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Video #1

Title: I Have 100 Days To Beat Explosive Primal Fear

Creator: NaturalCauzes​

Average % viewed: 28.2%

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What worked

(1/2) Hook

Breaks down his goal during the hook.

Not only does this make the idea more digestible (step 1, step 2, etc), but it also shows us clear payoffs to look forward to ahead of the finale.

(2/2) Context

After explaining the concept and getting into the action fairly quickly, the creator then zooms out a little to explain a little more context about the game (and the challenges to come).

Taking a moment like this to get everyone on the same page helps the audience feel “in the loop”.

Think of it like teaching someone a board game.

You might start by giving them a brief overview of what’s going to happen.

Then it’s easiest to just start playing a bit so the words you’re saying actually mean something in context.

But NOW you can go back to explaining things again, only this time with a little more nuance and depth, because the person you’re talking to has a greater understanding than during your first explanation, having seen the game it in action.

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What to improve

(1/2) Pattern Interrupt

Watch the first minute after the hook, and see if you can spot what’s missing.

*George waits*

Did you feel that?

After the initial tension built by the hook, the video falls into a pattern of “and then, and then, and then”.

In fact, the first “but” doesn’t come until 1:42 (I checked the transcript 😉).

This risks making the video a little boring because there’s nothing to re-engage our brains.

This issue popped up a few times, especially during S2 (where viewers are gradually falling away).

(2/2) Payoffs

The miniboss teased in the hook doesn’t appear until 10 minutes and, when it does, it’s not the one that was pictured.

For the next five minutes, I no longer knew what we were building towards.

Then, we finally see the creature that was teased in the hook… but it’s only to tease us again about its eventual appearance.

It started to feel like the BBC teasing Moriarty’s death – it ends up testing the audience’s patience.

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Takeaway

Be conscious of how you set your audience’s expectations during the hook. You only have so many “fake-outs” (even if they’re accidental) before they’ll lose patience.

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Video #2

Title: We Need To Talk About Envato Elements (2023 Updated)

Creator: Shaun Notcutt​

Average % viewed: 32.8%

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What worked

(1/2) Curiosity

Shaun speaks directly to the fears/desires of his audience during the hook. How?

By directly acknowledging the comments and questions left on a previous video.

This opens multiple curiosity gaps related exactly to the interests of his audience.

(2/2) Depth

Yes, this video is ultimately about promoting one website over the others.

But the amount of detail Shaun goes into about all three is immense. He’s spent time digging up about every stat you could want from a digital asset platform review, which avoids making it feel like a giant ad for one platform.

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What to improve

(1/3) Fast cuts

The end of the first sentence is cut off. There’s also an unnatural-sounding cut at 0:16.

Your audience is looking for any reason to click away in the first and last 5% of your video. Choppy dialogue is easily on the list of reasons to go.

(2/3) Visuals

The comparison screens are pretty bland – a fully white screen with text and logos popping up. And this is on-screen for 4 uninterrupted minutes.

A more interesting way to display these stats: pick the most interesting takeaways in each category, and use B-Roll of the actual websites (or footage downloaded from those websites) while discussing them.

There’s a choice to be made here about being informative vs entertaining, but 4 minutes of seeing numbers read out on a white screen understandably loses people (see S3).

Perhaps the full comparison/breakdown could have been available in the description as a free download for anyone who wanted it.

(3/3) CTA

We find out which website is best (final payoff), but then the creator spends another minute talking about the winning choice.

To my mind, we should have understood why this one was best over the course of the video, rather than having it summarised (or new info added) at the eleventh hour.

Tied into this, we also get asked to comment, subscribe, watch the next video, and sign up to the product through an affiliate link.

Too many CTAs lead to decision fatigue, and we’re more likely to do nothing.

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Takeaway

Don’t give heaps of new info after a conclusion/payoff. If it feels like you need to, I suggest going back through the video to thread those thoughts in throughout.

Video #3

Title: Quit Procrastinating with THIS 1 Technique (in 2 minutes)

Creator: Karl Avillo, MD​

Average % viewed: 70.3%

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What worked

(1/2) Subject Framing

Borrowing frameworks from other types of content and applying them to your niche is a great way to come up with new ideas.

