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.
This is probably the most "real talk" newsletter I've written for months.
It started out as me journalling to myself, but the more I wrote, the more I realised I wanted to share this...
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.
This has pros and cons:
On the plus side, if a video completely bombs, it’s probably an issue with the core idea, how it’s framed, or how it’s packaged.
It’s rare that you can point to the script and say “this is the main reason the video failed”.
On the flip side, just as you can’t really be blamed for a video flopping, you can’t really take credit for a video going viral either 😂
You occupy a weird middle ground where your value is probably quantified more by your ability to free up your client’s time than it is by your ability to write “viral scripts”.
Protecting your reputation
This is why I get a bit uncomfortable when I’m introduced on podcasts as “the writer behind 25,000,000 views!”
Like, sure, it’s not a “lie”. But it’s not nuanced either.
I mean, who could have guessed that my time working with viral video machine Mike Shake would suddenly add another 10m views to “my” view counter?
It comes down to this:
Your reputation is more important than anything else, especially if “proving your value” isn’t completely straightforward.
Your “view count” (which is often misleading) is way less influential than what influential people say about you.
I still have relationships with creator teams I worked with literally once, even if the script went kinda badly.
Yes, good work is important, but how you conduct yourself both during the relationship AND in the aftermath (on Twitter, podcasts, etc) has a longer-term impact than anything.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t shout about how many views you’ve contributed to.
But don’t use it as a crutch.
And definitely don’t inflate the number of videos you say you’ve worked on just to sound more impressive.
Back yourself as a person and as a creative to do good work - your reputation will carry you forward.
That's all for this week!
I definitely owe a few of you replies from the last couple of emails.
I'll get back to those - and any thoughts you have on this one - next week ✌️
I run a community of 150+ scriptwriting-focused YouTubers, and it should come as no surprise:
The thing we spend the most time workshopping is hooks.
I’ve been so impressed by the quality of feedback my students offer each other.
So, I’ve collated (and anonymised) some hooks my students have shared, and the feedback we’ve offered to help improve them.
These are the 4 most common hook-writing problems I see every month.
Problem #1 - Specificity:
The last thing we want is an ultra-general hook that doesn’t give the viewer clarity about how you’re going to tackle their problem.
So always be precise when you’re outlining the video’s structure to make it feel more digestible.
Before:
"I've uncovered a few key insights that will help you lose body fat."
After:
I've uncovered five simple, science-backed strategies that will help you lose body fat.
“A few key insights” might sound ok at first.
But the community raised concerns that this phrase was too vague to be engaging.
Instead, be specific about the structure (”five”) and emphasise why the audience should care (”science-backed strategy”).
Problem #2 - Stakes:
The big question:
What is at stake in your video? What does your audience (or the character in the video) stand to lose?
Playing on these emotions is critical to keep viewers watching.
In the community, we’ve noticed a tendency to imply the negative implications of not doing X, Y or Z, without calling out the target audience's fears directly.
Before:
You definitely don't want to mess this cake up, so pay close attention to every step.
After:
Until you learn to follow these steps, your cake will taste dry and bland, or worse - it’ll just collapse completely.
Make it easy for your viewer to picture what’s at cake.
(Ok, I’ll leave.)
But of course, it's only worth perfecting your hook if the idea itself is clickable...
Find viral video ideas in seconds.
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Every single week, I use 1of10 to find high-performing ideas for channels I work with.
It goes without saying - when writing a hook, we have a matter of seconds to entice the audience to keep watching.
So always ask yourself:
Does every sentence need to be there? Is it obvious why I mentioned [X]?
Here’s an example where a couple of sentences felt a bit out of place:
Before:
I recently listened to a podcast with [figure of authority] - she wrote [impressive book].
She has spent years speaking on how to build and maintain powerful professional relationships.
My goal for the next 3 months is to build stronger professional relationships here is how I’m going to do it.
After:
[Show clip of [figure of authority] offering a nugget of wisdom - enough to pique curiosity.]
This is [figure of authority] - she wrote [impressive book].
Her business does over $10,000,000 in revenue each year, which she attributes to the strength of her network.
So my plan is simple…
Over the next 90 days, I'm going to follow [figure of authority]’s advice to strengthen and expand my network - and I’ll reveal whether this actually generates additional revenue for my business.”
So what changed here?
Well, one of my community members gave this sage advice:
Before, it wasn’t obvious why the hook began by referencing that particular figure of authority.
Yes, they were related to the topic.
But you could just as easily have started the hook without the first two sentences and it would have made no difference.
In the rewrite, we circle back to that figure of authority at the end of the hook, which makes it clear that her specific advice will play an integral role in the video.
Problem #4 - Proof:
Promising a solution to a particular problem?
You’ve got to ask yourself why should the audience listen to you specifically.
(Especially if you’re competing in a saturated niche.)
But how do you do this if you’re worried your experience doesn’t sound impressive enough?
For example, one of my community members is a fantastic music tutor, but because he only likes to work with a limited number of students at once, he was concerned that saying “I’ve coached [X] students…” would sound a bit lame.
So let’s workshop some alternatives if you’re in a similar position:
Before:
“I’ve coached more than 50 pianists…”
After:
“I’ve been a professional pianist for 30 years…”
“I’ve composed more than 500 songs on the piano…”
“Since starting this channel I've helped hundreds of songwriters level up their piano playing…”
I’ve played some of the world's biggest concert halls in my career…”
“I’m not a famous pianist, but my music has been streamed more than one million times…”
You can always get creative with how you “prove” your expertise during the hook.
That's all for this week!
Don't forget to use "GEORGE50" if you decide to join me and thousands of fellow YouTubers using 1of10!
And let me know... which problems have you noticed in your hooks (and how did you fix them?)
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)!
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.