🔎RR#12 - This "system" gets more views
It might be simpler than you'd think.
Hey!
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Let’s get into it…
1 - Create A System
Title: How I Manage Being a Tutor, Author, Entrepreneur, & Student
Creator: Liah Brussolo
Average % viewed: 24.8%
Using some sort of time-turner, presumably… 👀
What to repeat:
informative
The amount Liah balances in her day-to-day life is pretty remarkable, so it’s definitely worth giving this a watch.
She doesn’t overexplain her points.
From 1:00, I was anticipating that this would happen as many videos like this are guilty of it. But when a point can be understood in a single sentence, she moves on.
What to improve:
camerawork
A couple of things hinder this video visually:
Camera is focussed on the background, not the creator.
Early B-Roll is shot from exactly the same angle as the A-Roll, which indicates the video is likely to be visually flat.
topic framing
Although the video is broken up into two main sections (how you’re wasting time + how to stop), there is a better way to do this with an information-heavy video.
See this example from Elizabeth Filips:
Elizabeth breaks her methods down into a system, rather than spieling off lists of productivity techniques.
This just feels nicer to our brains, because it breaks down the goals we have into clear chunks.
In fact, when I was working with Ali, we found that video titles that mentioned some sort of system or framework always performed well.
It’s consoling to think all that stands between us and our goals is a simple, well-laid-out system.
Takeaway:
Reframing a list of points into a “system” or “framework” appeals to the side of human nature that wants things to be simple. Presenting information in this way is less overwhelming to a viewer than a long list of points.
2 - Glorious Payoff
Title: I Built A Minecraft Trap That Never Ends…
Creator: NathanLIVE
Average % viewed: 53.5%
Well I’ve gotta see this…
What to repeat:
storytelling
From 1:47-2:30, there’s a really effortless transition from one segment of the video to the next that adds a new set of stakes.
Notice how Nathan goes from being insulted by his friend, to “discovering” a new way to achieve his goals, to deciding that (if the new plan works) he’s going to take revenge on his friend.
I’m pretty sure all that stuff was contrived, but I can’t tell because it’s constructed so well.
The video does this repeatedly and it’s pretty impressive.
payoff
The video ends when Nathan’s crazy design is finally pulled off.
We see it in action and his friend gets trapped inside (payoff from earlier). It’s both humourous and satisfying.
Then, the video ends. Perfect.
What to improve:
music drowns out the hook
From 0:06 - 0:11, I lose some of the words due to the music. I listened back a few times, put headphones on etc, but had to use the transcript to check.
Then at 0:24 the video does this repeated crossfade thing which deliberately cuts off the creator’s sentences.
I get that the aim was to set up more tension by “hiding” the steps he was about to take to complete his objective, but I found it jarring.
Taken together, this hook wasn’t 100% clear.
And when you’re dealing with tiny attention spans, we don’t need much of a reason to click away - this could explain the dropoff in S1.
Takeaway:
Detach yourself from your video emotionally and rewatch the hook as objectively as possible. Ask whether a brand-new viewer would fully understand the premise from the opening 30s.
3 - Setup, payoff, setup, payoff…
Title: I Paid Strangers To Invent Magic Tricks For Me To Perform
Creator: Jack Rhodes
Average % viewed: 28.7%
Magic tricks in public (with a significant twist)…
What to repeat:
editing
Especially the changing camera angles during the intro and clever transitions (e.g. 8:41).
Jack’s editing style is really fun and feels like an extension of his personality 👌
tension
Conceptually, this idea creates a lot of tension.
The combination of a public challenge in which the creators basically have no control over their fate is compelling.
But the tension could have been made even better…
What to improve:
payoff
Don’t get me wrong - there are numerous (and satisfying) payoffs, but they could have been arranged differently.
Rather than splitting them up, this video lumps them all together.
The result is that we don’t see the first trick being performed until 3 minutes in.
In contrast, see this recent example from Airrack:
It begins by showing brief extracts from the multiple payoffs we’re going to get, which opens several curiosity loops.
Whereas Jack’s video foreshadows only one payoff, then gives 3 minutes of context before we see the first trick.
Once the hook explains the concept, we need to see the a trick within the first minute. It could have looked like this:
Concept + foreshadowing (30s) → setup* → payoff** → setup → payoff → setup → payoff…
*setup = cutting back to the discussion table where the trick is described
**payoff = seeing the trick
Takeaway:
If your video has the potential for multiple payoffs, spread them throughout the video to give the audience multiple reasons to watch + consistent dopamine hits throughout.
That’s all for this week!
Speak soon,
George 👋