AI startups online, generating millions of views across TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and X.
So why did this strategy work? This article breaks down the framework behind Cluely's growth and explores what other brands can learn from it.
What Is Cluely?
Cluely is an AI-powered assistant designed to assist users during live conversations, meetings, interviews, and other real-time interactions. While it may sound simple, Cluely quickly grabs attention because of the product itself and how they market it.
In contrast to other SaaS companies, Cluely employs a strategy that focuses more on conversation than on positioning itself through traditional SaaS advertising. This has sparked debate, prompting the public to react, discuss it, and share it with one another. This buzz has contributed significantly to Cluely’s visibility in the market, helping it gain widespread attention that actually many startups struggle to achieve.
Why Cluely Became Viral
Most viral products spread because people find them useful, but Cluely spreads because people find it interesting.
This is a key distinction because Cluely’s products sit at the intersection of AI, productivity, ethics, career advancement, and internet culture, where each of them can spark its own discussion.
Cluely combines all these elements to create a product that people talk about voluntarily, even before they become customers. To boost their visibility on social media, they also create dramatic and story-driven content, prompting people to discuss the stories they highlight. This strategy creates a distribution advantage because every discussion, reaction, and opinion can become content that directly supports their actual strategy.
The Secret Formula Behind Cluely's Growth
Most startups think in terms of campaigns. Cluely, on the other hand, seems to think in terms of content volume. Instead of relying on a few really good ads to go viral, the company benefits from hundreds of content creators posting simultaneously.
Broadly speaking, the formula looks like this:
Create Something Worth DiscussingCluely creates products that spark conversation, because they know that people have their own opinions and this can generate natural engagement. But it doesn’t stop there, Cluely capitalizes on the buzz surrounding the controversy of their products by posting a steady stream of dramatic content that entices people to comment, share, and stay tuned for the next chapter. |
Encourage Creator ParticipationInstead of owning all the content, Cluely allows creators to participate in the narrative. Creators can review, test, critique, explain, and even compare Cluely’s products. This is effective because each piece of content can reach a different audience. |
Increase Content Surface AreaCluely seems to understand very well that the more content there is about a product, the more opportunities people have to discover it. If one creator reaches 10,000 people, then a hundred creators simply multiply that number. This approach provides the benefits of scale, not only in terms of users but also in terms of content. |
Let Distribution CompoundTraditional advertising often requires ongoing spending. Cluely understands this and allows content creators to grow in different ways. When a creator makes one video, it can inspire other videos, which in turn sparks discussions as an additional reaction. Cluely understands that a single trend can generate variations, and by allowing this to happen, it gives Cluely a distribution engine that grows organically. |
Why This Strategy Worked So Well
Cluely emerged as a game-changer that treats content as a primary growth channel. This strategy effectively transforms creators into distribution partners for their products.
Companies these days shouldn’t just focus on running formal influencer campaigns. They need to develop more ways to increase public participation, keeping in mind that this distinction is crucial. This is because people trust creators, share their content, and interact with them. Therefore, the more creators who talk about your product, the larger the distribution network that naturally forms.
Create The Best Strategy with Masterhooks
The Cluely story is often described as a viral startup success. A more useful interpretation is that it represents a new approach to distribution. Instead of relying primarily on paid advertising, the company benefited from a growing network of creators, commentators, and communities that continually generated new content around the product.
For brands looking to replicate parts of this strategy, the lesson isn't simply to produce more content. It's to create systems that allow many creators to participate in the story at the same time.
This is where creator networks and scalable content production become especially valuable. Masterhooks frequently explores these approaches by analyzing how high-growth brands use creator ecosystems and repeatable content frameworks to expand reach beyond what traditional advertising alone can achieve.
Wanna scale your brand through Cluely’s method?
Wanna scale your brand through Cluely’s method?
