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Chess Nuke
@chessnuke
30k+ Subcribers
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.
Stop being nuanced. It's ruining your scripts.
It’s hard being so smart, isn’t it?
When writing about their specialist subject, I often see YouTubers struggling to decide what information is actually important for the script.
After all, you’re an expert in whatever you’re talking about. You know there’s a tonne of nuance you could put into in every video.
I’ve struggled with this feeling, too. Staring at a script, thinking:
“I can’t trim this more than I already have. Every piece of information is completely essential.”
But 99% of the time, if you feel like this… you’re wrong.
”Forced Prioritization”
The feeling is summed up in this quote:
“Forced prioritization is really painful. Smart people recognize the value of all the material.
They see nuance, multiple perspectives - and because they fully appreciate the complexities of a situation, they're often tempted to linger there.
The tendency to gravitate towards complexity is perpetually at war with the need to prioritize.”
This is from Made to Stick, a book recommended to me by my friend Gil Hildebrand.
Never has a quote (that's NOT written about YouTube scripts) so perfectly summed up the struggle of writing YouTube scripts 😂
I often see students and clients get in their heads about some imagined critic complaining about their scripts:
“Erm, excuse me, you didn’t caveat [point X] with [point Y]!”
Gradually, they start to second-guess everything they’re writing.
And this slows their writing speed to a crawl.
But remember - you’re writing a YouTube script, not a college essay.
Yes, you should strive for accuracy and fairness in your videos.
But there will be times when certain nuances or tangents must be consciously ignored.
Made to Stick argues that we must learn to tell the difference between “critical” and “beneficial” information.
The goal is not to remove nuance completely.
It’s to accept that some level of nuance will usually need to be sacrificed, which might mean not all “beneficial” information will make the cut.
Let's look at the difference between "critical" and "beneficial" information using a practical example.
But first!
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Find viral video ideas in seconds.
Get 50% Off 1of10 (forever)
Every single week, I use 1of10 to find high-performing ideas for channels I work with.
Check out this 8min video showing exactly how.
They recently added an AI thumbnail generator too (and it's surprisingly good).
So if you struggle with finding new ideas for your channel, 1of10 will make your life 10x easier.
Just use the discount code 'GEORGE50'.
Critical vs Beneficial
To identify the difference, you need to have a clear picture of your audience avatar.
I’m still ruminating on the best way to define each term, but right now I think of it like this:
- “Critical” information is highly likely to convince your target audience to keep watching.
- “Beneficial” information is something which they might find interesting, but which won’t specifically cause them to keep watching.
Example - Strong Coffee Lovers
So, let’s look at “critical” and “beneficial” information in action.
Imagine an audience of coffee lovers whose primary desire to to brew strong coffee.
- They’re not fussed about diverse flavours - they just want something that’s gonna give them a kick up the butt.
- They already have a basic home setup, but prefer not to spend more money on additional gear.
- Speed is important to them - they don’t have time to learn any complex new brewing techniques.
I’ve just written a hook for an imaginary video, but have deliberately included “beneficial” information in red.
Notice how this information still fits pretty nicely in the hook, but doesn’t appeal directly to my audience avatar:
Version 1 - with "beneficial" information left in.
Why is it so hard to brew the perfect filter coffee?
You’ve probably tried everything in the book - changing the grind size, cleaning your conical burrs and watching every James Hoffman video under the sun - but each cup still comes out weak and you can’t detect any of the interesting flavours they mentioned on the bag.
So in this video, I’m going to show you how changing the way you prep your tap water will completely alter the strength and flavour of your coffee.
It’ll take you five minutes, you won’t have to spend a penny, and you’ll be shocked that you didn’t think to try this sooner. Prepare to start making cafe-grade coffee from the comfort of your own home.
Compare this to the below rewrite where “beneficial” info is removed.
Now, the focus is on the strength of coffee, saving money and speed.
Version 2 - focused on "critical" information.
Why is it so hard to brew strong filter coffee?
You’ve probably tried everything in the book - changing the grind size, cleaning your conical burrs and watching every James Hoffman video under the sun - but each cup still comes out weak.
