I'm giving away the templates I developed while writing for Ali Abdaal, Mike Shake, and many more. Scripts written on these templates have gained millions of views.
Scriptwriters constantly ask me how to find clients.
So let’s talk about it.
The Problem.
You’ve probably heard of ytjobs.co, Fiverr and Upwork.
That's where most writers/editors/creators think they should start.
But unless you have a portfolio (of even just one video), you have no social proof.
Therefore, you have just one goal - to get that first client + testimonial.
Everything else will follow.
But how?
Foundation.
Like anything, you can’t just "do a skill" without practising it.
I learned more about scriptwriting in 6 months reviewing people’s retention graphs than after a year writing scripts for Ali Abdaal.
So throw yourself in.
Break down transcripts of successful videos to figure out what they’re doing.
Create your own scriptwriting frameworks / hypotheses / systems.
Experiment on your own channel.
Then…
Share your thoughts, breakdowns and hot takes.
Twitter, LinkedIn, Newsletter... it doesn't matter.
And, if you’ve already written a couple of paid scripts…
What did you learn?! Talk about it publicly!
Almost every lead I’ve ever had has been inbound. Why?
Because I’m constantly sharing my thoughts on scriptwriting.
Eventually, people start to notice.
But, let’s assume you’re trying to find a client right now.
Here are your options:
1/ Don't look for clients. Look for writers.
Scour the YTjobs scriptwriter page.
Then, reach out to them on Twitter or LinkedIn.
Or, find them directly on Twitter - search “YouTube scriptwriter” and you’ll find a bunch of people advertising themselves.
Finding other writers is invaluable because:
They might have past clients they could recommend you to.
They might just have turned away a client because they were too busy.
They might have their own tips about how to find clients!
When I first went freelance, my friend (and now podcast co-host!) Gwilym and I pooled our potential leads.
If I was busy, I recommended him. And vice versa.
Meeting other scriptwriters is an industry hack.
2/ Approach YouTubers you want to write for.
There are two methods here:
1/ On Twitter, search phrases like “YouTube scriptwriter”, “hiring scriptwriter”, “need scriptwriter”.
You’ll find creators who are looking for writers right now.
2/ Reach out to creators you already watch.
It’s usually best to aim for creators in the 10-100k subscriber range.
At this level, they’re making money + excited to keep scaling.
DM or email them with something like this:
“Hey [name], I just re-wrote the hook of your most recent video. I believe something like this could perform better because [include rationale].If you like, I’ll happily look over any scripts you’re working on for free to see if I can make any helpful suggestions. No strings attached, and no expectation that you’d hire me afterwards - candidly, I’m building up my experience as a scriptwriter and just looking to add value and learn.”
If you do a great job, you won’t find many creators who wouldn’t pay to keep you on.
3/ Approach businesses.
Generalising here, but…
Businesses suck at YouTube.
But they also have a lot of money to throw at the problem.
I'm talking anything from real estate agents to SaaS companies, or even local businesses that have high-ticket products/services.
Often, YouTube is an afterthought for businesses like these...
But they know at the back of their mind they ought to spend more time (or money) on it.
The ideal client is someone who’s already making content (i.e. they’re sold on the value of doing so), but their videos are bad.
Waltz into their DMs or drop them an email with an improved version of their most recent script, and ask whether they’d be interested in a paid trial to write another one.
Unlike when you’re approaching creators on Twitter, I encourage you not to work for businesses for free.
You’re likely to add significant value to their scripts + channel right away, and you’ll learn less about YouTube than when working for traditional “creators”.
Ergo, you deserve to be paid for your time.
4/ Job application!
I got my start with Ali Abdaal through a simple job application.
Creators regularly drop these in their video descriptions, so keep an eye out.
Easy peasy, (kinda).
And once you've landed your first client...
Shout about it!
The instant I wanted new clients, I tweeted this:
Yes, having Ali as my first client was a ridiculously unfair advantage.
But no matter how big the channels you've worked with, testimonials + results show you're trustworthy.
So don't be afraid to shout about your achievements!
New episode just dropped 💥
Now, I wish I could list a fifth method to get clients - "join my scriptwriting agency!"
However, as you may know, I absolutely hated running it and shut it down after 3 months 😂
But was this the right decision?
Well... feel free to check out the latest episode of Making It where Jamie and Gwilym quizzed me about exactly that 👇
I Closed my $15k /month YouTube Agency. Here’s Why.
That's all for this week. Any questions, just let me know!
I've written for 10+ channels, advised on content from 40+ niches, and consulted with 10,000,000+ subscriber creators.
People have said nice things!
"Aside from being one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked with, George is great at distilling complex ideas into clear writing, and making my life as a creator way easier."
Ali Abdaal
@aliabdaal
400m+ Views
Subscribers
5m+ Subcribers
Subscribers
"George transformed my YouTube scripts, making them sound just like me with minimal edits needed. His understanding of YouTube's unique platform is exceptional."
Justin Moore
@creatorwizard
470k+ Views
Subscribers
46k+ Subcribers
Subscribers
“After analysing several scripts and reviewing retention graphs, George provided clear and actionable steps we could implement to improve our videos. One of the biggest obstacles to improving as a creator is not knowing what you're doing wrong and working with George provided the clarity we needed to identify these areas."
Abi Connick
@abiconnick
21m+ Views
Subscribers
322k+ Subcribers
Subscribers
"George excels in scriptwriting and boosting viewer retention. His guidance made my scripts crisper and more entertaining, leading to increased audience engagement."
Jake Thomas
@creatorhooks
6m+ Views
Subscribers
40k+ Subcribers
Subscribers
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with George. He’s great at scripting YouTube content, and during the time we spent working together we created several videos that hit multiple millions of views.”
Mike Shake
@mikeshake
650m+ Views
Subscribers
3.3m+ Subcribers
Subscribers
“[It’s been] great working with someone I trust and respect.”
Creator Booth
@creatorbooth
1m+ Views
Subscribers
34k+ Subcribers
Subscribers
04 - About Me
Hey, I’m George 👋
I started as a full-time scriptwriter for Ali Abdaal, and have since worked with creators between 30,000 subscribers, all the way up to 10,000,000.
I'm on a mission to educate both YouTubers and writers about the impact scriptwriting can have on a channel.
Whether your goal is to increase retention, target the “right” viewers, boost AVD, skyrocket end-screen CTR, or simply make the process of making a video less stressful…
I’ve gradually arrived at the conclusion that learning to script YouTube videos is essential.
130+
Creators Helped
50m+
Video Views
100+
Scripts Written
25
m+
Video Views
50
+
Scripts Written
100
+
Creators Helped
05 - The Agency
Want us to write your scripts for you?
My team and I are here to make your life as a YouTuber easier.
You might have a bank of video ideas that you’d love to develop, but you’re always running out of time.
Or maybe you’ve got a brilliant system for creating content already in action, but the “writing bottleneck” is preventing you from scaling.
At PlayWrite, we’ve got you covered:
You provide a brief using our super simple Google form (takes 10 minutes).
We’ll script 2-4 videos per month, 100% done for you.
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