Write On Time - Newsletter | George Blackman

Write On Time

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"I started a Chess channel and applied some things from your newsletter. In the first month I'm doing over a million views on long form content and have 3 videos cracking the 100k views mark."

Chess Nuke

@chessnuke

30k+ Subcribers

Subscribers

Business of Scriptwriting

Two weeks ago, I wrote about running little experiments on your channel.

This week, I wanted to show you a couple I'm running on my own to give you some additional inspiration.

1/ End-screens

One experiment I ran recently found that in any videos where I use "reveal cards" like this...

...my end-screen CTR was higher when I never turned around the final card.

The idea being that, by turning around that final card, it signals to the viewer the last piece of value has been delivered, so they're less likely to listen to my end-screen pitch.

But one person commented that it felt a bit annoying lol. And fair enough!

So right now I'm running a new end-screen experiment.

Instead of simply not revealing the card, I do reveal it, before quickly adding in a "secret" card - just as I'm starting my end-screen spiel - used to represent the lessons my viewers will learn if they click to watch the next video...

First attempt: 13.1% end-screen CTR vs my 12.5% average.

Yesterday's video used the same technique, so I'll assess the data when I get it.

I usually like to test new things 2-3 times before deciding whether to adopt them or not.

But this wasn't the most surprising experiment I ran recently...

2/ Thumbnails

I recently shared a video of me generating this thumbnail in just a couple of minutes using 1of10's thumbnail generator.

Get 1of10 with 20% OFF

So I decided to test this entirely generated thumbnail against two in my usual style.

Now, normally, my thumbnail A/B tests come back pretty indecisive - literally 0.5%-1% difference.

But the 1of10-generated thumbnail produced some very surprising results... 👀

Test 1:

Test 2:

The 1of10 thumbnail absolutely smashed it.

Ok... it was only a 2/10, but I'll take it! 😉👇

I plan to test some other 1of10-generated thumbnails in the weeks to come, to see if this is a viable part of my strategy going forward.

Thanks to Richard and the team for supporting my newsletter since 2024!

Ready to start generating thumbnails from scratch and finding winning idea formats for your channel?

Get 1of10 with 20% OFF

That's all for this week.

Any questions about these experiments? Or any you've run recently?

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

Speak soon,
George 👋

Storytelling

Last week, I released a video showcasing the most important retention graph lesson I've ever learned.

In a nutshell:

Big retention drop-offs are not always caused by something you did "wrong" during that moment.

In fact, they can sometimes be caused by something you did before the drop-off itself:

Hook didn't set clear structural expectations for the video.
Setup immediately before the drop-off wasn't curiosity-inducing.
Segment before the drop-off was poorly executed, creating loss of trust, and no desire to watch the next segment.

But a student in my community challenged me on this, pointing out that those dips could equally be caused by editing choices, like:

Static talking-head framing = low energy.
Shot length mismatches; either cutting too early or too soon.
Misuse of audio - setting the wrong tone, no music "punch" during key reveals, etc.

To be honest... he's completely right!

And this illustrates the exact problem many of you expressed in response to last week's email, where I asked you to describe your #1 scriptwriting roadblock.

You said:

"There are so many things to focus on that it's hard to know where to start."

But throw in editing as well? And, hell, what about ideation? Not to mention thumbnail design?!

The truth is: being a YouTuber is overwhelming.

And that overwhelm can stop you from ever starting, or bring you to a jarring stop.

So here's my advice:

Pick one thing. And test ONLY that thing for 2-3 scripts.

Let me give you a real example:

Last year, I was diagnosing a client's retention graph, and noticed something:

Whenever we began a segment by explaining the wrong way to approach whatever sub-topic we were teaching...

...retention flattened out.

Almost like the viewers were captivated by seeing their current behaviour presented back to them.

So, on our next couple of videos, we tested it - deliberately beginning every segment by saying something like:

"So you've probably tried [X] before, because you thought the outcome would be [positive thing Y]. But in reality, you found yourself in [negative scenario Z]. Well, here's why..."