So in this video, I’m going to show you how changing the way you prep your tap water will completely alter the strength of your coffee - it’ll take you five minutes, you won’t have to spend a penny, and you’ll be drinking cafe-grade coffee at home for the rest of your life.
Both hooks are pretty similar, and it’s not as though the first one includes any irrelevant information.
But the key is identifying and prioritizing the “critical” information.
Action Point
The one thing I want you to take away from this week’s newsletter?
Next time you realise you need to delete some “beneficial” information from your script, say to yourself:
“I am consciously removing this piece of information, and that’s alright.”
You must accept that removing a caveat here or a piece of nuance there is not only “ok”, but necessary to write a better script.
You can't go down every rabbit hole.
Focus on what your audience cares about, and prioritise creating a more memorable experience for them.
As they say in Made to Stick:
A common mistake […] is that they get so steeped in the details that they fail to see the message’s core - what readers will find important or interesting.
I’m finding this book unbelievably useful for YouTube scriptwriting and highly recommend you give it a read.
If you want to grab a copy, feel free to use my affiliate link!
That's all for this week!
But if you're locking in for a scriptwriting-centric Friday, you can also check out the latest episode of my podcast, Making It.
Any questions, just let me know!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Probably my weirdest hook-writing advice yet
Hey!
In recent months, the best lesson I've learned about writing YouTube scripts came from watching a band I love write music.
This slightly weird tactic will help you write hooks more easily.
You'll stop overthinking every single word and will create the hook structure much faster.
Find the melody
Ok... I’m not a musician.
So I instinctively assumed the lyrics would always be the first thing a musician came up with when writing a song.
Which is why I found it fascinating to learn that musicians often create the melody first.
When watching behind-the-scenes footage, you'll see bands improvise their way to a sound that feels good - one that conveys the emotion they're trying to express.
Then, afterwards, they create lyrics to match the melody.
It's such an interesting process to watch - particularly when you see footage of a band creating a song you know incredibly well...
...back when they had 0 lyrics and were just "feeling out" the sound.
They hum along, occasionally throwing in a phrase that you know will eventually become "that famous part" of the chorus... but their priority is nailing the melody.
Without meaning to, this is how I have started approaching YouTube scripts.
🛠️ Tool Shoutout
Quick side-note...
I'm experimenting with affiliate marketing at the moment, so I thought I'd kick off by shouting out my favourite screen recording software.
If you communicate a lot using screen-recordings, I massively recommend Tella.
I switched to Tella over a year ago and have used it to record over 200 videos:
If you want prettier screen-recordings for quick comms, tutorials or filming courses, give Tella a try.
(I'm an affiliate, so you'll get 30% off and I'll get a financial kickback too!)
Ok, let's get back to it...
Blob scripts
Because YouTube is such a visual medium, I can often see a kind of "blob" version of a video in my mind before I know exactly what I want to say.
It probably comes from having watched a LOT of YouTube… but I can almost visualise the ebb and flow of the hook before I’ve thought about the words.
Imagine I’m writing a script about a 5-step system to help students pass their exams.
Immediately, my brain starts to imagine something like this:
“Dum dah, dum dah, dum system.”
“A system that’s gonna blah.”
“And once you dee dee dee dee doo”
“Your grades are gonna dum dum dee!”
This might sound a bit mad.
But remember, as viewers, we rarely remember a video because of the words alone - we remember the pacing, the visuals, the sounds... all the stuff that comes together to create a video's "melody".
And considering you’ve probably watched a lot of YouTube [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], you’ll have an intuitive sense of how hooks often flow.
But how does this makes writing easier?
Quite simply, once I start writing and get into a flow state, I allow myself to "skip" certain words.
If pausing to think of a "fancy adjective" or the "perfect verb" is going to ruin my flow, then it's not worth it.
If I've got momentum, I don't want to lose it.
I'll write "X" or "Y" or "[thing]" or whatever I need to breeze over if it'll keep my flow state going.
I can always come back to those tiny gaps later.
My priority is nailing the script's "melody".
