Write On Time - Newsletter | George Blackman

Write On Time

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"I started a Chess channel and applied some things from your newsletter. In the first month I'm doing over a million views on long form content and have 3 videos cracking the 100k views mark."

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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 👋

Business of Scriptwriting

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...

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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'.

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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 👋

‍

Hook

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 👋

‍

Business of Scriptwriting

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'.

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That's all for this week!

If you have any questions about 1of10 (or ideation in general) just let me know.

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

Business of Scriptwriting

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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.

*Viewers who landed on this video through clicking an end-screen had a* ***much*** *higher AVD than all other viewer categories.*

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 👋

Scripting Frameworks

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 👋

‍

Scripting Frameworks

Hey everyone!

I’ve been helping YouTubers write better scripts for almost three years.

Something I hear all too often? “I don’t know where the heck to start.”

Maybe you’ve only got a couple of hours per week to write.

Or perhaps scriptwriting just feels like a drag.

So let’s talk about how to write highly engaging scripts when you’re time-short and stuck on what to prioritise.

The good news? There are literally only three things to focus on.

(And I'll cover them all over the next three weeks.)

Today, let’s focus on…

The Hook

If writing a hook is proving mind-boggling… then stop.

Instead, take a step back and write down the following components:

Education/edutainment channel:

Target: This is my target audience.
Transformation: This is their desired transformation.
Stakes: Here’s what’s at stake.

Entertainment channel:

Character: These are the characters.
Concept: This is the concept.
Stakes: Here’s what’s at stake.

Here’s an educational example from a video I’m working on:

Target

Creators struggling with YouTube scriptwriting. They feel constantly overwhelmed and don't know many best practices. Their retention is usually pretty bad and they don't know why. Biggest fear - their channel will never grow.

Transformation

They'll learn a systemised approach to scriptwriting that makes their scripts more engaging and faster to write. They'll have go-to frameworks they can use if they feel uninspired or overwhelmed.

Stakes

If writing doesn't become easier and videos keep underperforming, they'll probably give up. Their dream of going full-time on YouTube will collapse.

Why is this useful?

Well... now the pressure's off.

You’re no longer trying to "write a banger hook". You’re just writing down some info you already know intuitively.

This short-circuits your brain’s tendency to overthink and waste time.

Without even trying, I’ve already got 70% of my hook by following this exercise.

I'm now working with all the building blocks I'll need, rather than a blank page.

Combining the components involves a bit of trial and error, but it'll be way easier now you've got those components.

My hook turned into this:

Writing YouTube scripts is hard. There are a million choices to make every minute, it takes flippin' ages, and at the end, your retention still looks like this [B-Roll: bad retention graph.]

But I've seen what scriptwriting can do for channels time after time... [Supercut channel growth graphs.]

...and the reason most YouTubers give up on it is because they overlook the actual thing that turns scriptwriting into a superpower. [Blurred out "system" graphic.]

So let's talk about what it is, and how to use it to get retention graphs more like this [show amazing graph] so your dream of going full-time on YouTube becomes a reality.

Yes, the hook is super important.

But the best way to reduce the pressure and make fast progress is to break it down like this.

Wanna make this even easier?

I’ve created a custom GPT called “ScriptHook”.

Give it your the three core components, and it'll combine them into a finished hook.

It’s not perfect, but it can produce some pretty decent hooks.

Use ScriptHook - 100% Free

If you do give it a try, send me your feedback so I can keep improving it!

That's all for now! Any questions, just let me know.

Next week, we’ll cover the second part of scriptwriting to focus on if you don't have much time.

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

Scripting Frameworks

Hey!

It's great to be back! Thanks for your patience while my 3-week hiatus became... *ahem*... 3 months :P

But I've got some super exciting newsletters coming in the next few weeks, so I hope it'll have been worth the wait.

First, though, I just spent three days at VidSummit - and I've gotta share my raw, unfiltered thoughts before I hop on my next plane.

As a scriptwriting nerd, I think you'll find this interesting!

1/ My readers are incredible

An unbelievable number of folks came over to talk about this newsletter.

My VidSummit experience was 10x'd by the conversations I had with my readers. I'm thrilled that this old rag actually has an impact on your YouTube channels.

You and I spend our lives behind a screen, so the opportunity to physically meet people who take value from what we do - there's nothing quite like it.

If you ever get the chance to meet your viewers - DO IT.

