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.
Where each paragraph feels completely soul-sucking and the result is a hot mess?
Me too.
So here are three tried-and-tested ways to get out of a YouTube funk:
1/ Set Constraints
One of my students, Martin, had become frustrated that he would always get "carried away" with the script.
I can't seem to find a good way of doing a simple [script] outline... I end up coming up with good hooks, sentences that flow well and since I'll never remember them when I riff… it becomes easier to script the whole thing. - Martin
But this was making the process unsustainable.
Not only was this taking way more time, but he actually felt constrained by the word-for-word scripts he’d end up with.
So here's a quick exercise to force you to write scripts faster.
Pick a "safe" topic similar to a video you’ve made before.
Challenge yourself to a 10-minute brainstorm. In that time, create a super basic bullet point structure - maybe as few as 1 bullet point per segment.
Limit yourself to a 50-minute script editing session. Bulk out the most important parts first.
From here, yes - you can spend more time on the script.
But by acting as though you only have 60 minutes in total, you’ll be surprised how much LESS you overthink.
The priority is getting draft 1 finished without pausing to perfect each sentence.
Once you’ve practised this with your “safe” topics, you’ll find it easier to repeat with any video.
An uber-talented guitar teacher, Jeff was looking for ways to inject new forms of creativity into his videos to prevent the process from becoming "stale".
So he:
Found a hill.
Walked up it.
Recorded a guitar lesson in a field.
There's plenty of evidence to show that changing environment contributes to improved mental well-being, and studies suggest a positive correlation between well-being and productivity.
Plus, ‘Attention Restoration Theory’ tells us that natural environments are amazing for replenishing cognitive function and reducing brain fog.
Now that's how you put the ‘content’ back into ‘content’. (This joke works better out loud.)
So, if you can - why not film your next video somewhere totally different?
By the way, if you’re interested in joining Martin, Jeff and 150+ scriptwriting-focused YouTubers inside my scriptwriting community, you can learn more about YTSP Pro here.
3/ Take the Pressure Off
Let's end on this quick nugget of wisdom from O.G. YouTube strategist, Denver Moore:
As he puts it, every YouTuber should "have a channel where you don’t have to care what people think."
It goes without saying: give your audience what they want on your main channel.
Meanwhile, test crazy strategies and experiment creatively on your second channel - without giving a *cough* about what people think.
The only rule?
Just have fun with it.
Matt D’Avella recently started a second channel here for exactly this reason.
This comes shortly after the release of this video, where he explains the dwindling creativity and diminished passion that comes with scaling a YouTube channel.
Remove the stakes, and you’ll remove the stress!
So there it is - your blueprint to revitalised YouTube zest:
Constrain the time you're allowed to spend scripting.
Film in a new location.
Experiment freely on a second channel.
Anyway, that's all for this week!
I wanna know - have you tried any of these strategies before? Hit reply and let me know!
Next week, I'm diving into the most common hook problems students from my scriptwriting community have experienced (and how we fixed them)!
Why have I never heard of this scriptwriter before?
I’m pretty aware of the YouTube scriptwriting scene, ya know?
And if this guy has recently "transformed" his scriptwriting career, I feel like I ought to have heard of him by now.
So how come he's only just appeared on my radar?
And, come to think of it, why does he seem bizarrely similar to this guy talking about software?
(Someone needs to spend more time thinking about his audience avatar, amiright? 😏)
But before I get into what’s going on here, I wanna address something that’s been bothering me about scriptwriting for the last three years.
Scriptwriting is a weird part of YouTube.
Especially as a “freelance scriptwriter”, you’re basically “subbed in” to keep an existing train rolling.
You’re not really expected to grow the channel.
Good scriptwriting is necessary to grow a channel faster, but it’s not sufficient.
A video with an awesome script still falls to pieces if the idea sucks and the packaging is bad.
But that makes proving your value kinda hard.
Candidly, I’ve always struggled with the question:
“How much of a video’s success is really… me?”
So it’s time for a pivot.
Times are changing
The next phase of my business is going to focus on actively growing channels (and how scriptwriting contributes to this).
Because you and I both know… succeeding on YouTube doesn’t boil down to getting really good at just one skill.
Of course, scriptwriting will always be my #1.
But these YouTube skills aren’t siloed off - they’re connected.
That's why I'm starting to focus way more on ideation (and you should too).
And, after an entire year using 1of10’s ideation tool, I’m excited to have partnered up with them again to help me do this.
Here’s how title and thumbnail ideation just got 10x easier.
So, you might have guessed by now, but this guy…
…this apparent scriptwriting savant that you’ve probably never heard of before…
...well, he doesn't exist.
In fact, both of these title/thumbnail combos were created by 1of10’s new “Idea Generator”, based on this Alex Hormozi video.