Here’s an extract from an actual hook I wrote a few weeks back… the first time I tried to “sound out” how it would flow:
Not only does this approach generate faster progress…
…but it also gives you a better chance of writing a video that looks and feels like you dreamed it would when the idea first came to mind.
Rather than a video that has perfect verbiage but no soul.
Give this a try and let me know how you get on.
That's all for this week!
Any questions, just let me know!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Same packaging. Different hooks. Which video wins?
Hey!
“Good packaging” is often given credit for making videos go viral.
But that begs the question:
Why do two videos with almost identical packaging perform so differently?
Of course, there are many factors that influence video performance.
But there are always clues the script.
And the easiest place to start is the hook.
So I recorded a quick video showing you how to:
- Identify a video concept with a high "views ceiling".
- Find a video with similar packaging.
- Analyse their hook scripting styles and how they might have contributed to vastly different video performance.
That's all for this week!
If you want to join me and 1000s of YouTubers using 1of10 to make coming up with video ideas (and packaging them!) easier...
Use "GEORGE50" to get your subscription with 50% off.
If you have any questions about analysing hooks, outliers, or anything else, just hit reply and let me know!
Speak soon,
George 👋
Scriptwriters don't "grow" channels (and that's ok)
Hey
This is probably the most "real talk" newsletter I've written for months.
It started out as me journalling to myself, but the more I wrote, the more I realised I wanted to share this...
Scriptwriting is a weird part of YouTube.
Especially as a “freelance scriptwriter”, you’re basically “subbed in” to keep an existing train rolling.
You’re not really expected to grow the channel.
Good scriptwriting is necessary to grow a channel faster, but it’s not sufficient.
This has pros and cons:
On the plus side, if a video completely bombs, it’s probably an issue with the core idea, how it’s framed, or how it’s packaged.
It’s rare that you can point to the script and say “this is the main reason the video failed”.
On the flip side, just as you can’t really be blamed for a video flopping, you can’t really take credit for a video going viral either 😂
You occupy a weird middle ground where your value is probably quantified more by your ability to free up your client’s time than it is by your ability to write “viral scripts”.
Protecting your reputation
This is why I get a bit uncomfortable when I’m introduced on podcasts as “the writer behind 25,000,000 views!”
Like, sure, it’s not a “lie”. But it’s not nuanced either.
I mean, who could have guessed that my time working with viral video machine Mike Shake would suddenly add another 10m views to “my” view counter?
It comes down to this:
Your reputation is more important than anything else, especially if “proving your value” isn’t completely straightforward.
Your “view count” (which is often misleading) is way less influential than what influential people say about you.
I still have relationships with creator teams I worked with literally once, even if the script went kinda badly.
Yes, good work is important, but how you conduct yourself both during the relationship AND in the aftermath (on Twitter, podcasts, etc) has a longer-term impact than anything.
That’s not to say you shouldn’t shout about how many views you’ve contributed to.
But don’t use it as a crutch.
And definitely don’t inflate the number of videos you say you’ve worked on just to sound more impressive.
Back yourself as a person and as a creative to do good work - your reputation will carry you forward.
That's all for this week!
I definitely owe a few of you replies from the last couple of emails.
I'll get back to those - and any thoughts you have on this one - next week ✌️
Speak soon,
George 👋
If your hook contains this, it's a problem
Hey!
I run a community of 150+ scriptwriting-focused YouTubers, and it should come as no surprise:
The thing we spend the most time workshopping is hooks.
I’ve been so impressed by the quality of feedback my students offer each other.
So, I’ve collated (and anonymised) some hooks my students have shared, and the feedback we’ve offered to help improve them.
These are the 4 most common hook-writing problems I see every month.
Problem #1 - Specificity:
The last thing we want is an ultra-general hook that doesn’t give the viewer clarity about how you’re going to tackle their problem.
So always be precise when you’re outlining the video’s structure to make it feel more digestible.
Before:
"I've uncovered a few key insights that will help you lose body fat."
After:
I've uncovered five simple, science-backed strategies that will help you lose body fat.
“A few key insights” might sound ok at first.
But the community raised concerns that this phrase was too vague to be engaging.