Atomic Habits has oversaturated the productivity space in the last couple of years, so it’s nice to see Karl reframing the discussion in a two minute summary.

(2/2) Structure

He builds a nice new layer of curiosity into the video at the midpoint.

We learn the theory behind building habits, but then Karl implies that there’s even a way to make it easier (rather than giving us all that information out the gate).

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What to improve

(1/2) Technical

Audio is out of sync from 1:10-1:30.

When you’ve been staring at your edit for hours, it’s easy to miss things like:

• Audio/video sync
• Multiple text/effects popping up out of time with each other.
• Typos

No need to explain why this isn’t good. Give yourself a day away from the edit and look over it with a clear head (whether you’re editing it, or giving feedback to your editors).

(2/2) Concept

This video is one of the lowest performing on Karl’s channel from the last 6 months, and the minor technical issues aren’t to blame – the video looks great overall.

But, despite what I said about the framing, the problem is this – distilling the key lessons from Atomic Habits has been done to death.

Of course, it’s important to take inspiration from other channels when getting started, but a creator eventually needs to lean into their own style a little more. This video is too close to 2021 Ali Abdaal content to feel exciting in 2023.

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Takeaway

You can (and should) take inspiration from others, but you eventually need to lean into your style/format/angle to stand out.

That’s all for now!

Speak soon,

George 👋

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Buckle up for 3 more reviews, Retentioneers…

Video #1

Title: SNEAKY MIX BUS TRICKS Pro Mixers Use To HOOK LISTENERS

Creator: Plugin Alley​

Average % viewed: 56.9%

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What worked

(1/2) Hook

The hook is sick (though the music drowns out the voice a little).

The creator puts himself in the audience’s shoes and precisely articulates the problems they’re facing (they’ve tried mimicing tutorials to a build mix bus, yet always find the result they never had the same energy).

Mix this with the high energy performance, plenty of B-Roll, some humour, and I’m in.

But there’s an even cooler (and more subtle) trick he uses to bring us into the “story” of the hook…

Now, you might expect this from a sound engineer, but listen to how the music is timed to exaggerate key moments in the intro (e.g. he sits back in disappointment at 0:14, and a subtle, base-y “boom” can be heard). Most creators underutilise techniques like this.

(2/2) Editing

A lot of personality comes across in the edit (see funny B-Roll example at 0:22 and silly cutaway style at 5:06).

It’s full of highly intentional Ken Burns crops, zooms, SFX, incorporation of memes, etc.

​Hayden Hillier-Smith often talks about showcasing your personality through editing, and this creator does it constantly.

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What to improve

(1/2) Overexplaining

The dropoff during S3 can probably be explained by a little too much dry explanation.

I love that the creator is incorporating storytelling, but after the excellent use of B-Roll and cutaways up to this point, the pacing slows too much.

Always think: what is the next payoff my audience is expecting?

In this case, it takes 70 seconds to get from introducing the point to revealing the point. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but nothing really happens to re-engage the audience during that time – it starts with an amusing meme, but then transitions into a “and then, and then, and then” story about how this mastering trick was discovered.

(2/2) CTA

Last payoff happens at 5:58, but the video goes on for another 35s.

In this case, the CTA is too wordy and spends too long summarising the current video.

For a quick recap, here’s how I write a CTA.

In this case, the “link” (the bit that relates the CTA to the current video) goes on for too long:

(“I bet your mind is blown by all the tricks you just learned that the pro’s use to make their [etc etc]”)

It comes across like a summary, rather than a CTA. Your audience are 10x more likely to click away during these final moments, so you need to open a new curiosity gap right away.

Takeaway

Always think: what is the next payoff my audience is expecting? And is it clear that we’re constantly building towards it?

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Video #2

Title: Why you might fail A-Level maths – and how to avoid it!

Creator: Kevin Olding – Mathsaurus​

Average % viewed: 22%

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What worked

(1/1) Relaxing

Kevin’s delivery style is relaxed and, in turn, relaxing!