2/ People struggle with a teleprompter

This was a common topic 😆 If you can relate, you are so not alone.

My quick thoughts:

If it ain't working, stick at it.
If it still ain't working, try reverting to bullet points.

One bullet at a time, peek at the sentence, then turn to camera and riff.

As long as you're guided by the structure, it's ok to ease off on scripting and talk naturally.

My next three newsletters will go into more detail on the non-negotiables of scriptwriting (if you don't wanna script word-for-word).

3/ Phase in new video ideas

If you're not enjoying your content or are in a views slump, I saw some great advice from Hopescope in her keynote.

You can "phase in" new types of 'experimental' content, gradually.

Initially, make an "experimental" video... 1 video in every 4.

Identify which experimental videos land with your core viewers.

Then, increase the cadence of this new, experimental video type to to 2 in 4, etc.

Many of your core audience will go with you if you do this gradually.

This approach applies to scriptwriting too.

If you're not enjoying the process of writing scripts, phase in something new.

Doing WFW? Try bullet points.

Bullet points still feel constraining? Try 90% riffing.

It's a combo of: what feels good x what your audience enjoys.

Review the data. Decided you wanna maintain your new writing process and, therefore, a slightly new video style?

Phase it in, initially in 1 video every 4, then 2 in every 4, etc.

4/ Commit

Some creators I spoke to said they try to avoid scripting where possible because it's hard and takes longer.

Yet most creators I spoke to about scripting said they experience a strong positive correlation between spending more time on scripting and video performance.

My takeaway - creators who are willing to put the time in (again, not necessarily WFW, maybe just spending more time thinking about their audience + video structure) are more likely to succeed.

If you put in 20% more effort here than others in your niche, the compounding effect on your channel will become significant.

5/ You're already ahead

As you'd expect at a conference, the networking was the best part.

I met hundreds of people who, until this week, I've only ever seen on a screen.

(Ok fine quick hightlights...)

Candidly, many of the actual talks were a little surface-level, because they were designed to appeal to the average creator.

It made me realise how far ahead of the game you are simply by being here and taking every element of your channel seriously.

We're thinking deeply about an part of YouTube that, I promise you, the majority of creators are still barely aware of.

So, even if you land a 10/10 next video, head up.

You're more equipped than most to bounce back and make something awesome next time around.

Alright, I had to draft this on my phone en route to the airport, so I hope you'll forgive me that it's a little brief.

My brain is bursting and I wanted to get some thoughts down while I've got momentum.

Over the next three weeks, I've got a 3-part series on 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.)

So excited to be back! I hope you're doing well.

Headed to NYC for a vacation now - if you have any questions or thoughts you'd like to share, I'll get back to ya when I return!

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

Business of Scriptwriting

I know I'm technically supposed to be on a newsletter hiatus this month...

But I wanted to let you know about something cool.

The reason I'm taking a few weeks off is because I've been completely revamping my scriptwriting system, The YouTube Scriptwriter's Playbook.

Some of the new content in V2 will honestly be game-changing for how I write YouTube scripts... and I think it could be for you too.

Here's what's coming...

With over 300 students inside the YouTube Scriptwriter's Playbook, I was absolutely spoiled when I asked for feedback on the course:

I had so much amazing feedback from everyone, and implementing it has been super exciting.

Overall, I had some big realisations about V1:

I overintellectualized a lot of stuff - I thought making things "sound clever" was how I should create value 😆
- So the focus of V2 is to simplify everything, use more visual aids, etc.

I assumed everyone had TIME to write word-for-word scripts. But a lot of students asked for best practices when time is limited.
- So V2 has a big focus on this (with a TONNE of new cheatsheets to make life 10x easier).

Many lessons made sense "in theory", but were sometimes hard to apply.
- In V2, I've added a bunch of practical exercises to help students hone specific skills (rather than having to apply EVERYTHING to a working script).

But this is just the beginning. I've made some huge changes to YTSP and I cannot wait to share it all soon!

Existing students get all this for free.

Once you've made the investment in YTSP, any future updates are yours automatically.

More details to come, but I can confidently say now is the most cost-effective time to dive into my complete scriptwriting system, if it's something you've been considering - you can learn more about it here.

Then YTSP V2 will launch in July... so keep your eyes peeled 👀

That's all for now!