Instead, be specific about the structure (”five”) and emphasise why the audience should care (”science-backed strategy”).
Problem #2 - Stakes:
The big question:
What is at stake in your video? What does your audience (or the character in the video) stand to lose?
Playing on these emotions is critical to keep viewers watching.
In the community, we’ve noticed a tendency to imply the negative implications of not doing X, Y or Z, without calling out the target audience's fears directly.
Before:
You definitely don't want to mess this cake up, so pay close attention to every step.
After:
Until you learn to follow these steps, your cake will taste dry and bland, or worse - it’ll just collapse completely.
Make it easy for your viewer to picture what’s at cake.
(Ok, I’ll leave.)
But of course, it's only worth perfecting your hook if the idea itself is clickable...
Find viral video ideas in seconds.
Get 50% Off 1of10 (forever)
Every single week, I use 1of10 to find high-performing ideas for channels I work with.
Check out this 8min video showing exactly how I do it.
They recently added an AI thumbnail generator too (and it's surprisingly good).
So if you struggle with finding new ideas for your channel, 1of10 will make your life 10x easier.
Just use the discount code 'GEORGE50'.
Problem #3 - Relevance:
It goes without saying - when writing a hook, we have a matter of seconds to entice the audience to keep watching.
So always ask yourself:
Does every sentence need to be there? Is it obvious why I mentioned [X]?
Here’s an example where a couple of sentences felt a bit out of place:
Before:
I recently listened to a podcast with [figure of authority] - she wrote [impressive book].
She has spent years speaking on how to build and maintain powerful professional relationships.
My goal for the next 3 months is to build stronger professional relationships here is how I’m going to do it.
After:
[Show clip of [figure of authority] offering a nugget of wisdom - enough to pique curiosity.]
This is [figure of authority] - she wrote [impressive book].
Her business does over $10,000,000 in revenue each year, which she attributes to the strength of her network.
So my plan is simple…
Over the next 90 days, I'm going to follow [figure of authority]’s advice to strengthen and expand my network - and I’ll reveal whether this actually generates additional revenue for my business.”
So what changed here?
Well, one of my community members gave this sage advice:
“Don’t add details unless it’s clear why they’re necessary.”
Before, it wasn’t obvious why the hook began by referencing that particular figure of authority.
Yes, they were related to the topic.
But you could just as easily have started the hook without the first two sentences and it would have made no difference.
In the rewrite, we circle back to that figure of authority at the end of the hook, which makes it clear that her specific advice will play an integral role in the video.
Problem #4 - Proof:
Promising a solution to a particular problem?
You’ve got to ask yourself why should the audience listen to you specifically.
(Especially if you’re competing in a saturated niche.)
But how do you do this if you’re worried your experience doesn’t sound impressive enough?
For example, one of my community members is a fantastic music tutor, but because he only likes to work with a limited number of students at once, he was concerned that saying “I’ve coached [X] students…” would sound a bit lame.
So let’s workshop some alternatives if you’re in a similar position:
Before:
“I’ve coached more than 50 pianists…”
After:
- “I’ve been a professional pianist for 30 years…”
- “I’ve composed more than 500 songs on the piano…”
- “Since starting this channel I've helped hundreds of songwriters level up their piano playing…”
- I’ve played some of the world's biggest concert halls in my career…”
- “I’m not a famous pianist, but my music has been streamed more than one million times…”
You can always get creative with how you “prove” your expertise during the hook.
That's all for this week!
Don't forget to use "GEORGE50" if you decide to join me and thousands of fellow YouTubers using 1of10!
And let me know... which problems have you noticed in your hooks (and how did you fix them?)
Speak soon,
George 👋
YouTube stopped feeling "fun"? Try this.
Hey,
Ever been stuck in a YouTube scriptwriting rut?
Where each paragraph feels completely soul-sucking and the result is a hot mess?
Me too.
So here are three tried-and-tested ways to get out of a YouTube funk:
1/ Set Constraints
One of my students, Martin, had become frustrated that he would always get "carried away" with the script.