Opening by acknowledging that A-Level maths is difficult instantly warms me to him, and I think it’d do the same for any students watching.

The type of camera presence required by you, as a YouTuber, will obviously vary based on your niche. But this calm style works perfectly here.

What to improve

(1/3) CTA

Way too many CTAs in the first minute:

• Check out the link in the description
• Like the video
• Subscribe
• Comment below

Front-loading all this before the video’s value has been delivered is unlikely to be effective, because it doesn’t feel like we “owe” you anything yet.

It’s also overwhelming to be asked to do too many things at once, so decision fatigue makes it likely we won’t do anything at all.

(2/3) Storytelling

The story about Newton and Hook was way too tangential to the topic at hand. A cursory reference to this at the start would have built sufficient intrigue, before explaining the relevance of the quote is about “building on what’s come before”.

Currently, the core idea is explained at the start, so hearing a 150 second anecdote about Newton now becomes frustrating, because I’ve already understood the lesson Kevin needs me to take from it.

The ultimate payoff from this video is about how to avoid failing maths, but so long is spent just setting up the reasons that it’s hard in the first place, I found myself desperate to start skipping ahead.

This was a common theme across the video – we needed to get to the point faster.

(3/3) Target Audience

From the title, this video seems to be aimed squarely at students.

But anecdotes like the one in the middle seemed more appropriate for teachers.

Overall, the video lacked focus – I wasn’t sure who the ideal viewer was. Students? Teachers? Parents? Parts of the video seemed to appeal to all three.

This is where drawing up an audience avatar comes in handy – figure out who you’re talking to, what drives them, what they fear, etc. It becomes far easier to tailor your script to that audience.

Takeaway

Don’t frontload your video with CTAs because it doesn’t feel like we “owe” you anything yet. Make sure you deliver at least a bit of what the audience has clicked for before making the ask.

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Video #3

Title: Twitch is Worse Than You Can Imagine

Creator: Big Craig​

Average % viewed: 61.2%

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What worked

(1/2) Curiosity Gaps

People like me who haven’t used Twitch for a few years will be surprised to hear:

• It’s now full of NSFW content.
• It’s used to promote gambling.
• It somehow resulted in someone’s death.

Craig deliberately contradicts viewer expectations right at the start.

(Worth noting that he also delivers on all these claims – it’s not clickbait).

(2/2) Storytelling

This storytelling method in this video is called “in medias res” and it’s fairly common on YouTube. Hook the audience with the most explosive points, then gradually join the dots to show how you got there.

After the arresting claims in the hook, we jump back to understand how Twitch started, and are shown the good things that came from it initially (community-building, people able to make a living, etc).

Then, gradually, we build towards the state of play we were shown at the start, with each issue (gambling, NSFW, fatality) first hinted at and then explained.

(Side note: music is used brilliantly to aid the storytelling too… see how the whole tone changes from 4:10 because of the music.)

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What to improve

(1/1) Repetition

For the most part, the pacing is great.

But the dip during S3 coincides with a moment where a payoff is given too early, then B-Roll is used to simply repeat the point that was just made.

Specifically, Craig explains that a certain streamer was loaned $100,000, then B-Roll of the streamer revealing this info is played.

But given we already know the amount, we’re not learning anything new. The B-Roll also drags a little, with the streamer stumbling over his words a bit. So for 25ish seconds, we’re basically discussing a payoff that already happened.

Craig could have hinted at “a massive loan” the creator was given, then show the B-Roll (trimmed) which reveals the amount.

Takeaway

Classic storytelling techniques like ‘in medias res’ are just as effective on YouTube when done well. Reveal one of the most explosive points at the start, then gradually help the audience join the dots to see how we got there.

That’s all for now!

Speak soon,

George 👋

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Hey Reader,

This week we’re getting real about some stuff! 😅

To be honest, I’ve struggled with burnout recently.

So, rather than cramming my weekly reviews in, getting stressed and doing you guys a disservice, I thought I’d speak candidly to camera instead.

I think it’s incredibly important that creators like you and I talk about this stuff, Reader. Particularly because the idea of putting consistency and “grind” ahead of wellbeing seems pretty common in this space.