I'll be making some more noise about this in July, so remember to opt out of further YTSP updates if you'd rather not hear any more about it - you'll stay signed up to the newsletter.

Any questions, just let me know!

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

Business of Scriptwriting

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🥳 Happy New Year! 🎉

I hope you’re excited for another 365 days on YouTube.

There’s a chance that a single video could do something life-changing for you this year.

But only if you stay committed to improving your content with every new upload.

So, to kick off the year, we’re gonna keep it simple.

Here are the three most important things to focus on in 2024 to improve the quality of your scripts, get more views, and grow your channel faster…

1/ Hook

Focus on your audience; you need to understand who they are.

It’s well and good knowing who they are, what they want and what scares them in theory, but you need to be able to translate that to the page.

Right away, you need to get them excited, reassure them the video will do what the title says, and overcome their objections.

In the first 10 seconds, they’ll have decided whether you’re the person to entertain/educate them.

Make it a no-brainer, like Jason did in this video I’ve continued to adore…

Chinese Takeout Fried Rice Secrets Revealed

“By the end of this video, you WILL be able to make fried rice at home better than 99% of takeout restaurants. You’re not going to need to master any extreme techniques. You don’t need to cook your rice on a portal to Hades. Everything in this video is adapted for the average home cook on a standard burner.”

Objection-busting is in bold 👆

2/ Payoffs

Yes, your video needs to deliver on the promise of the title.

But if it “reveals the answer” or “shows the explosion” right away, your audience has no reason to stay.

Equally, if it forces them to wait 15 minutes for any sort of payoff, they’ll get bored and leave.

So break each script down into smaller components.

Look at this banger from Jenny Hoyos, and notice we’re constantly experiencing “mini-payoffs” throughout the video.

I Found a Loophole to Shop for FREE

0:50-1:30 – we learn the basics of couponing from Google.
1:30-2:20 – we learn advanced techniques from her mum
2:20-4:50 – we see what coupon-gathering looks like in action.

Each mini-payoff builds on the last one and we constantly feel the video’s momentum driving us from one to the next.

You should be able to label your video’s mini-payoffs too.

If you can’t, your audience is gonna be lost as heck.

3/ Test Run

So, you’ve set aside a few hours in your calendar for filming.

You’ve even got a couple of scripts prepared, so you’ll have TWO videos in the can by lunchtime.

And thank goodness, because after lunch you’ve got another 36 urgent tasks that need your attention.

Luckily, you’ll have the warm glow of having shot two whole videos to get you through it.

But then filming day comes.

You try speaking to the camera and it turns out what you wrote just sounds bizarre.

You’d never say this like that.
Some sentences are so long you’re running out of breath.
And you’re also kinda repeating yourself.

Now you’re awkwardly making edits to the script while the camera’s still rolling.

Meaning bigger files to upload, more crap to cut out in the edit and, crucially, less progress during filming.

The problem is… you won’t know whether your script sounds good until you read it out loud.

When you do, you’ll spot a tonne of problems with:

Awkward phrasing
Repetition
Clarity

Not to mention whether the hook and payoffs properly adhere to the advice I gave above!

So read it aloud before filming day. Properly. As if you were delivering to camera.

This should become a non-negotiable part of your scriptwriting process.

Bonus: My CTA Formula

Use it. Confirmed life-hack 😜

That’s all for this week!

If you’re waiting on a reply from me via email, Twitter or elsewhere, I’ll come back to you as soon as I can.

Trying to launch YTSP has been a whirlwind and I’m way behind on my usual comms.

Appreciate your patience in the meantime ❤️

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

As we come to the end of 2023, I’m more bullish on scriptwriting than ever.

One of my pre-launch students, Aaron, shared some incredible stats with the YTSP community this week.

He started scripting in 2023, and generated 5x as many views as in 2022… with 1/5 as many videos.

Safe to say, I’m excited to learn more about the scriptwriting “niche” with you in 2024.

But it got me thinking about the “journey” I’ve been on to get here.

Because creators like you and I are constantly asking ourselves questions like:

Am I in the right niche?
Do I actually enjoy making this type of content?
What does this whole thing look like in 5 years’ time?

So, to close out the year, let’s take a whistlestop tour of how I went from fresh-faced writer to whatever the heck I am now, so we can try and figure out which direction to go in 2024.

May this edition give you permission to revel in uncertainty, and to be excited for your unwritten future!

