August 21st, 2026
|
10
min read
My partner doesn't really care about football (soccer).
She didn't grow up watching it, doesn't play it, and doesn't follow it today.
Yet we've both been glued to Netflix's recent documentary, Mourinho, which follows the career of one of the world's greatest football managers.
Sure, I probably gain a little extra something from it because I did grow up watching players from this era.
But my partner is still completely drawn in by... well, by what?
Well, the truth is: this documentary is not really about football.
If it were, she wouldn't be interested.
Actually, it's about tension. Drama. Story.
Now, I know many of you reading this are educators, not entertainers.
And I understand that having (sorry José) an absolute maniac as your protagonist certainly keeps people watching.
But as YouTubers, we can lean into the exact same principles:
If storytelling can make somebody with almost zero interest in football watch a 3-hour football documentary...
...then we should have no problem convincing an already interested audience to watch our videos for 15 minutes, right?
(Ok, fine, it's maybe not that easy.)
But you get the point.
Storytelling is art, yes. But it's also maths.
Watch enough of these football documentaries, and you start to notice the same structures appear over and over again.
Storytelling on YouTube is no different.
Yes, you should add your own personal flair... but don't overcomplicate it.
Focus on core scriptwriting frameworks for YouTube.
Double down on the principles that keep your audience watching; abandon those that don't.
That's all for this week.
As always, if you have any questions, feel free to reply.
Speak soon,
George 👋
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