So enjoy this little spiel from me, and let me know how you’re doing this week ❤️👇

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Watch Now

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My Best Advice…

In lieu of my usual reviews, here’s a compilation of my most successful threads on retention, storytelling and scriptwriting.

These tweets have had 170,000+ impressions overall, so I hope you like them!

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I endlessly appreciate your patience, and wish you a wonderful Easter with family, friends, or just chilling by yourself.

Speak soon 👋

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Hey there,

Before we get started, I thought you might find this useful…

How I write a hook

I’ve been working with Ed for the last 6 months, writing material for his new channel, Creator Booth.

It finally launched this week, so I decided to break down the process I used to write the hook for this video…

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I hope that gives you some insight! Alrighty, let’s get into it…

Video #1

Title: Will property prices keep falling?

Creator: Property Hub​

Average % viewed: 68.5%

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What worked

(1/2) Hook

One of the many lessons I’ve learned from Jake Thomas: negativity is a powerful attention-grabber.

(That sounds like an insult – but I’m not talking about his personality 😅)

This video opens with: negativity x broad appeal… because, whether you’re a homeowner or a tenant, house prices affect you.

Worrying stats are given instant crediblity with screenshots from financial reports.

And a Christopher Nolan-esque score sets the mood. I’M IN!

(2/2) CTA

This video’s CTA follows my formula from last week! (Not claiming credit of course – he made this video months ago!)

1. Links back to current video (housing market is bad)
2. Opens a curiosity gap (this could actually be good news for you, but only if you take advantage in the next 3-6 months)
3. Delivers a CTA/Promise (click this video and I’ll tell you how to take advantage)

And… just look at that end screen CTR 😍

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What to improve

(1/1) Rapid-fire jargon

This video is mostly accessible for anyone, but there’s a gradual decline during S4.

Remember, some people watching this video simply want to know:

• Whether the value of their house will go down, or…
• Whether house prices will go low enough for them to get on the ladder.

But suddenly being hit with “interest rates”, then “mortgage rates”, then “inflation”, then drawing a hypothesis from this about how this will affect the bank of England setting interest rates… it’s just a lot in 10 seconds.

While I’m still piecing this together, other stats and percentages are already flying my way. The result?

I’ve lost the plot 🤣

For as long as your viewer feels smart, you’ve got them hooked. But once they feel outside the loop… it’s hard to get them back in.

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Takeaway

Your content can absolutely be aimed at non-beginners, but the target audience should be consistent.

If an otherwise beginner-friendly video suddenly goes jargon-heavy, retention will suffer.

Video #2

Title: We Played A MARIO KART KNOCKOFF!

Creator: Hulagh​

Average % viewed: 43.1%

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What worked

(1/1) Comedy

These two have really good chemistry and I found Hulagh’s increasing frustration hilarious, especially juxtaposed with his friend’s calm tone.

It got me thinking more broadly… why not try filming a video with a friend just to see how you vibe? Could be an interesting experiment.

What to improve

(1/2) Stakes

There’s nothing specific to keep us watching, other than seeing them race again and again.

It’s funny throughout, but nothing new is added.

The stakes need to be elevated in some way, beyond simply wondering who’s going to win.

Maybe it’s a best of 5 and the loser has a forefeit.

Or whoever wins the race gets a handicap in the next one.

Obviously, there’s no obligation to do this, but if we’re talking retention, continuous gameplay with nothing else underlying will graudally lose viewers.

(2/2) Clarity

Retention takes a bit of a dive in S2.

I felt that after 1min, we’d only seen about 10s of gameplay, and either side of that there was a little too much of the players talking over each other.

In conjunction with my first point about stakes, I basically wasn’t sure where the video was going or who I was about to spend the next 7 minutes with.

I would have liked to have been properly introduced to the additional player who pops up, and to have it made clearer what the end-goal of the video was. As it is, I felt a little outside the joke.

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Takeaway

Even when a video is funny, the viewer needs to have a sense of where it’s going to stay fully engaged.