Phase 1 – Arrival

October 2021-July 2022

Hired to work full-time for Ali Abdaal.
Felt frequently out of my depth and broadly had no idea how to write a good script.
The videos I wrote got 1m+ views each, but not every video I wrote got made.
Beyond scriptwriting, I also ended up writing newsletters, helping with the Part-Time YouTuber Academy and learning a bit about cameras, filming, etc.

Lesson: Working with a pre-established creator team is imposter syndrome central, but getting your hands dirty across the whole business is invaluable for learning about YouTube.

Phase 2 – Exploring

July 2022 – May 2023

Branched out and worked with several other creators, including Creator Wizard, Creator Booth and Noah Kagan.
Continued offering to write newsletters, tweet threads… basically anything. I wanted to make myself as “hirable” as possible…

My old “offer” 👆

I also started a newsletter with no particular aim – I guess I was gonna be “the freelance scriptwriter/newsletter guy”?

Catchy, right?

…but 4 months later, my newsletter found a new direction: publicly reviewing people’s retention graphs. So I guess was gonna be “the retention guy” instead.
Spent months reviewing people’s content for free while continuing a variety of client work.

Lesson: Working across different niches and forcing yourself to study data from numerous creators provides a much more holistic, nuanced understanding of YouTube.

Phase 3 – Narrowing

May 2023 – October 2023

Restructured my business (and, yes, I was calling it a “business” now)… no more tweet threads, no more nothin’ unless it was about scriptwriting.
Built out my offers around scriptwriting, including offering 1-1s, script reviews, and even productizing my retention graph reviews.
After weeks of worrying my subscribers would hate me, I told them I wanted to refocus my newsletter on scriptwriting itself. It went well…

I guess I was trying to be “the scriptwriting guy” now.
With this new focus, I opened a hypothetical pre-orders page for a scriptwriting course I wanted to make. It went well…

Lesson: Exploring is both good and necessary… but once you truly find your thing, put 100% of yourself into it.

Phase 4 – Expanding

October 2023 – NOW

In the last 2 months, I lit about a bazillion fuses.

My course (still unreleased) grew into a community.
I did my first masterclass to 100+ people.
I ramped up my consulting offer.
I launched a new podcast.
I launched a new agency.

Biggest of all – after 6 months of work, I finished the course itself:

‍

In a nutshell… everything is kicking off!

I’m probably more stressed than before, but I’m also having more fun.

I have no idea what’s going to happen to the business in the next six months, but I think it’s going to be good.

Lesson: Well… I’m still figuring this part out. Ask me for a more compelling “lesson” in around February/March when things have calmed down a bit.

But, regardless of what stage of your “journey” you’re at – whether you’re a YouTuber, writer, or anything else – throw yourself into 2024.

Follow what sounds interesting and explore it as fully as possible.
Take a break if you need to, and don’t be afraid to pivot.
Find the thing that excites you, then refuse to focus on anything else.

Let’s compare notes in a year’s time – I’m excited to see how much your channel/business/life has grown 🚀

That’s all for this year! Wishing you a magnificent holiday season (if that’s your thing) – sending love from Spain 🇪🇸

Speak soon,
George 👋

‍

One of the main “retention edits” I do for every script is to improve clarity.

Clarity is a major factor in whether or not someone will commit the next 15 minutes of their life to your video.

If your audience feels confused, they’ll leave.

That’s why it’s especially important during the hook (although it matters a good deal throughout the script too).

So, this week, using extracts from scripts I’ve worked/advised on…

I’m sharing three quick clarity checks for you to do on your next script before you hit record…

Jargon

I spoke last week about the need to unlearn “essay-style” writing.

But this is not a debate about “dumbing down” your script.

Rather, it’s about avoiding overly convoluted language when it doesn’t serve any purpose.

Here’s an example from a script I reviewed, which sounds more like an “essay” than a YouTube script:

“We live in a world for the loud. This can be hard to accept at first – there’s a sort of moral irony in it.“

Keep in mind, these are the first words of the video.

But the comment about “moral irony” just feels like… too much.

Nothing wrong with being a bit vague during the hook to open curiosity.

But this is so vague and jargon-y that I don’t feel curious. I just feel mildly confused.

Hence my comments at the time:

Surplus Detail

You don’t always need the amount of detail you might think.

And it’s easiest to notice when this is the case if you read your scripts out loud.

