This is Making It
A podcast roundtable where we share our experiences as YouTube producers, writers, thumbnail designers, and strategists working with a bunch of exciting YouTube channels.
Expect honest discussions about getting hired, growing channels, and finding work-life balance in this fast-paced industry.
Ali Abdaal
@aliabdaal
399m+ Views
4m+ Subcribers
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Create more engaging videos with simple, actionable scriptwriting tips.
Join 2,200+ scriptwriting nerds reading “Write On Time”. Insights from writing for multi-million subscriber YouTubers sent to your inbox every Friday.
YouTubers know this (so why do they ignore it?)
Every YouTuber wants filming to be stress-free.
You wanna sit down, hit record, and get into your flow.
But there’s a significant barrier to this freedom that most creators endure.
And it’ll consistently impact your stress levels while filming until you take steps to overcome it.
So let’s talk about what that barrier is and the 1-step technique to solve this problem forever.
Showtime!
I’m gonna show you this technique in context to illustrate how powerful it is.
So…
This is me and my pal Ollie.
In this photo, we’re about to go on stage to perform our new hour-long comedy show, “Framed”.
But, little did we know, we were also about to completely miss out an entire scene.
Yep.
We literally just forgot to perform it and skipped ahead by about a page of dialogue.
Sounds like a disaster, right?
Actually… it was the best thing that could have happened to us.
And the reason for that has to do with the technique I mentioned in the intro.
So, the show ends, and we realise we completely skipped an entire scene.
But what the audience told us afterwards shocked us…
They hadn’t noticed.
Despite missing two huge flashbacks that provided “crucial” context for the rest of the show, nobody in the room had realised.
(Except our director who was probably the silhouette I saw frantically waving at me).
The next day, we re-read the script and realised something totally unexpected.
The dialogue we’d missed out was actually a repetition of some information we’d introduced earlier.
In a nutshell…
It wasn’t necessary.
That meant something pretty mindblowing had happened…
The natural momentum of the performance had caused our brains to recognise the repetition and cut it out.
(Or we just suck at learning lines 🤦 But go with me here!)
If you’re building something my audience would love, you can get it in front of 1100+ creators!
Why this matters
When you actually speak the words you’ve written, it casts them in a whole new light.
- You recognise when you’re giving loads of exposition without any payoffs.
- You notice things that looked good on the page but feel awkward to say.
- You realise when you’re repeating yourself because you can hear it.
Which brings me back to you.
And the absolutely invaluable step you need to take with your scripts from now on:
Read them aloud.
It might feel OTT, but I promise you this…
There’s at least one thing in the script you’re working on right now that you would delete if you heard it read aloud.
The thing is, you already know this.
In the past, you’ve probably had to make these edits while you’re trying to record.
But catching this stuff early, rather than discovering it while the camera’s rolling, makes filming scripts 10x easier.
But this only works if you commit to it.
Say the words as if you were performing them on camera.
Because you won’t know how it feels unless you really go for it.
And it doesn’t have to be boring either.
You can be creative, like Jake…
Trust me, when you actually say the words…
…you’ll see every sentence in a new light.
⚡️ Action Item
When you finish your next script…
- Read it aloud after 24 hours without looking at it, or…
- Record it and listen back to it 24 hours later.
Look out for: repetition, awkward phrases, boring bits.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
How to "frame" your YouTube videos so people actually watch them
There’s a vital step when making any YouTube video that most people think is simple.
Yet creators I work with frequently get it wrong.
If you’re making this mistake, your audience will not watch your videos to the end.
In this newsletter, I’m gonna give you a 4-point checklist to make sure this vital stage of video prep never gets overlooked again.
‘I want to make a video about X!’
To show you what I mean, let’s take a look at this video…
(I’m deliberately not giving you the title yet)
It’s about the bombing of Hiroshima during WWII.
Imagine you’d decided to make this video.
Your first thought would go something like this:
“I’m gonna make a video about the events of Hiroshima.”
This is how prep starts for most videos, right?
“I wanna make a video about X!”