Consistently, retention flattened out during these moments, so we kept on doing it.

And here's the important point - this is now something I do without even thinking about it.

It's an experiment I ran once upon a time, which has now become part of my default writing mode.

So, in a moment, I'll share some quick ideas for little scriptwriting tests you could run.

But I want to hammer home this point:

You must accept that you're always going to be missing something.

And that's fine, because you can test that "something" the next time around.

This isn't a race. You've got the rest of your YouTube career to keep testing and keep finding answers to the mistakes you wish you could tackle today.

The key is to keep going; to NOT get snowed under by the number of things you could be doing better.

So for your next 2-3 scripts, why not try these small experiments?

For the "meta" of scriptwriting:

Trial bullet point scripting instead of word-for-word (or vice versa) and see how it feels.
Set a time limit to avoid scope creep.
Test writing at different times of day to see how it affects your capabilities.

For specific script tests:

Force yourself to halve the length of your normal hooks. Then, review first 30s retention and overall retention shape as a result.
Practise adding audience-focused language to all your setups.
Implement my end-screen CTA formula, if you haven't already.

That's all for this week!

Speak soon,
George 👋

Retention

Thanks to today's sponsor:
1of10.com

This thumbnail was generated in under 2 minutes. See how.

Click here to get 20% off 1of10 and try their thumbnail generation tool.

Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

This week, I re-wrote the welcome sequence for this newsletter.

And let me tell you... there's nothing as painful as going back through a bunch of material you wrote years ago, and realising:

"I've been sending this to thousands of people?!" 😆

Don't get me wrong... I stand by a lot of what I wrote in 2023.

My scriptwriting frameworks, for example, are largely unchanged.

My 3-step hook formula is still my go-to.
Setup, tension, payoff is still at the heart of every script.
My end-screen CTA framework still absolutely crushes.

But my core focus has changed. A LOT.

Back then, my advice was written for a kind of YouTuber I now believe doesn't exist.

The type of person who has the luxury of spending hours making every part of their process flawless.

A person who could spend hours analysing their retention, days stewing over their hook, and weeks tightening up their script until it was word-perfect.

But having recently sat next to the producer of one of the UK's biggest YouTube channels - watching him frantically giving notes to their thumbnail designer mere minutes before the video was due to launch, the reality couldn't be clearer:

Everyone's busy. Everyone's rushed. Perfection is rarely possible.

And in the last few years, my newsletter has changed to reflect that.

It's the reason I started thinking in terms of "Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3" scripting.

It's the reason I built a system to write scripts in under 90 minutes, even if the videos aren't perfect.

And, ultimately, it's the reason I have been using AI tools like 1of10.com for 2+ years.

Because, if you're anything like me, the priority is finding a way to make videos consistently. To find tactical frameworks, systems and shortcuts.

I've built my own for scriptwriting.

But 1of10 has been my shortcut for ideation, by helping me decide which ideas I should turn into videos.

And this year, it's completely changed the game with its thumbnail generation tool.

To be 100% honest, when I sat down today to record the demo you'll see below... I hadn't even seen their most recent update, which allows you to do something INSANE (which is gonna save me even more time brainstorming thumbnails this year).

(Seriously, check this out and lmk what you think 👀)

Click here to get 20% off 1of10 and try their thumbnail generation tool right away.

Remember - consistency beats all else.

That's why the tactics I share, the frameworks I build, and the tools I promote... all serve that purpose.

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 👋

Scripting Frameworks

If you've tried using AI to write YouTube scripts and found the outputs are rubbish - and that it can even take longer - listen up.

Because the truth is, AI is really good at completely ruining scripts.

And it's not because it's "not good enough yet."

It's because the way you're asking it to generate scripts is broken.

But I've spent the last four years systemising my scriptwriting process for hundreds of students and clients, and I now use a hybrid AI / human method to write scripts in under two hours.

So... here's why AI is ruining your scripts, and how to fix it.