See this example from a script I reviewed:

“Or, more simply, as comedian Steve Martin once advised in an interview: ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.'”

Now, there’s nothing wrong with saying “once advised in an interview”.

But when you actually say it, it sounds clunky.

Unless the fact that he said it in an interview is specifically relevant, it’s just far easier (and more naturalistic) to keep it simple and say: “said”.

So ask yourself:

Am I overcomplicating this?

After all, nobody wants an overcomplicated script, just like nobody wants an overcomplicated screen recorder… 😉

Smoothest segue ever, right? 😜

Let me tell you something you might not wanna hear:

I love Tella.

There, I said it. I won’t take it back. You simply can’t make me.

I’ve tried a couple of different screen recording options over the last two years, and this has ended up being my favourite because of how flipping good the recordings look.

Check out this quick video if you wanna see all the cool stuff Tella can do 👇

Click to watch my love story with Tella unfold in realtime ❤️

The good news? Their affiliate program is offering new users 30% off forever when you sign up through my link.

You’ll literally be paying less than I am to use it lol.

Highly recommend trying it out if you do a lot of screen recording 👇

Try Tella (1 week trial, then 30% off forever)

Because I’m an affiliate, signing up through this link will result in a small kickback for me at no extra cost to you 🙂

Ok, let’s get back to the final clarity check…

Conceptual Confusion

The next video’s hook sounds great…

…but it accidentally implies a different type of video than we actually got.

The first sentence is:

“Meeting the world’s richest comedian is easier said than done. He’s not all over podcasts and movie screens this comic has built a comedy Empire all without having to leave his home.”

To me, this sounds like a video where the creator tries to physically meet someone.

One of those classic “track them down” quests where we see the creator catching 6 planes, almost being arrested and spending the night in a bush…

Just to get a 10-second chat with their idol.

Now, the video I quoted above is actually really good…

But the plot I described doesn’t happen.

It’s actually a talking-head listicle about the richest comedians in the world.

“Meeting the world’s richest comedian” actually meant “figuring out who the world’s richest comedian is”.

It’s both subtle and unintentional…

But I’m certain early retention suffers from this lack of clarity…

Aim to be clear, not clever.

And, if you want more on how to simplify hook writing, you can check out this old thang I wrote a few weeks ago.

Stronger hooks within 24 hours, or your money back.

(Joke’s on you; you didn’t pay for this newsletter 😈)

⚡️ Action Point

Review your script and check it for:

Jargon.
Surplus Detail.
Conceptual Confusion.

That’s all for this week Reader 🙂

Got any questions? Or anything you’d like me to talk about in future? 🧐

You can reply to these emails anytime 🙂

Speak soon,
George 👋

“Why is finding a good scriptwriter so dang hard?”

It’s a question I get asked constantly.

After all, I could recommend 5-6 editors off the top of my head.

But I’ve consistently struggled to vouch for good writers (until recently).

This is a problem, both for scriptwriters looking to prove themselves and for YouTubers who need writers.

So, after 2+ years as a writer in this industry, I’m going to offer my (admittedly subjective) thoughts on the situation, and what needs to change on both sides to reach a solution.

The Problem For YouTubers

Finding the right person to outsource a part of your content to can feel like a scary, deeply personal task.

But creators have successfully done this for the best part of the last decade with editing.

The same is not true for writing… but why?

I’ve heard some creators argue that hiring a writer just isn’t as useful as hiring an editor. That they’ve been burned in the past. That they can’t find anyone good.

But why is this? Plenty of people can write well, so I don’t think it’s a theoretical lack of potential talent.

And I’ve just gone back through my DMs and emails to find I’ve received almost 100 inbound enquiries this year… so the demand is only increasing.

At its core, I believe there’s a fundamental difference between how it feels for a creator to relinquish control of an edit vs the words coming out of their mouth.

There’s just more at stake with the latter.

Yes, the way shots are cut together and edited can vastly affect how a creator comes across to their audience…

But the words they say are baked into the video and forever associated with that creator.

And trusting someone else with that is scary.

If you’re a YouTuber in this position, it might seem just as likely that you’ll have to re-write everything to make sure it definitely sounds like “something you would say”.

So, solving the “writer problem” begins with something simple…

Both writers and YouTubers must approach their relationship with excessive communication.

Have a long conversation before every video, if you can.

Make sure you both understand what you want this video to be before you put pen to paper.