But then you run into your first vital decision.
You need to decide how to frame it.
After all, a topic like the bombing of Hiroshima sprouts many potential questions.
Angle #1
An obvious question to frame the video around would be:
- Why was the Nuclear Bomb dropped on Hiroshima?
It’s a poignant question with some facts to unpack.
But there’s a problem with making this particular question the big question.
Why?
Because the answer can be simplified fairly easily.
Google “Why was the Nuclear Bomb dropped on Hiroshima?” and you’ll come away with a succinct, satisfying answer in seconds.
A viewer is not likely to commit 10 minutes to something they think they could find out in 10 seconds.
Let’s try another angle then…
Angle #2
What if the video was a play-by-play of the historical events, framed by the question:
- What happened before, during and after the bomb was dropped?
Again, it’s a decent enough idea.
But the question feels vague.
There aren’t any specific curiosity gaps that have been opened for the viewer.
This way of framing the content is too surface-level and doesn’t evoke an instant need to click the video and watch to the end.
We need to find a more compelling way of framing it, then.
But first, I’m super excited to tell you about this…
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Alright, so now I’m gonna show you the actual angle this video used:
Angle #3
- Why isn’t Hiroshima a Nuclear Wasteland?
Click to watch
So why is this so much more effective than the options we discussed above?
The key reason is this:
The title (and framing) opens up a plethora of curiosity gaps.
Seeing this title, I’m instantly asking things like:
- How did they rebuild an entire city so fast?
- How can people still live there?
- Isn’t there a problem with radiation?
- If people can live in Hiroshima, why can’t they live in, say, Chernobyl?
In fact, the questions we briefly considered earlier could (and do) fold into this video too:
- Why was the Nuclear Bomb dropped on Hiroshima?
- What happened before, during and after the bomb was dropped?
There’s just so much more to unpack with Angle #3.
But why is this relevant?
Something I spend a lot of time doing with clients is figuring out what the grand payoff of their video is.
The ultimate question/focus/topic that the audience needs to find out before they leave.
And, trust me, it’s usually not your first idea.
Some clients I’ve worked with have ended up picking an angle that’s too simplistic… or not picking one at all.
But unless you clearly identify a grand payoff that is deeply interesting to both you and your viewers…
…something which opens multiple curiosity gaps and provokes an emotional response of some kind…
The video is gonna feel hollow to your viewers.
If you’re building something my audience would love, you can get it in front of 1100+ creators!
So spend time identifying the grand payoff that’s gonna keep the most number of people watching to the end.
Give them that “A-Ha” moment that’s gonna leave them satisfied and keep them thinking about your video after they close YouTube.
⚡️ Action Item
Use this 4-point checklist to identify your grand payoff.
- I’m passionate about it.
- My audience will care deeply about it.
- It evokes emotion.
- It opens multiple curiosity gaps (and can’t be answered with a Google search).
Look back at the video we discussed today. The first idea doesn’t check box 3, and the second idea doesn’t check box 4. The third (and real) idea checks all 4.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Why Ali Abdaal never made this video
Hey!
I’ve written a lot of scripts that never got made.
But one sticks out in particular because the lessons it taught me affected my life as recently as last week.
By the end of this newsletter, your content plan for the next 3-6 months may have changed.
Backstory
It was the early days of scriptwriting for Ali Abdaal.
For two weeks, I’d been working on a script about productivity in Denmark.
In fact, I was hoping to send Ali there to shoot the video.
(And, yes, I was 100% trying to write myself into a free trip as well).
We’d gone through a few re-writes for the video, and things seemed to be getting there.
But I remember a particular moment Ali turned to me after reading draft 3 or 4.
Something was different. He had that look in his eye. And I knew what he was about to say.
I feared it, yes.
But I also craved it.
He opened that devilishly productive mouth of his, and said the words:
“What if we just… allow it?”
Translation for non-UK folks: “What if neither of us ever have to think about this script ever again?”
Confirmation: the video was not happening.
But why?