I can't seem to find a good way of doing a simple [script] outline... I end up coming up with good hooks, sentences that flow well and since I'll never remember them when I riff… it becomes easier to script the whole thing. - Martin
But this was making the process unsustainable.
Not only was this taking way more time, but he actually felt constrained by the word-for-word scripts he’d end up with.
So here's a quick exercise to force you to write scripts faster.
- Pick a "safe" topic similar to a video you’ve made before.
- Challenge yourself to a 10-minute brainstorm. In that time, create a super basic bullet point structure - maybe as few as 1 bullet point per segment.
- Limit yourself to a 50-minute script editing session. Bulk out the most important parts first.
From here, yes - you can spend more time on the script.
But by acting as though you only have 60 minutes in total, you’ll be surprised how much LESS you overthink.
The priority is getting draft 1 finished without pausing to perfect each sentence.
Once you’ve practised this with your “safe” topics, you’ll find it easier to repeat with any video.
2/ Do Something For You
Meet another student of mine, Jeff.
An uber-talented guitar teacher, Jeff was looking for ways to inject new forms of creativity into his videos to prevent the process from becoming "stale".
So he:
- Found a hill.
- Walked up it.
- Recorded a guitar lesson in a field.
There's plenty of evidence to show that changing environment contributes to improved mental well-being, and studies suggest a positive correlation between well-being and productivity.
Plus, ‘Attention Restoration Theory’ tells us that natural environments are amazing for replenishing cognitive function and reducing brain fog.
Now that's how you put the ‘content’ back into ‘content’. (This joke works better out loud.)
So, if you can - why not film your next video somewhere totally different?
By the way, if you’re interested in joining Martin, Jeff and 150+ scriptwriting-focused YouTubers inside my scriptwriting community, you can learn more about YTSP Pro here.
3/ Take the Pressure Off
Let's end on this quick nugget of wisdom from O.G. YouTube strategist, Denver Moore:
As he puts it, every YouTuber should "have a channel where you don’t have to care what people think."
It goes without saying: give your audience what they want on your main channel.
Meanwhile, test crazy strategies and experiment creatively on your second channel - without giving a *cough* about what people think.
The only rule?
Just have fun with it.
Matt D’Avella recently started a second channel here for exactly this reason.
This comes shortly after the release of this video, where he explains the dwindling creativity and diminished passion that comes with scaling a YouTube channel.
Remove the stakes, and you’ll remove the stress!
So there it is - your blueprint to revitalised YouTube zest:
- Constrain the time you're allowed to spend scripting.
- Film in a new location.
- Experiment freely on a second channel.
Anyway, that's all for this week!
I wanna know - have you tried any of these strategies before? Hit reply and let me know!
Next week, I'm diving into the most common hook problems students from my scriptwriting community have experienced (and how we fixed them)!
Speak soon,
George 👋
This YouTube scriptwriter is an imposter
Hey!
Why have I never heard of this scriptwriter before?
I’m pretty aware of the YouTube scriptwriting scene, ya know?
And if this guy has recently "transformed" his scriptwriting career, I feel like I ought to have heard of him by now.
So how come he's only just appeared on my radar?
And, come to think of it, why does he seem bizarrely similar to this guy talking about software?
(Someone needs to spend more time thinking about his audience avatar, amiright? 😏)
But before I get into what’s going on here, I wanna address something that’s been bothering me about scriptwriting for the last three years.
Scriptwriting is a weird part of YouTube.
Especially as a “freelance scriptwriter”, you’re basically “subbed in” to keep an existing train rolling.
You’re not really expected to grow the channel.
Good scriptwriting is necessary to grow a channel faster, but it’s not sufficient.
A video with an awesome script still falls to pieces if the idea sucks and the packaging is bad.
But that makes proving your value kinda hard.
Candidly, I’ve always struggled with the question:
“How much of a video’s success is really… me?”
So it’s time for a pivot.
Times are changing
The next phase of my business is going to focus on actively growing channels (and how scriptwriting contributes to this).
Because you and I both know… succeeding on YouTube doesn’t boil down to getting really good at just one skill.
