“Find people that have less than 50,000 followers who've maybe hit one or two viral videos... they sort of know what it takes. And they're probably not making much from brand deals so you can pay them cash.”

Target Low-Follower Creators Who Have Gone Viral Once — They Know the Formula and Are Underpriced

Joseph's influencer playbook deliberately avoids big accounts (expensive, agented) in favor of creators under 50K followers who have already experienced virality. These creators understand the mechanics of a hit video but haven't been discovered by brands yet, so their rates are low and their motivation is high. For a $500-$3,000 monthly retainer they'll post 30 videos — one per day — giving you a volume of shots at the algorithm.