Well, before I tell you that…
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So… why did the script go from 90% completion to 100% scrapped?
The idea seemed perfect when we thought of it.
Ali was Mr Productive UK, so why not ramp it up and become Mr Productive Worldwide?
It was something we felt we “ought” to try.
But the reality was this…
Ali just wasn’t passionate about the video.
And I had 0 enthusiasm left for writing it.
When it comes to creativity, you can plan everything to a tee…
But if you don’t have the fire in your stomach to go and make it, there’s no point.
The wider problem is this…
It’s easy to fall victim to repetitive creative behaviour, especially on YouTube.
We start making something that performs well, but stop checking in with ourselves about what we actually want.
And that brings me to… well, me.
(And soon, you.)
My whole thing was being “the guy who reviews retention graphs”.
That’s how I marketed myself. It’s what my products were centred on. And it was how I grew this newsletter from 100 subscribers to 1000+.
But, after 9 months of doing the same thing every week…
I pretty much dreaded sitting down to write it.
The reason I ploughed on was because I thought this would all come crashing down if I ever stopped.
Then, something hilarious happened.
I wrote to you last week and asked…
“Do you actually care that much about the retention graphs?”
Turns out… no you do not 😂
So this week’s newsletter marks a change in my approach.
From now on, I’m gonna be sending out an actionable piece of advice from a scriptwriter’s POV, after 2+ years writing for these YouTube juggernauts.
Oh and by the way…
If you’re building something my audience would love, you can get it in front of 1100+ creators!
So here are a few questions for you…
- When did you last check in with yourself about your creative direction?
- If you don’t enjoy making a certain type of content, what would it look like if you just… stopped?
- Have you ever asked your audience how they’d feel about a change of direction?
You might be surprised to find that their relationship is with you, not just the content you make.
So thank you for your support on this newsletter over the last year.
Reviewing your retention graphs was a fun first season.
But we’re back on air for season 2, and I’m more excited than ever.
⚡️Action Items
List every different type of content you create. Rank each one from Low → High on these metrics:
- How much enthusiasm do I have?
- How stressed do I get?
- How long does it take me?
- (Optional) How lucrative is it?
Ask your audience what they want to see from you (community tab, email, Twitter).
Then, let the results guide where you take your content next.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Mr Beast is wrecking my business
Sooo this happened last week…
And, as a result, this week’s newsletter is gonna be a little different.
The thing is, you’d have thought a follow from the Beastie Boy would have been the coolest moment of my career.
(Which it was lol).
Buuuut it also prompted an absolutely classic existential crisis.
*pause for celebratory scream into the void* (join in!)
Since the moment wee Jimmy’s face popped up in my notifications, I’ve been in a weird business limbo.
But that’s where you come in.
Because you can help me escape it by answering a single “YES/NO” question.
First, though, I wanna take 30 seconds to reflect on how we got here…
One Year Ago…
I had 200 followers.
I was venturing into the freelance YouTube world with 0 clients.
I had no idea whether this was gonna be a sustainable career…
Or whether everyone who “warned me” about leaving my normal, boring, soul-destroying, life-shortening job might be right.
Maybe this was too risky.
But last week (almost exactly 52 weeks later) was truly a remarkable one.
One of those rare weeks where, with hindsight, you notice everything went right.
The first video I worked on with a new client did this…
…and my girlfriend Julia and I watched that video on our TV together.
One thing I’ve learned…
Treat the release of your latest video like a frickin movie premiere.
You worked hard on it and you deserve to feel flippin great when it comes out!!
Even more excitingly, I got to meet a bunch of awesome YouTubers IRL at a Creator Now event👇
A few people even knew me from Twitter!
Ricardo (on the left) actually received my newsletter while we were talking! 😂
AND, since I originally wrote this email, we crossed 1000 newsletter subscribers! 🥳
All this to say…
I could not have imagined being in this position a year ago when I went freelance.
Let alone two years ago when I quit my “real job” to work for Ali.
In a future newsletter, I’d love to talk more about how I got to this position with 0 experience and 0 contacts.
