You're using YouTube "chapters" wrong.

First up, a quick announcement I'm very excited to share:

🙏 Next month, I'm giving a talk at VidSummit 🙏

The talk is called: How to Script YouTube Videos Using AI (Without Losing Your Soul)

I've been thinking about this topic a lot since releasing the AI Scriptwriting Toolbox earlier this year.

To be given the chance to share my thoughts at the biggest industry event in the YouTube calendar is mad.

(And it's thanks to you reading my newsletter that I'm able to keep sharing what I learn with more and more folks, so thank you 🙏)

If you're heading out to Texas for the conference, I'd love to see you there! Either at the talk, or at the bar afterwards where I'll be "settling my post-talk nerves" 🍻

See the full speaker lineup here.

You're (probably) using YouTube "chapters" wrong - here's how to fix it:

When I started out as a YouTube scriptwriter in 2021, I thought chapters were supposed to make it as clear as possible what each part of the video was about.

And, in a way, that's true.

But there are some major caveats every YouTuber needs to keep in mind if you don't want your chapter titles to wreck your retention.

Because, honestly, I look back on chapter titles I wrote in 2021 and feel guilty that I inflicted stuff like this on one of my earliest clients:

So, here are the 4 rules of YouTube chapter titles...

#1 - Don't spoil the payoff.

In the example above, I literally give the audience everything they need to know about the video from the chapter titles.

"Why do sponsorships go wrong?", the viewer asks as they land on the video.

"Oh", they realise the instant they hover their mouse over the timeline and read the chapter titles. "I should remain calm, trust my gut, and make sure I follow up. Cool."

Of course, your video will go into more detail about each topic, but if the viewer thinks they've understood the gist, they'll leave.

Instead, to disguise the payoffs:

• Use simple chapter names, like: "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3"
• Create intriguing (but abstract) nicknames for each tactic, like: "Mind Mode", "The Gut Protocol" or "Simple Email Trick".

#2 - "Chapter" does not equal "segment".

As you may know, I teach the "setup, tension, payoff" approach to script structure.

Each time you set up your next point, build tension as you explain it, and pay off that curiosity... that's a segment.

But that doesn't mean one segment = one chapter.

Some topics might take 5+ minutes to explore fully, which means you'll need to include more than one payoff in that time.

But... if it's still covering the same topic... it's probably only one chapter.

So don't get stuck thinking a longer chapter can only contain one payoff at the end.

You can put multiple segments in a single chapter.

#3 - Dont make chapters toooo long.

Despite what I said about rule #2... there is a limit.

If a viewer starts to get bored, they'll do one of two things:

1. Click away and watch something else. (Not a lot we can do.)
2. Skim ahead to a later point in the video they might still be interested in. (Here, we can help them.)

In scenario 2, we want it to be as easy as possible for them to hover over the timeline, check out a few chapter titles, and become re-intrigued by one of them.

But if your entire video is made up of just 2-3 MASSIVE chapters, it creates the impression that the video isn't structured intentionally, which makes it harder for the viewer to find a new jumping-on point.

Ergo, they're more likely to click away.

#4 - Test rapid-fire chapters (in some niches).

If your videos go in-depth about complex topics, or you know your audience watches your content to get a highly specific answer to a highly specific question...

...consider testing "rapid-fire" chapters.

These chapters might be as little as 15-20 seconds in length, depending on each topic.

If your channel matches the description I gave above, your viewers are more likely to appreciate being able to dip in and out of your content, get what they need, and leave again.

This might sound bad - people watching for less time?

But the long-term play is always viewer satisfaction.

And if your audience knows your videos always have the answers they're looking for and it's easy to navigate to those answers because of your rapid-fire chapters...

...they'll come back to your videos time and time again.

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 👋