Your Scriptwriting Partner

Today, I've got something essential to keep in mind when writing your next hook.

Specifically, if your hook ends with a "rule of three".

A rule of three usually appears at the end of a hook and sounds like this:

"So in this video, we're going to cover:

• [Topic 1]
• [Topic 2]
• And [topic 3]"

Having a video that answers multiple questions like this is great because:

1. We can really sell the amount of value in our video.
2. We can set up the video's structure, which is essential to keeping the viewer oriented and engaged later.

But here's the problem:

The choice of which three things you mention is more important than you'd think.

It's not as simple as choosing "the most interesting three topics from the video".

And I've seen channels with 100k+ subscribers get this wrong (and their retention has suffered because of it).

For example, let's imagine a video called "Best laptop for small businesses in 2025".

In the past, I've seen channels who made the mistake of writing something like this at the end of their hook:

"So in this video, we're going to cover:

• The huge problem with Sony laptops in 2025.
• The unexpected realities of Apple's new M5 chips.
• And which laptop is right for small business owners in 2025."

But... why is this a problem?

All three bullet points sound exciting and, more importantly, relevant to the topic.

But here's the issue:

While it might feel like a good idea to pick the three most exciting topics from your video and mention those at the end of your hook, this can actually disrupt the viewer’s sense of the video’s structure.

(And, remember, structure is key to retention - and setting up that structure in the hook is essential.)

By putting three equally important topics side-by-side, it makes it more difficult for the viewer to latch on to the primary question.

The primary question is the reason they clicked - and it's probably the question expressed in the title (in this case, "which laptop should I buy as a small business?")

Instead, the rule of three should include two supporting questions and then the primary question.

In our laptop example, it might look like this:

"So in this video, we're going to cover:

• The key features of each laptop.
• How their spec will affect your day-to-day workflow.
• And, ultimately which laptop is right for small business owners in 2025."

As our video progresses, we want our viewers to retain complete clarity about why they're watching.

And muddying the waters in the hook by expressing three equally important-sounding ideas makes it more likely they'll lose that clarity later on.

That's not to say that our laptop video can't include discussions about "the problem with Sony laptops in 2025", or "the unexpected realities of Apple's new M5 chips"... but we should avoid using these in our "rule of three" during the hook.

I've got two more quickfire examples below if you're still not 100% clear on what a "good" vs "bad" rule of three looks like, but first...

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Quickfire Examples: "Good" vs "Bad" Rule of Three

Title: How to Stop Procrastinating and Actually Get Things Done

❌ Bad rule of three:

“So in this video, we’ll talk about:

• The best productivity advice I ever received.
• The daily habits of highly successful people.
• How to stop procrastinating and actually get things done.”

All three sound like different videos, and I might even be more compelled by the first bullet than the third.

✅ Good rule of three:

“So in this video, we’ll talk about:

• The common triggers that cause procrastination.
• What’s really happening in your brain when you procrastinate.
• How to stop procrastinating and actually get things done.”

The first two ideas flow naturally into the third.

Title: THIS Is Why You Can't Build Muscle Consistently

❌ Bad rule of three:

“So in this video, we’ll talk about:

• How sleep impacts your metabolism.
• Why you're probably tracking your workouts wrong.
• How to finally start building muscle consistently.”

As above, my attention is pulled equally to bullets 1 and 2 as it is to bullet 3.

✅ Good rule of three:

“So in this video, we’ll talk about:

• How to set effective calorie targets during your training.
• How to avoid overtraining so you don't waste your progress.
• And, ultimately, how to start building muscle consistently.”

The first two ideas flow naturally into the third.

That's all for this week.

Any questions? You can to reply to this email and I'll get back to you.

Speak soon,
George 👋

I know you wouldn't normally hear from me on a Saturday, but it's been a heck of a week!

Today, I simply want to thank you 🙏

This week, I had the privilege of attending VidSummit to deliver a talk about YouTube Scriptwriting and AI.

My talk was the very last of the entire conference, and considering the fatigue I was experiencing by that point, I was not expecting the turnout we got - somewhere in the region of 150 folks.