But… now comes the question:
Who… Am I?
The surprise appearance of Mr Beast contributed to an already unsustainable amount of inbound requests for my scriptwriting services.
Trust me, I recognise that it’s an incredible problem to have!
But I’ve realised I need to spend some time thinking about exactly WHO I want to serve with my content and WHERE I’m going with all this.
And that means…
I need to figure out which way to take this newsletter.
Transparently, sometimes I ain’t so excited about reviewing YouTube videos.
Some weeks I wanna write an email like this, or talk about specific scriptwriting tips that I’ve learned working on 1/10 videos for cool channels.
So, I want to know:
Do you open this newsletter just to check out the retention graphs?
Or is it for something else?
You can let me know here.
It’s just one box – a Yes or No answer. It should take 3 seconds.
There’s the option for leaving a suggestion too, but all I really need is your vote on that first question.
You’d be helping me out more than I can say!
Plus, if you answer the form, I promise I’ll get you a shoutout from my new best friend**
**this promise is not guaranteed, nor is it likely.
As always, a huge thanks for reading!
I’m very lucky that this is my job. And it’s down to you that I get to do it 🥰
That’s why I wanna help you live out your YouTube ambitions with whatever nuggets of wisdom I can pack into these emails.
Speak soon,
George 👋
Are your YouTube videos… boring?
One of my most actionable scriptwriting frameworks has been doing the rounds again this week on Twitter.
Whenever I apply it to a script, it tends to 4x a particular metric that we’ll discuss later.
We’ll talk about it later, but first, let’s get straight into the script reviews! 💪
Video #1
Title: AI Copyright Law in June 2023: What it Means For AI Artists
Creator: Samson Vowles
Average % viewed: 42%
In this review:
The important difference between “momentum” and “pacing”.
Video #2
Title: China Built 20,000 Houses In 3 Days In Africa | Megaproject
Creator: Megaprojects
Average % viewed: 27.9%
In this review:
The critical mistake that will always make people click away.
Video #3
Title: 4 Super Easy Ways To TRANSFORM Your After Effects Projects
Creator: Motion by Scott
Average % viewed: 34.7%
In this review:
The smart setup that gives viewers a strong reason to watch.
Scriptwriting tip of the week
There are no YouTube “hacks”.
But this is the closest thing I’ve ever found to one 👇
Check out that tweet for a reminder of my 3-step CTA formula.
Every time I use it, the endscreen CTR goes 3-4x the channel average.
An awesome creator sent me a screenshot from their video which got a 19% CTR vs their average of 4.3% when they adapted the formula for their channel, so it’s worth using!
If you try it out, I’d love you to send me the results 💪
That’s all for now 🙂
Speak soon,
George 👋
The scriptwriting problem that will reduce "returning viewers"
Scriptwriting tip of the week
Here’s a big realisation I’ve had recently…
Truly, so many folks I work with have all the pieces of the puzzle.
They just need to rearrange them a little.
And, 90% of the time…
It’s the payoff that needs to move.
If it’s too early, the viewer has nothing else to look forward to.
Too late, and people get bored.
Like everything, it’s a balancing act!
Let me know if you have any questions about this… ✍️
Video #1
Title: Pro Mixers Reveal WHY Mixes Sound Amateur
Creator: Plugin Alley
Average % viewed: 51.1%
In this review:
The common editing mistake that’s confusing your audience.
Video #2
Title: Poor Girl Becomes a Princess Overnight!
Creator: The Skorys
Average % viewed: 46.1%
In this review:
The hidden problem that may not affect retention but will affect returning viewers.
Video #3
Title: I threw my ONE X2 from a moving car
Creator: Eat Sleep 360
Average % viewed: 49.3%
In this review:
What to do when your big payoff happens halfway through.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Make your videos longer (organically)
Alrighty, let’s get into this week’s reviews!
Video #1
Title: You Were Gaslit Into Liking Milk
Creator: Skylerbuns
Average % viewed: 40.8%
In this review:
Aubrey Plaza in a weird milk ad.