(AI really latched onto the beard, huh?)
Here's the twist!
The exact moment this email lands in your inbox, I'll literally be on a Zoom call pitching a YouTube channel about working closely with them on their overall strategy (scriptwriting and ideation).
They actually read this newsletter too, so I have nowhere to hide hahaha 😎
Candidly, I wouldn't have had the confidence to pitch them on the ideation side of things before I started using 1of10 a year ago.
And its ability to generate 90% usable thumbnail concepts in seconds has played a big part in that.
Seriously, the quality of these thumbnail suggestions is absolutely incredible:
(I'll be honest, the titles still need a little work. But we’re writers, right? 👊)
So, if you find coming up with ideas just as hard as scriptwriting, I can't recommend 1of10 enough.
As I move into the next phase of my business, it continues to be one of the few tools I literally need lol.
And this brand new idea generation feature is just one part of what makes it my go-to - check out this short video I made showing you how to ideate viral ideas using 1of10.
Now don't worry - this isn't suddenly going to become an "ideation" newsletter 🫣
But it's important to think about how these different skills tie together as you continue to grow on YouTube.
Find viral video ideas in seconds.
Get 20% Off 1of10 (forever)
Every single week, I use 1of10 to find high-performing ideas for channels I work with.
And, since we last partnered up, they've added a bunch of new features.
(The AI thumbnail generator is only the tip of the iceberg.)
So if you struggle with finding new ideas for your channel, 1of10 will make your life 10x easier.
Your end-screen call-to-action is the most important CTA of all.
Even if you only have one hour to spend on a script, writing this CTA word-for-word willboost your channel watch time and generate more views.
But only if you do it right.
So let’s talk about how to pull this off with almost 0 effort.
By the way, this is part of a short series I’m running about the 80/20 of scriptwriting.
That is, the 20% effort that’s gonna get you 80% of the results.
(Plus how to carry out these steps faster.)
Feel free to check out #1 (hooks) and #2 (payoffs).
Now, let’s finish the series by talking CTAs…
Should I ask them to like and subscribe?!
Everyone worries about this.
But in my opinion, you shouldn't.
Honestly, it’s way harder to psychologically influence a viewer to "hit the like button" than to click an end-screen.
When you tell the viewer to "like" your video…
…you’re asking them to do YOU a favour.
But when you show them another video and provide a compelling reason to click…
…you’re offering THEM something.
(Which also happens to benefit your channel 😇)
So, sure, ask for a “like” or a “subscribe” - but if you’re spending any mental energy worrying about how to say it or where to put it in the video… STOP.
Focus on your end-screen CTA…
Why end-screen CTAs matter
Fun fact: Folks who click on your end-screen typically watch your next video for wayyy longer.
So, when executed properly, a compelling end-screen CTA will have a non-trivial impact on the watch time of the video you link to.
Which in turn makes that video more likely to get pushed by the algorithm.
And, if you’re doing this consistently across every video, your channel is going to start growing faster.
Check out the below from Jay Clouse which shows this in action:
The best part?
End-screen CTAs are quick and easy to execute in two simple steps:
1/ Identify a video that goes deeper on a topic explored in the current video.
Take this example my team worked on for ConvertKit:
The topic of “newsletter recommendations” came up, but the scope of the video didn’t allow us to cover it extensively.
So we found this older video on their channel about monetizing newsletter recommendations.
We figured this was aligned with the interests of the folks who watched the video we were writing.
Now, we just needed to convey why viewers would also find this video interesting.
Which brings me to step 2…
2/ Follow my 3-step CTA formula:
Link - refer back to the chosen topic covered in the video.
Curiosity - open a new curiosity gap around that topic.
Promise/CTA - outline the transformation they’ll experience by clicking your next video.
In a nutshell:
Get the viewer excited about going deeper on a topic you covered during the current video by outlining how they’ll be “transformed” by learning about it.
So, with the ConvertKit script, we said:
🎥 "Now, we've talked about how creators are using "Recommendations" to grow their email lists faster..."
🎥 "...but it's having an even bigger impact on some creators' revenue thanks to one critical part of their approach."
🎥 "So check out this video where we show you how you can actually get paid for your newsletter recommendations."
The result?
5x their channel’s average end-screen CTR.
Oh and btw, the Jay Clouse example above? Guess whose formula they were using! 😋
Of everything we’ve discussed in this 3-part newsletter series, this tactic probably has the biggest imbalance between time-input and potential upside.
It takes 2 minutes to write a CTA, but could generate thousands of additional watch time minutes.
Don’t overlook it.
So, now that we’ve reduced scriptwriting to its bare necessities, go forth and save heaps of time, energy and mind-fog!
That's all for now! Any questions, just let me know.
And I’d love to know - which of these simplifying hacks did you find most useful?
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.