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Outlier of the Week: “15 mental models for polymaths” (3.9×)
A 17-slide list carousel by @ryanmichaelrichardson got 4,968 likes and comments, 3.9× the creator’s usual. The numbers, the hook and how to reuse it.
This week’s biggest outlier is a list carousel by @ryanmichaelrichardson that got 4,968 likes and comments, 3.9× the creator’s usual. Its first slide promises 15 mental models and names exactly who they are for.
It was posted on 17 October (UTC) and sits in the mindset & motivation niche. It was a quieter week: the next-highest score among this week’s top outliers was 1.5×.
The numbers
- Score: 3.9× the creator’s usual.
- Likes + comments: 4,968.
- The creator’s usual: about 1,270 likes and comments (4,968 ÷ 3.9).
- Slides: 17.
- Format and niche: list, mindset & motivation.
The score compares the post with the creator’s own recent carousels, so it says something about this post rather than the size of the account. If the score is new to you, here is how an outlier is worked out.
What does the first slide say?
“October 17, 2026 15 mental models for polymaths for people who connect ideas across disciplines” — @ryanmichaelrichardson, 3.9×
The slide opens with the date, then the headline. The caption is just as plain: “15 mental models for polymaths.”
In our 10 hook patterns, this is the number + a specific promise. “15 mental models” on its own would be a generic list. “For people who connect ideas across disciplines” tells the reader whether the post is meant for them before they swipe.
It is also a template this account reuses. An earlier list carousel opening “September 10, 2026 9 biology books for people who truly understand nature” scored 4.6× for the same creator. Same shape: date, number, subject, “for people who”.
Why did this carousel work?
We can’t see inside anyone’s audience, so this is a reading of the evidence, not a certainty. Here is what the data shows.
The format is one of the stronger ones. In our sample of 11,290 scored carousels, list carousels reached 2× their creator’s usual 25.8% of the time, against 23.7% overall. Only reference carousels did better (36.4%), and there are far fewer of them.
The slide count is long but not extreme. Carousels with 16–20 slides reached 2× 25.1% of the time, above the overall rate but below the 11–15 band (28.0%). At 17 slides, this post is more than twice the median list outlier in the library (8 slides). A list of 15 items needs the room.
The hook has a number, and is long-ish. Among 6,736 transcribed first slides, those with a number reached 2× 24.4% of the time, against 21.1% without one. Counting the date, this first slide is 15 words, a band that reached 2× 21.5% of the time; hooks of 6–10 words did best (24.9%). It is set mostly in capitals, which did slightly worse than normal case (21.7% against 22.4%).
The niche is a little below average. Mindset & motivation carousels reached 2× 22.1% of the time, close to but under the overall rate. So the niche doesn’t explain the score.
Put together, the format and the number point the right way, and the rest is roughly average. The clearest signal is the account’s own history: a repeatable hook template that has now scored 3.9× or more twice within six weeks.
One caveat applies to all of these figures: they are base rates across a mix of creators we track, and a correlation is not a cause. List carousels reach 2× more often; that doesn’t mean turning a post into a list will.
How to use it in your own niche
The structure travels well because it is mostly a sentence template. Here is how to remix it, following the same process as Artem’s remix case study.
- Write the first slide as number + subject + “for people who…”. Pick a list you can actually fill, then name the reader in a few words: “for people who…” followed by something they would say about themselves.
- Give each item its own slide. Fifteen items here, seventeen slides in total. Don’t pad a list to reach a number; if you have seven good items, make it seven. Our list carousel guide covers how to structure one.
- Keep the template and reuse it. This creator reused the same opening shape across topics, from biology books to mental models. If one version of a hook works for you, try it again on a different subject before you drop it.
Keep the structure and replace everything else: your list, your words, your visuals. Don’t reuse the creator’s slides or wording.
For more examples in this format, browse list carousel examples.
More outliers from the last 30 days
Frequently asked questions
What was the top Instagram carousel outlier this week?
A list carousel by @ryanmichaelrichardson, posted on 17 October, which got 4,968 likes and comments. That is 3.9× the creator’s usual of about 1,270, the highest score among this week’s top outliers in our library.
Do list carousels perform better than other formats?
A little, on average. In our sample of 11,290 scored carousels, list carousels reached 2× their creator’s usual 25.8% of the time, against 23.7% overall. Reference carousels did better still (36.4%), on a much smaller sample. It is a small nudge, not a rule.
How many slides should a list carousel have?
As many as the list needs. List carousels in the library have a median of 8 slides; this one has 17 because it covers 15 items. Carousels with 11–15 slides reached 2× most often in our data (28.0%), but that is a pattern across creators, not a target.