(That’s right, I don’t have any takeaways as interesting as that fact by itself.)
Video #2
Title: Squeezing an operating room inside an Altoids tin
Creator: David Hindin, M.D
Average % viewed: 35.2%
In this review:
How to make your videos longer (organically).
Video #3
Title: My Triplet Fills Sucked Till I Did This
Creator: Dave Major
Average % viewed: 27.4%
In this review:
The tricky decision every tutorial-based YouTuber has to make.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Increase audience engagement by 2-3x
Hey!
Yesterday, I visited my old pals at Ali Abdaal’s place for a chat about scriptwriting.
This is what being caught off-guard by Ali looks like lol
It was thoroughly lovely from a social perspective!
But it also prompted a huge realisation…
Scriptwriting tip of the week
I started thinking about how differently I write scripts now…
…compared to when I first worked for Ali (nearly 2 years ago).
The main thing that’s changed?
Quantity.
Through becoming freelance and working for numerous new creators…
…to writing this newsletter and being forced to think analytically about niches I’m not always familiar with every single week…
It’s accelerated my understanding of writing YouTube videos at a much faster rate than if I was simply reading and re-reading my own scripts for weeks on end…
Do you find yourself thinking analytically about the videos you watch? Hit reply and let me know! ✍️
Alrighty, let’s get into the retention reviews…
Video #1
Title: 10 Expert Boxing Tips: Beating Taller Opponents
Creator: Tony Jeffries
Average % viewed: 39.4%
In this review:
The simple tweak that’ll 2-3x how engaged your audience is.
Video #2
Title: The SECRET Behind BLOWING UP Your Streaming Career!
Creator: Content Delta
Average % viewed: 32.2%
In this review:
The problem with giving out too much good advice in one video.
Video #3
Title: I Finally Tried the LEGO Keyboard… (And You Should Too)
Creator: Hipyo Tech
Average % viewed: 43.2%
In this review:
The trick most successful YouTubers use to deepen their relationship with you.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Bad retention on YouTube? Read this…
Hello!
Let’s start off with a game.
Wait, a game?
Yes, you heard me.
It’s the end of the week and I’m forcing you to have some organised fun.
The Game
Take a look at the graph in this tweet…
Can you figure out, just by looking at the graph, why this video was losing viewers?
A couple of folks who replied to the tweet got it right, but see if you can figure it out before clicking through to read the answer.
(If you’d rather not click the tweet, I’ll leave the answer at the bottom of this email!)
But this isn’t the only graph I’m gonna get you to look at in this email.
Because until you learn to properly interpret different graph shapes and what they mean…
You’ll never understand how your audience really feels about your content.
Result? You’ll keep making the same mistakes.
With that said, let’s get onto the reviews…
Video #1
Title: Your Roadmap to Prosperity from Ground Zero
Creator: Conscious Mastery
Average % viewed: 46.8%
In this review:
What a retention graph with a slow, steady decline like this means (and how to fix it).
Video #2
Title: I Learned Sion in 10 Hours. Here’s what Happened
Creator: Ecore200
Average % viewed: 51.7%
In this review:
The most compelling way to incorporate voiceover into entertainment content.
Video #3
Title: Tumblr Users Are Unhinged
Creator: Damien Lee
Average % viewed: 64.1%
In this review:
The mindset shift you need if you’re serious about improving your content over time.
Time for some answers 😱
So… why were people skipping ahead in the graph I showed you at the start?
One word: Payoff.
In that script, I’d make a point, THEN talk about it for ages.
So, after making each point, I wasn’t adding anything new, which meant people were skipping ahead to get to the next payoff sooner.
Instead, you should always be building towards a payoff – giving context; using metaphors; telling stories; gradually revealing details…
…rather than giving away the juicy bit and then overexplaining it.
That’s all for now!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Create more engaging videos with simple, actionable scriptwriting tips.
Join 4,000+ scriptwriting nerds reading “Write On Time”. Insights from writing for multi-million subscriber YouTubers sent to your inbox every Friday.