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Video #3

Title: The Tragic Downfall of Demi Lovato (What Went Wrong)

Creator: K-Jams​

Average % viewed: 42.0%

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What worked

(1/2) Pacing

This video is efficient in its information delivery and we don’t spend too long indulging in any one segment of Demi’s life.

But that’s not to say it’s all fast cuts and rushing. The video alternates between rapid-fire info, and slowing down to show interview clips/quotes, etc.

(2/2) Editing

B-Roll is often enhanced to amplify what’s going on in a given moment (TV static filter on news reports, etc).

This keeps the visuals varied and interesting.

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What to improve

(1/2) Hook

The video opens with a little too much “telling”, rather than “showing”.

Although we see plenty of B-Roll as K-Jams lists Demi’s accolades, we rely on the voiceover to get a picture of what’s going on.

Compare this to one of Dodford’s documentaries…

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The opening B-Roll is constructed in a way that gives us a vivid emotional picture, without the creator having to say a word.

This video about Donald Glover also uses another incredibly effective technique to heighten the emotion and capture our interest, that could elevate K-Jams’s content even further…

(2/2) Music

The music is currently incidental to the video… it’s there because it’s better than silence.

Most videos I review use music passively – that is, without any specific purpose.

But there’s a reason most great movies also have incredible scores. Music’s ability to heighen our emotions and reactions should never be understated, even on YouTube.

Key moments in this video could have been accentuated with a more deliberate use of music.

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Takeaway

Most creators use music passively. Try using it with purpose to accentuate key moments of the video.

That’s all for this week!

Speak soon,

George 👋

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Hey!

Happy Friday! Before we get into it, check out this week’s…

Spicy take

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We even had the folks from The Editing Podcast getting involved in the discussion under this one.

But what about you? Do you feel like you NEED to make your videos faster to keep people interested?

Reply and let me know 💌

Video #1

Title: Lodges of the Rogue River | World Class Resorts

Creator: Travis Moddison​

Average % viewed: 37.7%

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What worked

(1/1) System

I’ve spoken before about how finite lists are much easier for our brains to compute…

…than the vague idea that we’re going to talk about something for “a while”.

Better yet, present your information in a system or framework.

Travis’s system is simple – the 14 lodges he talks about are organised by their geography in relation to the Rogue River (starting at the headwater, ending at the sea).

Love it 👌

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What to improve

(1/3) Hook

Lack of music at the outset gives the intro a slow feeling.

Travis also trips over the phrase “Rogue River”, which in the hook of a video about the Rogue River, doesn’t fill us with confidence as viewers.

(2/3) SFX

I’ll say it now – “Record Scratch SFX” has had its time 😂

And I say that as a guy who has definitely used it in a script in the last 6 months 😅

But it’s definitely too generic in 2023, and there’s an overreliance on it in this video.

(3/3) Momentum

The power of music.

Momentum actually really picked up from around 10min with the music change.

But, by this point, we’ve lost over half the audience.

I would have used more energetic music like this at the start to get people excited. Currently, the music choice at the start feels a little pedestrian.

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Takeaway

It’s time to let “Record Scratch SFX” die.

Video #2

Title: Why Food Tastes Better at Restaurants (It’s Not “More Salt”)

Creator: Charlie Anderson​

Average % viewed: 59.2%

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What worked

(1/2) B-Roll

There’s some really characterful B-Roll in this video.

Especially the jaunty shots of salt falling in slow-mo. Charlie could have purely recorded himself while cooking, but by going the extra mile to film these additional moments, it elevates the video’s appeal.

(2/2) Audience Avatar

Charlie understands the level of cooking proficiency his audience has, and directly calls out the method of distributing salt that he knows the majority of them will use.

In a tutorial, if you can get your audience saying “oh yikes, I do that”, you’ve got them hooked.

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What to improve

(1/1) CTA

I re-wrote this video’s Call-To-Action in a tweet thread yesterday.

If you want to write a killer CTA that gets people to watch your next video, check it out:

George Blackman

@GeorgeBlackman_

The most effective CTA for growing your channel?
Getting the viewer to watch your next video.
The problem is… most creators don’t know how to do this effectively.
Here’s my 3-step formula for writing a killer CTA to keep people watching your content 🧵: pic.twitter.com/nUxMloHl5g

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Takeaway

To make people watch your next video, use this killer 3-step CTA formula: Link + Curiosity Gap + CTA/Promise

Don’t miss out!

