YouTubers: don't let Instagram distract you

YouTube is 31x more efficient at generating leads for my business than Instagram.

(And it's got a lot to do with how easy it is to write an effective CTA.)

Let me explain:

22 weeks ago, I started my business Instagram with the intention of replacing the traffic I used to get from Twitter.

(Miss u, Twitter xxxx)

The perceived "lower effort" of writing and filming a Reel (vs a YouTube video) drew me in.

But, after figuring out a more efficient system for writing YouTube scripts in less time (a combination of my YTSP scriptwriting system and the advice I give in this video)...

...I re-launched my YouTube channel as well.

So this week, I wanted to crunch the numbers.

Even at this early stage, I wanted to know:

1. Which platform had been more effective at generating leads.
2. How much time input was required per lead?

(I mean, between you and me, I knew YouTube was going to win... 👀)

...but the extent of the victory shocked me 😆

In the below stats, a "lead" is somebody who joined this newsletter via a lead magnet promoted by the piece of content.

Instagram (started 22 weeks ago)

• Videos: 11
• Views: 4500
• Leads: 4
• Average time to script + film one video: 70 minutes

Average time input per lead: 192.5 minutes

YouTube (started 3 weeks ago)

• Videos: 4
• Views: 2300
• Leads: 79
• Average time to script + film one video: 120 minutes

Average time input per lead: 6.1 minutes

Ok, so... let's address the elephant in the room.

"You only made 11 Reels and gave up."

True. But is it any surprise?

Instagram nerds will tell you that, to properly grow on Instagram, you need to post daily.

So, assuming you only have 3-4 hours per week to write and film content...

...Instagram is a non-starter.

YouTube, on the other hand? 😍

3-4 hours per week is plenty of time for most channels to write and film a video (again, combining my writing system + advice hyperlinked above).

And approx. 1 video per week has already had a non-trivial impact on newsletter sign ups and even sales.

And my channel is still tiny.

Some of you, reading this, will already know exactly how impactful YouTube can be at 100x these numbers.

But why is there such a disparity?

My business is just a single example, but I don't think it's atypical.

And I believe it comes down to two key factors across both platforms that grossly affect how many leads they generate:

1/ How easily can you convince the viewer to click?

• YouTube: Viewers build more trust from a single piece of content. When you're delivering 10 minutes of value, the viewer has more patience to listen to a 15 second plug.
• Instagram: Viewers have less time to build trust. Plus, while already trying to cram a tonne of information and nuance to a short video, you probably only have 3-5 seconds to include a plug.

Takeaway: Long-form YouTube content, as a medium, is just better set up to build trust and allow you space to script a convincing plug.

2/ How physically easy is it for the viewer to click?

• YouTube: QR codes on-screen allow TV viewers to "click", and links in your description + pinned comment make it way easier for PC and mobile viewer to click.
• Instagram: Viewer can navigate to your link in bio, or a third party tool like ManyChat can be used (but these require the viewer to comment to receive the lead magnet).

Takeaway: YouTube viewers can access your links with a single click. For Instagram users, there's more friction.

All that being said... I still have a presence on Instagram.

My partner, Julia, converts all my newsletters into carousels, and we double-post those on LinkedIn as well.

There's no harm in keeping a presence elsewhere, if it doesn't distract you from the highest leverage platform (YouTube).

So... if you want to see my highest-converting lead magnet so far, check out this video:

Watch the video here.

The cool part is... I never explicitly tell the viewer to click the link.

But, because of the natural trust-building format of long-form YouTube content, a simple link at the top of the description is sufficient.

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 👋