How the Outlier Score works — the math, the limits, the wins
Two scores per video — Creator Score (vs creator baseline) and Niche Score (vs category). When both light up, that's a Dual High.
Two scores, not one
ViralVault shows two scores for every video:
Creator Score = (video views / creator's 30-day median views) × 100.
A Creator Score of 500 means the video got 5× the creator's typical performance. Something about this content broke through their ceiling.
Niche Score = (video views / niche 30-day median views) × 100.
A Niche Score of 500 means the video got 5× what the average video in this niche gets. The algorithm is meaningfully favouring this content over everything else in the category.
Why two scores beat one
A single outlier score tells you a video overperformed. Two scores tell you WHY — and whether it's worth replicating.
| Scenario | Creator | Niche | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| High / Low | 800 | 120 | Over-performed for this creator but the niche barely noticed. Tight community engagement, not a replicable format. |
| Low / High | 80 | 600 | Underperformed for this creator (maybe a mega-account) but the content is genuinely exceptional for the category. Format has real signal. |
| Both High ★ | 700+ | 500+ | Dual High. The format is winning everywhere — algorithm is rewarding the content structure itself. |
The Dual High threshold
When Creator Score ≥ 500 AND Niche Score ≥ 300, ViralVault flags the video as a Dual High. That's the strongest format signal in the system — neither audience size nor community loyalty explains it. The algorithm is rewarding the format itself.
The limits
- Cold-start creators (< 3 videos in 30d) get a null Creator Score. We don't have a stable baseline yet — the Niche Score still works.
- Cold-start niches (< 50 videos) get an approximate Niche Score, flagged with a ~ prefix in the UI.
- Median, not mean — one viral hit doesn't poison either baseline. PERCENTILE_CONT across the rolling 30-day window.
- Posted-at sensitivity — a video that's only been live 2 hours is still rolling up. Both scores recompute after every scrape cycle.
How to read it in practice
Creator High, Niche Low → strong community pull, weak format signal. Creator Low, Niche High → mega-account ceiling effect, format itself is strong. Dual High → stop scrolling and open the Format Blueprint.
Stack both scores next to follower count and 7d engagement split (likes/comments/saves) and you've got a much sharper read than what the native discover tab gives you.