The AI-mistake almost every YouTuber makes:

You might think that after giving ChatGPT/Claude a few examples of “gold standard” scripts + a personal writing style guide...

...you can simply ask it to generate full scripts from scratch.

And while having a style guide + past script examples are absolutely necessary for writing scripts with AI, they’re not sufficient.

Because writing a full script involves a tonne of different, complicated, interlocking steps.

The AI has to interpret your notes, build a structure, expand every sentence in your voice, check that expanding those sentences doesn't break the structure, audit your hook, check for stakes… all at the same time.

It’s too much. And even AIs with higher token counts like Claude and Gemini will struggle to do these tasks to a high standard.

The solution, then, is to create your scripts in stages with AI.

Here’s the process I’ve been following with Claude recently...

Stage 1: Brainstorm collaboratively

Asking AI simply to "create the structure" for a video leads to disaster.

I’ve found AI consistently creates the "most logical" sequence possible… which might seem ok at first, but rarely holds up to closer inspection.

So instead of asking AI to hand you a complete structure, have a conversation:

Keep it flexible and free-flowing... there is no "right" way to do this part.

Pass the AI your titles ideas.
Discuss your core idea, and the different angles of approach you could take.
Be honest about any blindspots or uncertainties.

Gradually, you'll settle on your angle of approach, and find your way towards a mutually agreed-upon structure.

Let the structure emerge from that back-and-forth, rather than a single prompt.

Stage 2: Write one “phase” at a time

This is the same principle I teach for writing scripts manually.

Writing a whole script from start to finish is overwhelming, and the quality suffers without a step-by-step system.

That’s why (as you may know) I always start by writing just the payoffs, word for word.

Then the setups. Then the tension. Then the hook and CTAs.

With AI, your approach should be no different.

Ask it to generate just the payoffs at first, then provide feedback.

Are they in a logical order? Are they individually compelling? Are they too similar to each other?

Once those are locked, move to the setups. Then the tension. Then the hook and CTAs.

This gives you the continuous ability to course correct… before the AI goes off and writes something insane.

Now you have your V1 script… but it’s not going to sound right just yet.

Stage 3: Rewrite segment 1, then ask AI to learn from your edits

This is where it gets really powerful.

Rewrite segment 1 to your liking - after all, the AI won’t have written it perfectly.

Then paste your re-write back into the chat, and ask AI to rewrite segment 2 while focused on:

What it learned from your segment 1 re-write.
Your style guide.

The second point is extremely important.

I’ve found, even with my style-guide pre-loaded into my scriptwriting project on Claude, it forgets to adhere rigorously to it as the chat gets longer.

Repeat this process across the entire script - re-write segment 2, and tell the AI to learn from it when re-generating segment 3.

Etc, etc.

Each subsequent segment will get closer and closer to your style.

Stage 4: The final pass

Asking AI to do a "final check" of the whole script is, once again, too broad.

You're basically asking it to "unbake the cake" and check whether all the frameworks, structures, tonal references (etc) are up to standard.

In my experience, this leads to the AI making bad suggestions.

So accept, if you can, the need to use your human brain for this part.

Read the script back to yourself, out loud if possible, and fix anything that sounds off. After everything you've just done, this part shouldn't take long.

Not only does this give you final oversight on the script...

...but it means you'll always provide the AI with a little more data about your writing preferences.

Data you can then ask it to learn from next time you write together.

In an upcoming newsletter, I’m going to give you my exact system in Claude for capturing that data and feeding it into your next script.

That's all for this week.

Any questions? Reply to this email and I'll get back to you.

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

When it comes to AI, I go through phases of burying my head in the sand.

Everything is moving so quickly, and it sometimes feels like my AI knowledge is out of date the moment I learn something new.

But recently, I've started to find a nice balance of integrating AI into my scriptwriting workflow - without it feeling overwhelming.

And it's helping me write scripts faster than ever.

As I write this email, I'm on a train to Amsterdam for a long weekend away with my partner.

Which meant this week, I had just 3 days at home to write and record two videos for my editor.

Videos I had not even ideated at the start of the week.