And it struck me - back in 2022, I was writing this newsletter to fewer people than that for months.

So to have the opportunity to speak to such an incredible group LIVE is making me teary eyed even as I write this!

Not only that, but I lost count of the number of you that I was fortunate enough to meet before and after the talk.

Newsletter readers, students, and even past clients - I will never take it for granted that (in our little pocket of the internet world) there are so many kind people that I've been able to connect with thanks to writing this newsletter.

From handshakes, to hugs, to sharing a few too many drinks on the final night... I'm honoured to have spent these few days with you 🫡

But let me say, regardless of whether you were able to attend VidSummit this year...

...the fact that you're reading this now - and the fact that you've ever opened one of my emails - is the reason that VidSummit were crazy enough to let me talk in the first place 😂

So thank you for your support! I'll endeavour to pay it back as many times as I can between now and next year with these emails.

That's all for this week.

Any questions? You can to reply to this email and I'll get back to you.

Speak soon,
George 👋

Assuming you're reading this on Friday… my YouTube channel just went live!

But this isn't a "go watch my video!" type email.

Instead, I want to share the weird launch strategy I’m using, and how you can steal parts of this approach even if you've already uploaded hundreds of videos.

How I combined two strategy ideas to create my own:

Inspiration for this launch strategy came from these two fellas:

• Nate Black → his recent “content wall” strategy: stop uploading for a month, then drop 3 videos simultaneously to reset YouTube’s idea of who your audience is.
• Ed Lawrence → Ed launched his current channel with 3 videos as well (one of which I wrote), and I remember him tactically linking 2 of them together with end-screen CTAs.

Both smart, both effective. But I wanted to push it further...

The "Whirlpool" Strategy

While I'm posting all 3 videos simultaneously (just like Nate and Ed), I wanted to create a truly bingable experience for my viewers.

That's why, using end-screens...

• Video 1 links to Video 2.
• Video 2 links to Video 3.
• Video 3 links back to Video 1.

That means, no matter which video viewers land on, they'll get pulled into a cycle that should (if the videos are good enough) get them to watch all 3.

Whereas one of Ed's videos linked back to his main channel... mine form a complete "circle".

And whereas Nate's technique relies on YouTube suggesting the three videos in the suggested tab... I've constructed end-screen CTAs intentionally to ensure viewers get pulled through all 3 videos.

But it doesn’t stop there.

I've already written and filmed videos 4, 5 and 6 - and each of those videos keep the chain going...

• Video 6 → links back to 5
• Video 5 → links back to 4
• Video 4 → links back to 3...

...at which point, they enter THE WHIRLPOOL!

What you can steal from this:

Whether you’re launching a brand-new channel or simply want to increase the value you're able to provide to your audience:

• ✅ Use end screen call-to-actions intentionally to guide viewers between videos.
• ✅ Try funnelling your viewers down to a small series of “whirlpool content”. If you’re launching your channel, follow the approach explored above. If you’ve already got several videos, identify 3 existing videos, and add end-screens which link between them.
• ✅ The videos you choose should be at the core of what you teach. (In my case, the 3 videos cover hooks, script structure, and end-screens.)

Want to watch the "whirlpool strategy" in action?

Ok fine - just a small plug :) I recommend starting here 👇

Click here to watch!

Free Live Session + Q&A With Me

Learn to write ready-to-record YouTube scripts in under 90 minutes.

While we're talking about the launch...

...I'd been "planning to start" my own channel for over two years.

But even with all my time-saving scriptwriting frameworks, I could never find enough time to make it happen.

So, after finding every excuse in the book, this year something finally clicked.

And with a cheeky little system and a few simple guardrails, I'm now writing and recording at a rate of one video per week.

Without it, I would not have been launching my channel today. (Let alone with another 3 videos in the can!)

I'm sharing that writing system with you for free on October 15th, at 5pm BST.

It won't be recorded, so if you want an inside look at how I write scripts for my channel (to help you write faster and upload more) make sure to sign up below:

Send me the Zoom link!

That's all for this week.

Any questions? You can to reply to this email and I'll get back to you.

Speak soon,
George 👋