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X Factor Marketing with with John Tsai: The "Rip Off and Duplicate" Strategy That Built 223K Followers and a 65-Agent Team
- Wendy Forsythe
- Jun 5
- 4 min read
This blog breaks down how a Vancouver real estate agent gained 50,000 followers overnight by copying one viral video—and why strategic imitation might be the most honest path to social media success.
BUILD YOUR VIRAL CONTENT MACHINE BY COPYING WHAT WORKS
"I completely ripped off and duplicated somebody else's reel and I went viral... One of my biggest idols did this one video and he kept doing it because it went viral. So I said, you know, I'm going to try exactly what he did. Like literally verbatim. Don't buy this. Buy this. I gained 50,000 followers overnight just like that."
John didn't just stumble into viral success. He strategically studied what worked, copied it exactly, and then built a system around replication that generated consistent results for four years straight.
MAIN IDEAS:
Stop Chasing Originality—Start Chasing Results
One of the biggest mindset shifts we can make as content creators is this: originality is overrated. Execution is everything. John Tsai proved that you don't need to reinvent the wheel—you just need to spin it faster and more consistently than everyone else.
That's what John discovered when he stopped trying to be creative and started being strategic.
Embrace the 80/20 Rule of Content Quality
"Most of my posts are garbage. Absolute garbage. And you have to be okay with that... I've put out 5,000-plus posts. And out of which are 2,500 reels. At one point from 2021 to 2022, it was two reels a day."
John understood something most agents never learn: volume beats perfection. Consistency builds brands. You can't optimize what you don't create, and you can't go viral if you're not posting.
The math is simple—if 80% of your content is mediocre but 20% hits, you need more content, not better content.
Build Your Brand Around Your Authentic Self
"I just, out of nowhere, one day, I just yelled on stage. I'm a beast. And that became my brand accidentally... If you are not yourself, you're going to attract not who you are, but who you pretend to be. And that never works."
John's "Beast" brand wasn't planned in a boardroom—it emerged from a moment of authentic expression. The lesson? Your vibe attracts your tribe, but only if your vibe is genuinely yours.
Master the Art of Strategic Copying
"None of my videos that you see on Instagram, most of them are not original... Always look for viral real estate content, realtor content... If you look on Instagram, you start to see what goes viral then just copy exactly that."
This isn't about plagiarism—it's about pattern recognition. John studied viral real estate content like a scientist, identified the formulas that worked, and adapted them to his authentic personality and market.
Leverage Your Way Out of the Grind
"Seven days a week, 12, 14 hour days, 10 years straight. I should have leveraged a lot faster... 80% done by somebody else is 100% good for me."
John's biggest regret wasn't working hard—it was working alone for too long. The transition from grinder to leader required letting go of perfectionism and embracing the power of delegation.
APPLYING THESE IDEAS TO YOUR BUSINESS
Each of these strategies represents a fundamental shift from trying to be different to being strategically similar—but authentically you.
Questions to Ask Yourself:
Content Strategy: What viral real estate content could you study and adapt to your market and personality? Which successful formats are you avoiding because you think you need to be "original"?
Volume vs. Perfection: How many pieces of content have you not posted because they weren't "good enough"? What would happen if you committed to posting daily for 90 days, regardless of quality?
Brand Authenticity: What aspects of your personality do you hide because you think they're "unprofessional"? How could your authentic quirks become your competitive advantage?
Strategic Imitation: Which successful agents in your market could you study and learn from? What are they doing that you could adapt (not copy) for your own content?
Leverage Timeline: What tasks are you still doing yourself that could be delegated at 80% quality? How is perfectionism keeping you from scaling?
FINAL THOUGHTS
"If you want to market yourself, if you want to brand yourself, don't think of it as such an overwhelming thing. Because at the end of the day, it's all about authenticity."
John's success comes from understanding that social media marketing isn't about being the most creative person in the room—it's about being the most consistent, authentic, and strategically smart.
This isn't about becoming a copycat. It's about recognizing that every successful creator builds on what came before them. The key is adding your authentic personality to proven formulas.
These aren't just content tactics—they're a complete reimagining of how we think about creativity, consistency, and competitive advantage in a saturated market.
John's journey is a reminder that sometimes the best strategy is the most honest one: find what works, make it your own, and outwork everyone else in execution.
Your next viral moment might be hiding in someone else's content—waiting for you to add your authentic twist and relentless consistency.
Let this episode be your permission to stop overthinking originality and start optimizing for results.
Let’s grow!,
Wendy
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