- So here we are again with the same old problem,
4,000 watch hours.
It is a massive part of the monetization puzzle
that you're struggling to figure out,
and we think we might know why.
Put simply, we think you might be focusing too much on this.
What we're talking about here
is the video content itself.
The filming, the editing,
the fancy graphics, for production quality.
Absolutely, all of these things are important
but they're not everything.
If you've been subscribed to
and watching vidIQ for any length of time,
you might guess what we're about to say next.
What comes before video content?
The title and the thumbnail.
Both of these components are absolutely critical
for getting viewers in the door.
But those lead to views,
and views by themselves don't lead to watch time.
So what we're looking at today is what makes it the guts
of your content, effectively a script.
But just like a thumbnail and a title,
you should be writing out the bulk of your script
before you start recording
because then it makes this process so much easier.
If you no good at free styling
or get really nervous in front of camera,
then sitting down and having to think about
what you're gonna say
before you press record is a fantastic idea.
Nailed it.
Some people literally prefer to read a script word for word
and they may even use a teleprompter,
which are now available for standard DSLR cameras.
Other creators like to just prepare outlines
which gives them the flexibility to improvise on the spot.
I have no idea how this improvises anything.
Now then let's think about the video topic.
Since YouTube is a search engine, it stands to reason
that you should make content that is helpful
for your audience.
You should dig deep
and really find the pain points of your target audience
and offer comprehensive solutions for their everyday life.
For example, do you remember a creator called Rob Kenney?
Well, a few years back,
he created a channel called Dad, how do I?
On that channel,
he recorded the most basic of how-to videos,
starting with how to tie a tie.
And that simple solution to an issue
we frequently experience
has gained him over 2 million views on that video alone.
The Dad, how do I? channel
now has over 4 million subscribers.
And Rob has even written a book about his adventures.
And all he did was provide a simple solution
to a very common problem,
but made it relatable to his audience.
And that in a nutshell
is basically what we do here at vidIQ.
We help creators grow their own YouTube channels
by sharing our knowledge, wisdom, experience,
and a bit of motivation on top.
What we also know when this is critical for watch time,
people come back to watch more of our videos.
If you stick around, we'll show you tips on how to do that.
Once you've decided on that video topic
and you have an idea, you can start building a script.
And the first thing you need to pay attention to
is the hook.
You need to be creating videos that coax people in,
within the first eight seconds to be exact.
Writing a good hook is perhaps one of the best skills
you can master, especially early on in your YouTube journey.
Your hooks should make your viewers feel something.
They should be able to feel that you can relate to them.
Come here!
If I ever see you making a boring video intro ever again,
you finished on YouTube.
(gun bangs)
Do this instead!
Somewhat of a direct approach
but a pretty good hook, right?
And if you wanna learn more about how to do this properly
and see me box for some reason,
then click on the video right now.
Now when possible, try and follow this up
with a clear and specific explanation
about what the view is going to get out of the video.
And by the way,
this isn't specifically for education how-to channels.
Mr. Beast is as far removed from educational content
as you can get, but he always includes this type of thing
in his videos.
You can see how he showed us in the first 15 seconds
what we'll be seeing and what to expect.
He's got us the viewers hyped up
and actually delivered on his promises.
Obviously his promises are super huge
and so raise a lot of curiosity,
but you can achieve success using the same principles.
Now if you have successfully hooked your viewer
after eight seconds and then guided them
to the 30-second mark,
the chances are they're much more likely to stick around
for another two or three minutes at least,
as your audience retention graphs will attest to.
This is the point at which you can allow the video
to breathe a little bit.
Adjust the pacing so it's more comfortable for the viewer.
You might have three to five points
that you wanna cover throughout the video.
Write down the essential information
from each of these points that you need to cover
and fact check if you need to.
Remember that you are trying to build a loyal audience.
So you wanna bring forward that trust and credibility.
If you are not only relatable but also trustworthy,
then viewers are gonna stick around for longer
and come back.
And to give you a little bit of a helping hand,
this is how we do it at vidIQ.
We start out with our topic and title.
We make sure we add one or two alternatives as well,
followed by an idea of how our thumbnail would look.
So yeah, it is true
that we don't always finish our thumbnail
before we start recording,
but we've got a template to work with that we can finalize
once we've finished the filming process.
And it also helps that we've made hundreds of videos
in the past about YouTube education.
So we've got a lot of templates to work from.
We then break down the script.
First, the hook and intro.
The main content is broken down into headers
and then subheaders for each point.
And finally, the call to action and end screen.
Now once you have the script,
you're gonna transfer it from there to here.
So here's a quick tip on how to find your voice.
What would you like to be known for?
And what would you feel would connect best
with the people you are talking to?
If you are new to being in front of camera,
then try not to overcomplicate things.
Keep your information simple and your sentences short.
And when you do start to feel a little bit more confident,
then start to sprinkle in more of your own personality.
For example, humor.
I didn't mean like that.
The more individual and unique you are,
the more reason viewers have to come back in the future.
Like so many parts of YouTube,
what we're trying to encourage here is consistency.
In this case, it's a consistent structure
of your video content
which is helped incredibly by a script.
Over time, you'll start to rely less on these scripts.
They'll become less structured, more free form.
Almost of a point where he could theoretically
do a live stream.
You press record and he's so confident of your topic
that your stream of consciousness
that just flows from your brain through your mouth
onto the camera is good enough for one take.
Like I just did that, come on!
But we're not done yet
because if the viewer has got this far into the video,
the chances are they're being satisfied by your content.
And this is where you can ask
for a little bit from your viewer.
For example, it makes absolutely no sense
for you to be this far into a video
finding value from it and not be subscribed to the channel.
So you need to fix up right now.
And by the way,
you know my personal thoughts on subscribers.
I'm just saying it because it was in the script.
But if you did want your viewer to do something else,
say sign up for a newsletter
or potentially download vidIQ or buy a course
or a product because they're so far into a video,
they're likely to be much more engaged
and more willing to listen to what you the creator
have to offer.
Have a think back to a time when you've been influenced
by a call to action from one of your favorite creators
and share that experience in the comments below.
And now you've got the viewer to do something
within your video, where do they go next?
Well, if they're still watching a video,
they're still on YouTube.
And YouTube wants you the creator
to keep them on the platform.
So send them to another one of your videos.
Have just one end screen element,
direct the viewer to another video like this.
Now that you are a pro at writing scripts
that keep people watching your videos for longer
to get you towards 4,000 watch hours,
why don't you check out this video
that will get you to that other monetization milestone,
1000 subscribers.
Script read, job done.
(light music)