Of course, scriptwriting will always be my #1.
But these YouTube skills aren’t siloed off - they’re connected.
That's why I'm starting to focus way more on ideation (and you should too).
And, after an entire year using 1of10’s ideation tool, I’m excited to have partnered up with them again to help me do this.
Here’s how title and thumbnail ideation just got 10x easier.
So, you might have guessed by now, but this guy…
…this apparent scriptwriting savant that you’ve probably never heard of before…
...well, he doesn't exist.
In fact, both of these title/thumbnail combos were created by 1of10’s new “Idea Generator”, based on this Alex Hormozi video.
(AI really latched onto the beard, huh?)
Here's the twist!
The exact moment this email lands in your inbox, I'll literally be on a Zoom call pitching a YouTube channel about working closely with them on their overall strategy (scriptwriting and ideation).
They actually read this newsletter too, so I have nowhere to hide hahaha 😎
Candidly, I wouldn't have had the confidence to pitch them on the ideation side of things before I started using 1of10 a year ago.
And its ability to generate 90% usable thumbnail concepts in seconds has played a big part in that.
Seriously, the quality of these thumbnail suggestions is absolutely incredible:
(I'll be honest, the titles still need a little work. But we’re writers, right? 👊)
So, if you find coming up with ideas just as hard as scriptwriting, I can't recommend 1of10 enough.
As I move into the next phase of my business, it continues to be one of the few tools I literally need lol.
And this brand new idea generation feature is just one part of what makes it my go-to - check out this short video I made showing you how to ideate viral ideas using 1of10.
Now don't worry - this isn't suddenly going to become an "ideation" newsletter 🫣
But it's important to think about how these different skills tie together as you continue to grow on YouTube.
Find viral video ideas in seconds.
Get 20% Off 1of10 (forever)
Every single week, I use 1of10 to find high-performing ideas for channels I work with.
And, since we last partnered up, they've added a bunch of new features.
(The AI thumbnail generator is only the tip of the iceberg.)
So if you struggle with finding new ideas for your channel, 1of10 will make your life 10x easier.
Just use the discount code 'GEORGEBLACKMAN'.
That's all for this week!
If you have any questions about 1of10 (or ideation in general) just let me know.
Speak soon,
George 👋
How we 5x'd ConvertKit's end-screen CTR
Hey!
Forget everything else:
Your end-screen call-to-action is the most important CTA of all.
Even if you only have one hour to spend on a script, writing this CTA word-for-word will boost your channel watch time and generate more views.
But only if you do it right.
So let’s talk about how to pull this off with almost 0 effort.
By the way, this is part of a short series I’m running about the 80/20 of scriptwriting.
That is, the 20% effort that’s gonna get you 80% of the results.
(Plus how to carry out these steps faster.)
Feel free to check out #1 (hooks) and #2 (payoffs).
Now, let’s finish the series by talking CTAs…
Should I ask them to like and subscribe?!
Everyone worries about this.
But in my opinion, you shouldn't.
Honestly, it’s way harder to psychologically influence a viewer to "hit the like button" than to click an end-screen.
When you tell the viewer to "like" your video…
…you’re asking them to do YOU a favour.
But when you show them another video and provide a compelling reason to click…
…you’re offering THEM something.
(Which also happens to benefit your channel 😇)
So, sure, ask for a “like” or a “subscribe” - but if you’re spending any mental energy worrying about how to say it or where to put it in the video… STOP.
Focus on your end-screen CTA…
Why end-screen CTAs matter
Fun fact: Folks who click on your end-screen typically watch your next video for wayyy longer.
So, when executed properly, a compelling end-screen CTA will have a non-trivial impact on the watch time of the video you link to.
Which in turn makes that video more likely to get pushed by the algorithm.
And, if you’re doing this consistently across every video, your channel is going to start growing faster.
Check out the below from Jay Clouse which shows this in action:
The best part?
End-screen CTAs are quick and easy to execute in two simple steps:
1/ Identify a video that goes deeper on a topic explored in the current video.
Take this example my team worked on for ConvertKit:
The topic of “newsletter recommendations” came up, but the scope of the video didn’t allow us to cover it extensively.