The Retention Hub

Spring Sale [30% OFF]

See all my reviews in one place.

Filter 70+ breakdowns by niche, views, retention problem, average view duration (%) and more.

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Get 30% OFF using the code SPRING30.

Learn More

Video #3

Title: I Played Internets Most Nostalgic Games

Creator: Fnuke​

Average % viewed: 31.0%

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Take this graph with a pinch of salt. Views were 5x this creator’s subscriber count within 7 days of uploading. Expect retention to drop when a video has been pushed to a cold audience.

What worked

(1/2) Concept

This video has potential cross-niche appeal.

Regardless of where we are now, plenty of us played these games when we were younger, so that nostalgia will exist across a broad cross-section of people on YouTube.

It’s always worth brainstorming how your video idea could be made more appealing to people outside your usual niche.

The easiest way to do this is to go back through the last few viral videos you’ve watched, and analyse what appeals to the psychology of multiple groups.

Then, see if you can incorporate elements of that broad-appeal into your next video’s concept, before you start scripting/filming it.

(2/2) Comedy

It’s funny. He’s funny. This is a funny video.

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What to improve

(1/1) Payoff

The reason I’m clicking a video like this is to see Fnuke’s reaction to the terrible graphics/controls as he tries to make these games work – that’s the payoff.

Although we get some of that, I felt that we occasionally spent too much time just watching him play.

There’s a fairly consistent dropoff over S2, for example, because we’ve now seen what the game looks like, and we’re pretty much just seeing whether he wins the race or not.

In contrast, check out this example from Call Me Kevin.

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In Kevin’s videos, we’re constantly hit with his observations about how bizarre the games are. His actual progress is completely irrelevant.

Similarly, I don’t care whether Fnuke wins the race or beats the game – I want to have a laugh at how weird it all is, so I would have leaned into that aspect more.

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Takeaway

Be extremely clear in your own mind why your audience clicked this video, and make sure you deliver those payoffs effectively.

That’s all for this week!

Speak soon,

George 👋

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Welcome to another retention graph review - let’s get into it!

VIDEO #1

Title: I Survived FIFA 23 Without Dribbling

Creator: Zwearow​

Average % viewed: 47.5%

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What worked:

(1/3) STAKES

This video begins with a winning formula: Rules + Motivation + Stakes

• Rules = what are the video’s constraints -> Messi isn’t allowed dribble.
• Motivation = why has the creator imposed those constraints -> to see if Messi will still win, even with an intentional handicap.
• Stakes = what makes us care -> we’re told that Ronaldo awaits him in the final, which taps into the decade-long debate over which of these players is better.

All this is delivered within 10 seconds.

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(2/3) TITLE

Within the first 30s, the creator accidentially dribbles with Messi, and immediately takes a forefeit.

This is crucial, because it delivers on the promise of the title:

“Oh wow, he really IS doing this without dribbling,” we say to ourselves.

If a video has limitations which seem difficult to impose, demonstrating those limitations in action within the first 30s-60s is critical for retention.

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(3/3) CTA

(Spoiler alert) Messi scores the winning goal and the video ends.

Not even half a second is wasted.

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What to improve:

(1/2) PAYOFF

The third part of the above formula (“stakes”) is well set up, but the payoff isn’t quite as strong.

We’ve been told at Ronaldo’s stats have been deliberately boosted to make him superhuman.

This makes me intrigued to see how ridiculously good he’ll be when we finally see him.

But when we get to the final, he barely features.

I understand that that the creator shouldn’t fake any gameplay, but we could have taken a moment just before the final match to big him up and ratchet up the tension again.

Or record some additional footage of Ronaldo in cinema mode to make his appearance more dramatic.

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(2/2) TENSION

To boost tension further, I’d have liked to see more near misses throughout the games.

Most of the time when the creator falls behind, he scores again within seconds.

As a result, I never felt especially worried that he wasn’t going to win.