Cluely took a different approach by building a content engine powered by creators, reactions, memes, and social distribution. In just a few months, the company became one of the most talked-about AI startups online, generating millions of views across TikTok, Reels, Shorts, and X.
So why did this strategy work? This article breaks down the framework behind Cluely's growth and explores what other brands can learn from it.
What Is Cluely?
Cluely is an AI-powered assistant designed to assist users during live conversations, meetings, interviews, and other real-time interactions. While it may sound simple, Cluely quickly grabs attention because of the product itself and how they market it.
In contrast to other SaaS companies, Cluely employs a strategy that focuses more on conversation than on positioning itself through traditional SaaS advertising. This has sparked debate, prompting the public to react, discuss it, and share it with one another. This buzz has contributed significantly to Cluely’s visibility in the market, helping it gain widespread attention that actually many startups struggle to achieve.
Why Cluely Became Viral
Most viral products spread because people find them useful, but Cluely spreads because people find it interesting.
This is a key distinction because Cluely’s products sit at the intersection of AI, productivity, ethics, career advancement, and internet culture, where each of them can spark its own discussion.
Cluely combines all these elements to create a product that people talk about voluntarily, even before they become customers. To boost their visibility on social media, they also create dramatic and story-driven content, prompting people to discuss the stories they highlight. This strategy creates a distribution advantage because every discussion, reaction, and opinion can become content that directly supports their actual strategy.
The Secret Formula Behind Cluely's Growth
Most startups think in terms of campaigns. Cluely, on the other hand, seems to think in terms of content volume. Instead of relying on a few really good ads to go viral, the company benefits from hundreds of content creators posting simultaneously.
Broadly speaking, the formula looks like this:
Create Something Worth DiscussingCluely creates products that spark conversation, because they know that people have their own opinions and this can generate natural engagement. But it doesn’t stop there, Cluely capitalizes on the buzz surrounding the controversy of their products by posting a steady stream of dramatic content that entices people to comment, share, and stay tuned for the next chapter. |
Encourage Creator ParticipationInstead of owning all the content, Cluely allows creators to participate in the narrative. Creators can review, test, critique, explain, and even compare Cluely’s products. This is effective because each piece of content can reach a different audience. |
Increase Content Surface AreaCluely seems to understand very well that the more content there is about a product, the more opportunities people have to discover it. If one creator reaches 10,000 people, then a hundred creators simply multiply that number. This approach provides the benefits of scale, not only in terms of users but also in terms of content. |
Let Distribution CompoundTraditional advertising often requires ongoing spending. Cluely understands this and allows content creators to grow in different ways. When a creator makes one video, it can inspire other videos, which in turn sparks discussions as an additional reaction. Cluely understands that a single trend can generate variations, and by allowing this to happen, it gives Cluely a distribution engine that grows organically. |
Why This Strategy Worked So Well
Cluely emerged as a game-changer that treats content as a primary growth channel. This strategy effectively transforms creators into distribution partners for their products.
Companies these days shouldn’t just focus on running formal influencer campaigns. They need to develop more ways to increase public participation, keeping in mind that this distinction is crucial. This is because people trust creators, share their content, and interact with them. Therefore, the more creators who talk about your product, the larger the distribution network that naturally forms.
Create The Best Strategy with Masterhooks
The Cluely story is often described as a viral startup success. A more useful interpretation is that it represents a new approach to distribution. Instead of relying primarily on paid advertising, the company benefited from a growing network of creators, commentators, and communities that continually generated new content around the product.
For brands looking to replicate parts of this strategy, the lesson isn't simply to produce more content. It's to create systems that allow many creators to participate in the story at the same time.
This is where creator networks and scalable content production become especially valuable. Masterhooks frequently explores these approaches by analyzing how high-growth brands use creator ecosystems and repeatable content frameworks to expand reach beyond what traditional advertising alone can achieve.
Wanna scale your brand through Cluely’s method?
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Book a strategy call with our expert team to audit your current UGC setup.