Check in with each other after the structure has been drafted, and ideally once more before the end.

Get on the same page.

The result is almost always better when both parties assume nothing and make everything explicit.

The problem we see with scriptwriters getting offered abysmal rates stems from skipping valuable steps like this.

When you offer $50 per script, of course the writer is desperate to finish ASAP.

They’ll need to write another 4 this week to make this a viable part of their income.

Ergo, they won’t feel inclined to spend extra time aligning expectations, taking great care over every word, or going the extra mile for your content… because they’re rushed.

So what happens?

The result doesn’t improve.
The YouTuber remains convinced the service is barely worth it.
They continue to offer $50 per script.

The rate you set implies the level of detail and care the writer should employ.

The Problem For Writers

Now, the responsibility to improve the situation lies with writers, too.

Just as we saw the proliferation of the “I’m also a YouTube strategist” Twitter bios…

The same thing is starting to happen with YouTube Scriptwriters.

This part of the industry is on the cusp of becoming much bigger, and people can sense the opportunity.

But there’s a huge misconception here.

Making the transition to YouTube scriptwriter is not as simple as porting your writing skills from college.

It’s actually requires the destruction of half the writing principles you’ve spent two decades being taught.

You’ll need to unlearn defunct skills as much as learning new ones.

Because writing a YouTube video like an English essay is usually a recipe for disaster.

It results in bland, bloated, boring paragraphs like this:

And I hope you won’t mind me roasting the writing, because it’s mine.

And I don’t blame younger me for being crap – my instinct was simply to write like I did at school, as it is for most people.

It speaks to a wider problem:

This part of the YouTube industry is incredibly young, and there’s very little education surrounding it.

For most, getting better at scriptwriting involves years of trial and error.

It involves being up-front and honest with clients about what you can offer.

At first, you might simply position yourself as someone who can help with their scriptwriting bottleneck.

6 months later, with more experience under your belt, you might start to offer scriptwriting and strategic advice.

Then help with ideation, packaging, etc.

Solutions

With all this in mind… I can understand why many creators feel disenfranchised by the idea of hiring writers.

It’s a nuanced problem, and I don’t have a perfect solution.

But, in a word, what both writers and YouTubers need is time.

90% of what I’ve learned as a writer has come in the last year, because the skills and knowledge have started to compound.

I allowed myself time to work with as many creators as possible, stared at retention graphs until my eyes dried out, and spent time thinking about and systemizing this extremely particular style of writing.

But, by the same token, the clients who have seen the best results from my writing are those who have given me time to adjust to their style and have paid me fairly so that I might give their scripts more care and attention.

Remember… we’re all on the same team here!

We all just want to make the best videos possible while earning a living in this amazing industry.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, whether you’re a scriptwriter or a YouTuber. Did anything ring a bell or touch a nerve?

I’m always interested in discussions like this about the meta of the YouTube industry, so any and all opinions are welcome!

Speak soon,
George 👋

Nobody likes a rambler.

If you’ve ever been stuck in “conversation” with some guy at a party who’s three drinks further along than you, you’ll know what I mean.

He (and, yes, let’s be real, it’s usually a “he”) witters on about something or other, but the conversation is completely directionless.

I know this, because this is me being that guy about 10 years ago.

Pretty sure this other chap is literally talking to someone else…

Now, ramblers aren’t talking with their audience in mind.

They’re talking because they like to hear themselves talk.

No one wants to be that guy.

But, when it comes to YouTube…

The majority of creators sound like that guy without realising it.

And it comes down to a structural mistake.

That’s why we need to identify and correct this structural issue if we want people to watch our videos for more than a minute.

Because, unlike at a party, where social convention demands that people stand there and listen…

Your viewers have no obligation to keep watching.

So here’s how to avoid it…

The most important thing

This week, I tweeted:

But a couple of people asked for more explanation on point #2, “payoffs”. After all…

Nailing your payoffs is absolutely fundamental to creating an engaging video.

So let’s break it down.

There are two things to think about when it comes to payoffs.

How many are there?
Are they well-placed?

A video with only a single payoff at the end is boring, so it needs to have mini-payoffs throughout.

In a well-structured 10-15min video, there are usually around 3-4.

This Johnny Harris video is slightly longer, so has a few more…

Click to watch 👆

The first three mini-payoffs the audience experiences look like this:

Understanding the rationale behind the first undersea cable ever laid.
Learning that cables often break, but how this is sometimes done deliberately.
Realising that sabotage is not actually the biggest problem… spying is.

