Magan Chin

coding, yapping about neuro, tech, and AI (150K followers) prev. computational neuro research @Columbia, tech policy @Cambridge_Uni

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@nicholastao_ Sauceyyyyy

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

I grew 60,000 followers in a month after six months of no growth on Instagram by finally figuring out the art of how to tell a really damn good story.

Here’s everything I learned, distilled down into a single post:

1. Your topic and hook do 97% of the work.

I used to overthink the visuals. But a great script can carry a video without flashy editing. No amount of editing makes an uninteresting topic interesting.

Aim for one of these reactions:

“That’s EXACTLY what I’ve been feeling.”

“I’ve never thought about it that way.”

“I never knew this was why.”

Help people understand something about themselves, or give them something new to think about.

2. Give people two reasons to keep watching.

Your opening line is one hook.
Your on-screen caption is another.

Don’t waste the caption repeating what you’re saying. Use it to create another question people want answered.

Your hook should either be a surprising, contrarian statement or paint a vivid picture.

3. Give people a reason to trust you.

After the hook, establish why you have something useful to say. Relevant experience counts. So does having actually read the research.

A little aura farming helps. Just make it relevant.

4. Give the idea a name and back it up.

Is there a concept that explains what you’re describing? A study that supports it?

Explain it clearly, then end with something people can use.

They should leave feeling like they learned something worth their time.

5. Actually ask them to follow, and tell them what they’ll get if they do.

6. Your best topics are hiding in your own questions.

Every time you catch yourself wondering “why does this happen?” write it down.

That’s a video idea. Chances are someone else is wondering the same thing.

Honestly, if there's anything you should take away from this post, it's that spending more time finding something WORTH saying, not just the trending topics, makes the biggest difference.

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

second brain or roblox?

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

Understanding neuroplasticity might be the biggest advantage you can give yourself in achieving your goals.

Follow for more of the weird brain facts I love 🧠

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@teaganyuen1 Hahaa I really enjoy this post

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

one day it just clicked

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

grew 60K followers in a month after 6 months of no growth from finally learning the skill of how to tell a really good story

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

The difference between nyc and sf can very succinctly be understood by the difference in reaction to watching the social network

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

everything is delusional and cringey until it works out

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

I don’t understand the golden handcuffs of Goldman Sachs and McKinsey.

You’re working startup hours without startup upside, building someone else’s dream, and fixing the font size on decks at 2am.

Meanwhile, startups are paying six figures for people to build things they actually care about.

What a time to be alive.

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@yashallurii YASH!!!!! 🫶🏻

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

crazy week at spacex

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Turns out the future does have flying cars

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

Two years ago, when I was looking for tech policy master’s programs, I could only find two.

Now it feels like every major university offers it as a field of study.

Says a lot about where the world is heading.

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

Had a really interesting conversation with my London flatmate about what happens to the role of government if UBI becomes privatized.

With tech billionaires increasingly proposing to redistribute their wealth through public funds and equity ownership, I wonder what happens when the companies creating unprecedented wealth also become responsible for distributing it.

If people start depending on tech companies rather than governments for their economic security, what leverage do governments have to enforce social protections and hold these companies accountable?

Are we slowly moving toward a world where tech companies don’t just control the economy, but increasingly take on the role of the state?

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@sarahli I love it!!

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@stableclaire Absolutely 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

Do you have an inner voice? Or Anendophasia?

I’m super curious for anyone who has internal monologue, what are the pros and cons of having an inner voice?

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

I noticed that the difference between a 1M viewed organic post that brought in 1K vs 10K followers is aura farming

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@CarolLiang7 This is a v iconic run-in story

[Magan Chin @MaganChin]

@Sarah___Fan @shimteri I love this haha