So we found this older video on their channel about monetizing newsletter recommendations.
We figured this was aligned with the interests of the folks who watched the video we were writing.
Now, we just needed to convey why viewers would also find this video interesting.
Which brings me to step 2…
2/ Follow my 3-step CTA formula:
- Link - refer back to the chosen topic covered in the video.
- Curiosity - open a new curiosity gap around that topic.
- Promise/CTA - outline the transformation they’ll experience by clicking your next video.
In a nutshell:
Get the viewer excited about going deeper on a topic you covered during the current video by outlining how they’ll be “transformed” by learning about it.
So, with the ConvertKit script, we said:
- 🎥 "Now, we've talked about how creators are using "Recommendations" to grow their email lists faster..."
- 🎥 "...but it's having an even bigger impact on some creators' revenue thanks to one critical part of their approach."
- 🎥 "So check out this video where we show you how you can actually get paid for your newsletter recommendations."
The result?
5x their channel’s average end-screen CTR.
Oh and btw, the Jay Clouse example above? Guess whose formula they were using! 😋
Of everything we’ve discussed in this 3-part newsletter series, this tactic probably has the biggest imbalance between time-input and potential upside.
It takes 2 minutes to write a CTA, but could generate thousands of additional watch time minutes.
Don’t overlook it.
So, now that we’ve reduced scriptwriting to its bare necessities, go forth and save heaps of time, energy and mind-fog!
That's all for now! Any questions, just let me know.
And I’d love to know - which of these simplifying hacks did you find most useful?
Speak soon,
George 👋
How to write a killer script in 10 sentences
Hey!
The prospect of writing an entire script is terrifying.
Especially when you're staring at a blank page.
But I’m about to show you how to write a ready-to-film script in as few as 10 sentences.
By the way, this is part of a short series I’m running about the 80/20 of scriptwriting.
That is, the 20% effort that’s gonna get you 80% of the results.
(Plus how to carry out these steps faster.)
You can check out last week’s edition on hooks here.
Now, let’s talk about the rest of the script…
There are literally only two types of sentences you need to write word-for-word.
- Setups.
- Payoffs.
Here's an example of each from this video by Brad Giannini:
Setup:
"The second [thing] is what really creates that movie magic. So... what is it?"
Payoff:
"You want [your audience] to feel like [the action] is organically happening, for the first time."
(See this article for more examples of setups and payoffs.)
Let's start with “payoffs”
Imagine your video broken up into “segments”.
Every segment should end with a payoff, where the audience learns something or feels something.
It’s much easier to figure out all your payoffs before trying to write any setups.
In the example I gave above, Brad is discussing how to create cinematic online content.
We experience a payoff when we learn that "making action feel organic" is super important.
So, for each segment:
Write your “payoff” sentence first.
Now, let's write your “setup”
The #1 place I see retention drop (except the hook) is in the brief moments between segments.
Because once you deliver a payoff, the audience needs to know where the video is going next.
So treat each setup like a tiny hook, making it clear what this next segment is building up to and why your audience should care.
In the Brad example, once the audience knows that "organic action" is key, he immediately says:
"Now, I'm clearly no thespian, but I've found the best way to do this is..."
Instantly, the next segment is set up with a clear expectation of the payoff we'll receive in the next 1-2 minutes.
It's literally that simple.
- Open curiosity with your “setup”.
- Resolve it with your “payoff”.
(Assuming your video has five segments, that’s ten sentences total. It could be more or less.)
If you’re super short of time, that’s all you need to do.
With a fully written hook and all your setups and payoffs plotted perfectly, you’ve got the structural guardrails that’ll allow you to riff the rest.
That being said...
…riffing is hard, so I encourage you to spend an extra 5-10 minutes plotting some brief bullet points that take you from setup to payoff in each segment.
So, in a nutshell:
- Write payoff.
- Write setup.
- (Optional) Bullet point to get from setup to payoff.
That's all for now! Any questions, just let me know.
Next week, we'll finish this miniseries by discussing the end of your script.
Speak soon,
George 👋
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