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Takeaway:

If your video sets up limitations which seem difficult to impose, demonstrating those limitations in action within 30s-60s is critical for retention.

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VIDEO #2

Title: Do Your Solos Sound Like NOODLING?

Creator: Jeff Williams Guitar​

Average % viewed: 58.4%

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What worked:

(1/2) DIRECT QUESTION

Jeff gives the audience a couple of opportunities to feel smart.

In S2, Jeff asks us to listen to him playing to see if we can figure out the technique he’s using (and retention remains flat).

(This demo goes on a tad too long, however, the result of which is the dropoff at the start of S3).

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(2/2) METAPHOR

Jeff smartly delivers his tactic through a metaphor about a picture frame.

It’s first mentioned at 2:00, but he doesn’t fully explain the significance of the metaphor until 3:30.

Remember, it’s more engaging to grab your audience’s interest with a metaphor or story and then gradually reveal why it’s relevant, rather than telling the audience the ‘answer’ right away.

Not only does this make your video more interesting, but it ties back into the idea of making your audience feel smart as they try to figure out the relevance of the metaphor for themselves.

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What to improve:

(1/2) B-ROLL

Although I love the comedic B-Roll, it looks a bit flat coming from the same angle as the A-Roll.

Simply changing location/angle could do a lot for the visual variation.

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(2/2) CTA

The music suddenly ramps up at the end which makes it feel like the credits are rolling on a movie.

The key is NOT to make people realise the video is about to end. You want to make it seem like you’re about to explain the next crucial point, open their curiosity gap, then reveal they’ll need to click if they want the payoff.

With that being said, I would therefore reverse the order that the CTA is delivered.

Rather than telling people to watch another video before explaining what it is…

Pique their interest about the topic of that video, then tell them to click.

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Takeaway

Gradually revealing the significance of a metaphor/story not only makes the video more interesting, but also makes the audience feel smart (as they figure out the relevance for themselves).

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VIDEO #3

Title: Clarkson’s Farm: Diddly Squat Food Review

Creator: Heat My Words​

Average % viewed: 41.8%

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What worked:

(1/2) TIMING/TRENDJACKING

This video came out in February 2023, at the same time as Clarkson’s Farm season 2 was released.

This video shows the powers of jumping on trends.

But this creator goes one step further…

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(2/2) SHOW, DON’T TELL

This creator could have just reviewed Clarkson’s Farm season 2 on the day of release and quickly uploaded his video to try and capture the hype.

Instead, he actually drives 3 hours to visit the farm itself.

Hot Topic x Behind the Scenes

​Heat My Words has 2000 subscribers, but this video has 325,000 views at the time of review.

If you can capture the excitement for a trend, but go further than other creators in your niche are willing to, you’re going to win the war for attention.

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What to improve:

(1/2) HOOK

The music drowns out the creator’s voice during hook, partly because the music is a touch loud, and partly because he turned away from camera while talking.

The first 5-10 seconds are critical for new viewers deciding whether to stick around, so make sure they’re as professional as possible.

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(2/2) OVEREXPLAINING / REPETITION

There was a lot of repetition about the value of the produce.

4 minutes was spent showing the creator eating and reviewing the chilli, which is obviously an important part of the video, but could have been done in under a minute.

I would be 10x more brutal about what gets cut from the edit, especially if you’re repeating similar information more than once.

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Takeaway:

To win the war for attention: identify a trend, create content around it, but take your content further than other creators are willing to.

That’s all for this week!

Speak soon,

George 👋

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Today, I want to talk about something that’s been on my mind as I’ve reviewed your retention graphs over the last 6 months.

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Something which might just destroy the niche I’ve carved for myself 😅

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📉 Should you actually care about retention?

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I’ve recorded a 17 minute Loom discussing some of the nuances of retention and why you might need to change the way you think about it.

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You’ll learn:

• Why the shape of a retention graph varies based on your niche.
• How you can still end up top of YouTube search despite low, spikey retention.
• The one thing that will bomb your retention (which isn’t your fault and you can’t change).

You can check it out here:

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Appreciate your support as always!

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Speak soon,

George 👋

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