How to use payoffs in YOUR niche

An engaging YouTube video doesn't have a single "payoff" at the end.

It has payoffs every 90-120 seconds:

But many YouTubers struggle to apply this to their niche.

So today, I'll show you exactly what "setup + tension + payoff" looks like across 4 totally different niches (so you can steal it).

But first...

NEW AI TOOL IN PROGRESS

🤖 “Predict” retention BEFORE you upload?

I appreciate you joining the AI Scriptwriting GPT Waitlist!

Excited to share a preview of my new favourite tool...

Introducing: The “Retention Predictor”

• Analyses your entire script.
• Scores your retention /10
• Tells you where viewers are likely to stop watching (so you can fix it before you film).

I'll be sharing an early demo of this in our podcast next week 👇

This is still being refined, but my course and community students will be the first to access it the moment it's ready for testing

If you'd like to join them and get EARLY access to these 12 GPTs...

• I share them with my students for testing the moment each is ready. 7/12 are already finished!
• Course/community students who join BEFORE the official AI launch date retain access afterwards... so you essentially get the GPTs for free if you join the course now. Just sayin' 👀

Join YTSP (access each GPT the moment they're ready)

In the meantime, I'll keep you updated about the GPTs I'm working on next!

✍️ Setup + Tension + Payoff (4 actual examples)

#1 - Listicle:

e.g. "17 cheap purchases that save me time"

Setup: “Next, I wanna talk about one of the biggest productivity-killers that everyone suffers from, but nobody talks about."​

Tension: Now, whether we’ve got old piles of paper lying around on our desks or even just a banana skin that we’re too lazy to go to the kitchen and throw away, it’s super easy to end up with a messy desk when we’re busy. The huge problem this causes for our productivity is [insert productivity fact about having a messy workspace].

Payoff: That’s why item number three is having a rubbish bin in every room. It’ll save you time, make each room tidier, and stop your productivity from halving.”

Framework:

• Setup: “Next, let's talk about [{thing that matters} in relation to {overall video goal}]."
• Tension: [Provide context on why it matters, and how getting it wrong would impact the viewer.]
• Payoff: "That’s why item number three is [reveal item, briefly conclude how this solves {thing that matters}]."

#2 - Tutorial

e.g. How to build a website using Figma

Setup: "Step 1 is preparing your project area. This is gonna allow us to keep track of the many different assets we're about to create.

Tension: In a tutorial, "tension" is literally just showing the audience the step-by-step process.

Payoff: "So, now we have our project area set up, that's gonna stop us getting overwhelmed as we build our website."

Framework:

• Setup: "Step 1 is [X]. This is gonna allow us to [do thing audience wants / thing that relates to goal of tutorial]."
• Tension: [Show the step-by-step process.]
• Payoff: "So, now we've [achieved X], that's gonna [help achieve thing audience wants / avoid negative consequences]."

#3 - Vlog

e.g. We visited Kyoto's most expensive restaurant

Setup: "As we touched down in Kyoto, I could never have guessed where I'd be sitting just 2 hours later."

Tension: In a vlog, use plenty of voiceover and carefully selected footage from the trip to reveal events gradually. In this example, we want to keep the viewer guessing about where the YouTuber will be in 2 hours.

Payoff: "It turned out... my partner had arranged a private chef for our first night in the city." [Then, the next setup might be about the incredible dessert they had at the end of the night.]

Framework:

• Setup: [Hint at X exciting/interesting thing in the location you're arriving at.]
• Tension: [Show events building up to X using plenty of voiceover and carefully selected footage.]
• Payoff: [Reveal X.]

#4 - Video Essay

e.g. How much protein do you ACTUALLY need to build muscle?

Setup: "But a new paper from the university of Kent might have revealed something that changes the debate completely."​Tension: [Explore this paper and why it adds credence to the opinion that you need less protein.]​Payoff: "So it's definitely not as straightforward as Arnie would lead us to believe."

Framework:

• Setup: "But [something intriguing] has [changed/happened] which could [impact the topic in an unexpected way]."
• Tension: [Explore the topic to drive tension.]
• Payoff: "So it turns out that [topic] [is/isn't affected by] [something intriguing] in [specific way].
  ​

NEW INSTAGRAM POST

Bullet points? Or word for word...? 😬

This is still the most common question I get after almost 4 years as a YouTube scriptwriter.

But what if... you don’t have to decide between the two?

Check out this recent video I made to learn more:

‍Watch Now

‍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 👋