Here's how I managed it, using AI to speed me up.

1) 1of10

It’s much easier to dive into writing a script when you can already see the packaging.

I’ve spent the last two weeks generating a batch of new thumbnail ideas using 1of10’s thumbnail generator.

Here are some of my favourites (all generated in under 60s):

We all know the advice is to “create packaging first”.

But in a busy week, it’s not practical to wait until you’ve completely finished a thumbnail before starting the script.

With 1of10’s generator, you get the benefit of seeing an almost finished thumbnail in literally 60 seconds - and that’s where the value truly is.

With 1of10, you can:

Describe any thumbnail you can imagine and it will re-create it in your channel’s style.
Physically sketch an idea and it will do the same.
Give it a reference thumbnail from any channel, and it’ll create your version of that thumbnail.

I had to move fast this week... and having my packaging ready to go by 9:30am on Monday morning got me off to a great start.

Want to give it a try? Get 20% off a 1of10 subscription here:

Get 1of10 (20% Off)

2) “Live” Style Guide

Every week, I give feedback to my community students.

This feedback constitutes my most up-to-date advice.

So, for the last 2 weeks, I’ve been passing all my feedback into a continuous training document.

At the end of each month, I ask Claude to create a summary of my recent advice to my students, followed by:

Updating my current style guide.
Creating 5 YouTube script ideas based on that advice.

So... think about where you’re already writing/thinking about your area of expertise each week:

On Zoom calls.
In a newsletter.
In Discord Groups / Group Chats.

Transform that knowledge into a continuous stream of new ideas and pre-written chunks of your next script.

3) Use "Projects".

This is basic, but most YouTubers still don’t do it.

If you’re already using ChatGPT or Claude (I recently switched to Claude btw), stop wasting time explaining what you need it to do each time you're using it to help with scripting.

Instead, create a project and pre-train it with:

Your personal style guide.
A detailed breakdown of its purpose (to write YouTube scripts).
Any additional materials you think it needs to write well (e.g. I upload the full 36,000 word PDF of my course to any scriptwriting-related project).

4) Ask AI to create a report on itself.

If you've used AI in any way to help structure or draft your scripts, always provide it with the final version of the script once you've made your edits.

Then ask it to create a report on itself, identifying the differences between what it generated and what you ultimately wrote yourself.

Then use that report as training data for your next conversation with it.

I've found Claude gets 10% closer to my exact style and structure with every script.

I'll speak more about this process in the coming weeks.

That's all for this week.

And, if you're interested in trying 1of10's new thumbnail generator (which continues to blow my mind), don't miss out on our exclusive 20% discount:

Get 1of10 Now (20% Off)

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

Speak soon,
George 👋

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Two weeks ago, I wrote about running little experiments on your channel.

This week, I wanted to show you a couple I'm running on my own to give you some additional inspiration.

1/ End-screens

One experiment I ran recently found that in any videos where I use "reveal cards" like this...

...my end-screen CTR was higher when I never turned around the final card.

The idea being that, by turning around that final card, it signals to the viewer the last piece of value has been delivered, so they're less likely to listen to my end-screen pitch.

But one person commented that it felt a bit annoying lol. And fair enough!

So right now I'm running a new end-screen experiment.

First attempt: 13.1% end-screen CTR vs my 12.5% average.

Yesterday's video used the same technique, so I'll assess the data when I get it.

I usually like to test new things 2-3 times before deciding whether to adopt them or not.

But this wasn't the most surprising experiment I ran recently...

2/ Thumbnails

I recently shared a video of me generating this thumbnail in just a couple of minutes using 1of10's thumbnail generator.

Get 1of10 with 20% OFF

So I decided to test this entirely generated thumbnail against two in my usual style.

Now, normally, my thumbnail A/B tests come back pretty indecisive - literally 0.5%-1% difference.

But the 1of10-generated thumbnail produced some very surprising results... 👀

Test 1:

Test 2:

The 1of10 thumbnail absolutely smashed it.