Now, as I’ve spoken about before, you don’t want to give the payoff and then spend ages talking about it.

But, as you’ll notice in the Johnny Harris example, the mini-payoff is always the very last thing that happens in each segment.

As soon as we experience a payoff, he sets up the next one.

Now, before we look at the transcript to see this in action…

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I’ve tried a couple of different software options over the last two years, and this has ended up being my favourite because of how flipping good the recordings look.

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Highly recommend trying it out if you do a lot of screen recording 👇

Try Tella (1 week trial, then 30% off forever)

Signing up through this link will result in a small kickback for me at no extra cost to you 🙂

Transcript breakdown

So, let’s look at segments 2 and 3 of Johnny’s video to show this payoff technique in action.

He begins segment 2 by saying:

“But sometimes these cables get broken on purpose” (5:50)

This piques our curiosity and makes it clear what the following segment is going to be about.

Johnny then spends 70 seconds building up a picture that explains why the cables get broken on purpose. The curiosity is resolved and we experience a payoff.

Then he immediately sets up segment 3 by saying:

“But the more interesting approach to me isn’t just sabotage. There’s another way that you can use cables to your advantage if you are a great power.” (7:00)

He’s opened another curiosity gap.

We now know exactly what we’re building towards next.

Because as soon as one point of tension has been resolved, the audience needs to know what the next one is.

How to create more payoffs

You might be wondering how to turn one payoff into three (or more).

But it’s usually fairly simple.

If you’re an educational channel, ask yourself:

What are the component pieces of information needed to understand my overall point? And can I create tension in the buildup to the reveal of each?

If you’re an entertainment channel, ask yourself:

What are the component tasks I need to complete in the build-up to the [big explosion thing] at the end? And can I create tension around the completion of each of those tasks?

If you physically can’t find a way to break your concept down, it’s probably not strong enough to be made into a video.

A word of warning

You assume you’ll have done this stuff intuitively.

But after 2+ years of writing scripts every single week, I still overlook these things and have to go back and correct them.

It’s always worth checking.

By constantly orienting your audience within the video’s structure, you make yourself the interesting person at the party who everyone wants to listen to.

Rather than the drunken rambler who just says things until they get bored.

Trust me… the audience will have gotten bored much earlier.

⚡️ Action Item

Review (and highlight) each payoff in your script. Check whether:

You have more than one.
You are setting up the next one as soon as you’ve resolved the last.

That’s all for this week!

Got any questions? Or anything you’d like me to talk about in future? 🧐

You can reply to these emails anytime 🙂

Speak soon,
George 👋

Although I love YouTube, I used to find writing scripts really hard.

Even after a year of doing it, the feeling just wouldn’t go away.

It wasn’t that the subject matter was difficult to understand, nor were my fingers simply too weak to push the keys on my Macbook.

I just felt overwhelmed and I couldn’t figure out why!

Hahaha this is a ridiculous pic and yes I did do a photoshoot recently.

But, having spent the last four months thinking about and systemizing my writing process for The YouTube Scriptwriter’s Playbook, I realised something critical.

So let’s talk about that realization and why it will drastically reduce how “difficult” it feels to write a YouTube script.

The Problem

I’ve broken my scriptwriting system into five steps.

But here’s the thing…

Actually writing the script is the FOURTH of these steps.

The mistake a lot of new (or not so new!) YouTubers make is to sit down after a flash of inspiration and simply try to write.

And while that inspiration will carry you up to a point, decision fatigue eventually starts to set in.

“I’m so excited about this idea! But how do I properly convey it in the hook?”

“I know this is an interesting point, but how do I say it so my audience actually cares?”

“I loved writing this… for the first hour. So why do I feel like I’ve lost momentum?”

It boils down to this:

Trying to make macro-decisions and micro-decisions simultaneously is overwhelming.

You can’t focus on optimizing the hook while you’re still unsure who you’re writing for.
You can’t write confidently about a topic without choosing the angle of your approach.
You can’t decide how to end a paragraph without knowing what’s going to happen in the next one.

This is one of the main reasons why writing scripts becomes exhausting.

Your brain is trying to do too much at once.

The Solution

There are three things you need to figure out before writing:

Who am I writing for?
From which angle should I approach the topic?
How is the video structured?

Because when you have a clear idea of who you’re writing for…

…how you should frame the video to make it interesting for them…

…and how the video is structured…

…you’ve got far fewer choices to make when you’re actually writing.

Now you can concentrate on your creativity.

Of course, once the script is written, there are plenty of other things we can do to tighten it up.

But getting that first draft done is so much easier when you spend less time writing it and more time planning it.

⚡️ Action Item

Spend time thinking about your audience avatar.
Frame the video in a way that’s interesting to them.
Create the structure before you write.

That’s all for this week!

Got any questions? Or anything you’d like me to talk about in future? 🧐

You can reply to these emails anytime 🙂

Speak soon,
George 👋

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‍

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be writing this newsletter again! 🥳

Thanks so much for your patience, especially if you’re one of the approx 600 new folks who joined during my hiatus.

Me, staring lovingly at you for sticking with me.

If you didn’t know, I made the choice to narrow the focus of my entire business so I could complete my scriptwriting course.

However, now that it’s finally in the hands of my small army of beta testers, we can get back to business as usual!

I thought I’d kick back off with a handy little framework that’s going to simplify (and enhance) how you write the most important part of your script…

Have you ever wondered this…?

One of the most common questions I get is:

“How long should my hook be?”

After all, as one creator who emailed me put it…

“Should you get straight into the content so people don’t click off right away?

Or do you need to do everything humanly possible to convince them the video is gonna change their life first?”

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by indecision and uncertainty, especially when you know the hook is the most important part of the video.

But here’s the thing…

“How long should my hook be?” is not the right question to ask because it doesn’t have a proper answer.

Instead, the only question you need to ask is this:

”Does every sentence have a reason to be there?”

After writing and reviewing hundreds of scripts for creators big and small, I’ve created a simple framework to figure this out.

3-Step Framework

The framework looks slightly different depending on whether your content is primarily educational, or entertainment-based.

🧠 Education → Target, Transformation, Stakes:

1 – This is my target audience.

2 – This is their desired transformation.

3 – Here’s what’s at stake.

💥 Entertainment → Character, Concept, Stakes:

1 – These are the characters.

2 – This is the concept.

3 – Here’s what’s at stake.

In a nutshell…

The audience needs to know what they’ll experience and why it matters.

That’s it.

Focus on clearly signposting each of these three factors within your hook, and be brutal about cutting the rest.

Two Examples

To see this framework in action, look at how simply we can break down the hook of two videos.

Below each, you’ll see my breakdown of the 3-step framework and the colour-coded hook transcript.

Zac Alsop – I Faked My Grandpa to the Top of Fashion Week

Character – Granddad

Concept – Is it possible to get anybody to the top of fashion week?

Stakes – He’s a fraud; will he be discovered?

Hook Transcript:

As you’ll notice, every word fulfils the criteria of the 3-step framework.

But, while this hook is nice and short, a strong hook can also be much longer (as long as every sentence deserves to be there).

For example:

Abi Connick – Why 95% of Graphic Designers Fail

Target – Graphic designers worried about their business failing.

Transformation – They’ll learn what the mistake is so they can avoid it and create a flourishing business.

Stakes – Unless they learn the lesson, their business is at risk of failure.

Hook Transcript:

I probably would have trimmed a couple of extra words here.

Nonetheless, every single sentence here is crucial to setting up the content.

And with 86% retention after 30s, you really can’t complain.

⚡️ Action Item

On your next video, instead of worrying about the length of your hook, focus on the 3-step framework.

Force every word to justify its place, and the hook will end up exactly the length it needs to be.

That’s all for this week!

Did you have anything you’d really like me to talk about in a future issue? You can reply to these emails at any time and let me know 🙂

Speak soon,
George 👋

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If your hook contains this, it's a problem

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Problem #2 - Stakes:

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It's literally that simple.

That being said...

So, in a nutshell:

How I write killer hooks in under 5 minutes

The Hook

Here’s an educational example from a video I’m working on:

Why is this useful?

Wanna make this even easier?

Here's what I learned at VidSummit

1/ My readers are incredible

2/ People struggle with a teleprompter

3/ Phase in new video ideas

4/ Commit

5/ You're already ahead

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Here's what's coming...

Existing students get all this for free.

Do these 3 things on YouTube in 2024

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⚡️ Action Item

Do these 3 things BEFORE writing your script

The Problem