Ok... it was only a 2/10, but I'll take it! 😉👇

I plan to test some other 1of10-generated thumbnails in the weeks to come, to see if this is a viable part of my strategy going forward.

Thanks to Richard and the team for supporting my newsletter since 2024!

Ready to start generating thumbnails from scratch and finding winning idea formats for your channel?

Get 1of10 with 20% OFF

That's all for this week.

Any questions about these experiments? Or any you've run recently?

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

Speak soon,
George 👋

Last week, I released a video showcasing the most important retention graph lesson I've ever learned.

In a nutshell:

Big retention drop-offs are not always caused by something you did "wrong" during that moment.

In fact, they can sometimes be caused by something you did before the drop-off itself:

Hook didn't set clear structural expectations for the video.
Setup immediately before the drop-off wasn't curiosity-inducing.
Segment before the drop-off was poorly executed, creating loss of trust, and no desire to watch the next segment.

But a student in my community challenged me on this, pointing out that those dips could equally be caused by editing choices, like:

Static talking-head framing = low energy.
Shot length mismatches; either cutting too early or too soon.
Misuse of audio - setting the wrong tone, no music "punch" during key reveals, etc.

To be honest... he's completely right!

And this illustrates the exact problem many of you expressed in response to last week's email, where I asked you to describe your #1 scriptwriting roadblock.

You said:

"There are so many things to focus on that it's hard to know where to start."

But throw in editing as well? And, hell, what about ideation? Not to mention thumbnail design?!

The truth is: being a YouTuber is overwhelming.

And that overwhelm can stop you from ever starting, or bring you to a jarring stop.

So here's my advice:

Pick one thing. And test ONLY that thing for 2-3 scripts.

Let me give you a real example:

Last year, I was diagnosing a client's retention graph, and noticed something:

Whenever we began a segment by explaining the wrong way to approach whatever sub-topic we were teaching...

...retention flattened out.

Almost like the viewers were captivated by seeing their current behaviour presented back to them.

So, on our next couple of videos, we tested it - deliberately beginning every segment by saying something like:

"So you've probably tried [X] before, because you thought the outcome would be [positive thing Y]. But in reality, you found yourself in [negative scenario Z]. Well, here's why..."

Consistently, retention flattened out during these moments, so we kept on doing it.

And here's the important point - this is now something I do without even thinking about it.

It's an experiment I ran once upon a time, which has now become part of my default writing mode.

So, in a moment, I'll share some quick ideas for little scriptwriting tests you could run.

But I want to hammer home this point:

You must accept that you're always going to be missing something.

And that's fine, because you can test that "something" the next time around.

This isn't a race. You've got the rest of your YouTube career to keep testing and keep finding answers to the mistakes you wish you could tackle today.

The key is to keep going; to NOT get snowed under by the number of things you could be doing better.

So for your next 2-3 scripts, why not try these small experiments?

For the "meta" of scriptwriting:

Trial bullet point scripting instead of word-for-word (or vice versa) and see how it feels.
Set a time limit to avoid scope creep.
Test writing at different times of day to see how it affects your capabilities.

For specific script tests:

Force yourself to halve the length of your normal hooks. Then, review first 30s retention and overall retention shape as a result.
Practise adding audience-focused language to all your setups.
Implement my end-screen CTA formula, if you haven't already.

That's all for this week!

Speak soon,
George 👋

Thanks to today's sponsor:
1of10.com

This thumbnail was generated in under 2 minutes. See how.

Click here to get 20% off 1of10 and try their thumbnail generation tool.

Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

This week, I re-wrote the welcome sequence for this newsletter.

And let me tell you... there's nothing as painful as going back through a bunch of material you wrote years ago, and realising:

"I've been sending this to thousands of people?!" 😆

Don't get me wrong... I stand by a lot of what I wrote in 2023.

My scriptwriting frameworks, for example, are largely unchanged.

My 3-step hook formula is still my go-to.
Setup, tension, payoff is still at the heart of every script.
My end-screen CTA framework still absolutely crushes.