I’ve been working with
@bryan_johnson
’s team for the past month and created these three thumbnails that so far have achieved over 1.7M views in just 4 weeks.
Simple and effective always works best.
Mr. Beast just launched a 'Social Blade Killer' and it looks fantastic.
Not only does it keep track of the important stats, it also highlights how many title and thumbnail changes a video has had.
It also lists the estimated 1/10 ranking for each video
I attended the YouTube Shorts event in London yesterday.
Here’s what I learned about how YouTube is changing Shorts & what the top creators are doing to achieve high views/subs👇
Mr. Beast just appeared on the
@lexfridman
Podcast.
Here's Jimmy's advice for beginner YouTubers 👇
1️⃣ Make 100 videos: Creating a large volume of content is crucial to building an audience on YouTube.
🚨 The Thumbnail Vault is now Live! 🚨
A Free Library with over 1,000 of YouTube's Best Thumbnails for inspiration to help you create effective thumbnails that get clicks.
Access the Vault for Free:
Finally, it's here.
Starting in September, Shorts will now let you link your YouTube Shorts to long-form videos through the use of 'content links'
This will be huge for driving traffic to grow your audience and make it easier to grow your channel than ever before.
This will
A YouTuber I'm working with was nervous about publishing a video we had created together. He was unsure whether his current audience would like it as it was a bit different from the norm.
We aimed to produce a video that would appeal to a broader audience than his usual niche
🆕 Talent Stacking: Develop the Skills You Need to Succeed
New video where I talk about:
- Learn what a talent stack is & why it's important
-
@ScottAdamsSays
's inspiring story
- How to develop your talent stack and stand out
- My talent stack
I just discovered this new YouTube channel with a single video that's achieved over 230,000 views in just 9 days. It had excellent storytelling, editing, humor, pacing, and a topic with global appeal.
New creators usually blame the "algorithm" for not blowing up their videos and
Mike Hanna has some of the best thumbnails on YouTube.
He achieved 11,000,000 views on this video in just 4 months when he only had 33,000 subscribers.
Here's why this thumbnail was so effective and the principles you can apply it to your own videos 👇
What an awesome concept for a YouTube channel.
Only three videos on this new channel and their video from 3 days ago is already near to crossing 1,000,000 views.
This reminds me of the 'The Entire History of [x], I Guess' series that always crushes on YouTube because of the
It’s unbelievable how many soft penalties Argentina have been given this tournament.
Messi has only had two games where he wasn’t given a penalty.
Such soft pens which undeniably brings up questions.
#ArgentinaVsFrance
#FIFAWorldCup
YouTube is now building 'bridges' between short-form and long-form.
Short-form viewers are now increasingly being recommended long-form content from the same creator and vice versa.
This will strengthen the relationship between creator and viewer with multi-format content.
HIRING THUMBNAIL DESIGNER:
For the month of November,
@daviefogarty
will be creating daily vlogs.
We need a thumbnail designer to help create fast-turnaround thumbnails to a high standard. If you're interested, please DM me with your portfolio.
Only apply if you're available
@MattNavarra
I see this being a negative thing.
Twitter is quite toxic due to the social bubbles it presents and this seems to fuel that further.
Twitter is about discussions without boundaries between people and this seems counter-productive to that.
#Twitter
#SocialMedia
Barber Elliot Forbes - 1.43m Subs () spoke a little about his shorts strategy that has rapidly grown his channel.
1. Creating shorts based on the questions your audience asks in the comments has led to some of his most viewed shorts.
With the launch of Shorts, channels uploading both Shorts and long-form are seeing better overall watch time and subscriber growth relative to those only uploading long-form.
With over 30 billion views every day, Shorts is due to take over the platform.
If you've been struck with the 'invalid traffic' bug on YouTube, I may have a solution.
I turned on this option and it fixed the bug within a few days.
No idea if that specifically fixed it or not, but the channel went from $4k per month back to $30k per month and is now
Dear YouTube, can we please have an analytics feature that lets us see when people subscribed on a video timeline?
Would be super interesting to see that data instead of a global “subscribers gained/lost”.
2. A strategy Elliot swears by is to re-upload the same short several times.
One of his most viewed shorts (41 million views) has been uploaded three separate times and each time has resulted in over a million views.
Athletic Interest has some of the best sports and business thumbnails on YouTube.
This thumbnail is a great example of how to create intrigue with a broader audience than just your niche.
Let's break this video's packaging down... 👇
There's nothing better than working with YouTubers who implement the advice you give them and do it so well.
We've worked out a simple video series and perfected the title + thumbnail and it explodes every time.
Just keep experimenting till you find what works then double down.
Elliott received a question asking if his subscribers get frustrated by this. He said no because they enjoy watching it again and YouTube will show each upload to new viewers who may not have seen it 8 months ago when being pushed by the algorithm.
Even if your first few videos don't get many views, by the time you've made 100 videos, you'll have honed your skills and will likely have a better understanding of what types of content your audience likes to watch.
YouTube is updating the music library with 'Creator Music'.
This is going to be for both short-form and long-form. For the longest time, creators have had to be careful with what music they use to avoid copyright strikes. This seems to be behind us now.
'How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big' by
@ScottAdamsSays
is hands down one of the best books I've ever read.
I've highlighted 100s of lines from that book, check it out on Amazon here -
I've been quietly working on a project that helps you find the best YouTube thumbnails and understand what makes them stand out and get clicks.
I can't wait to share 'The Thumbnail Vault' with you all soon! 🙌
Working on
@AliAbdaal
’s YouTube Channel, I spent a lot of time studying YouTube titles to see what works.
Here are the top 4 YouTube titles that get clicks:
Red Bull has one of the best YouTube channels as far as brands go and could teach you a thing or two.
They've always been great at marketing but I really like their content as it feels organic to the platform.
Here's a few things I think they're doing well 👇
-
Extreme Video
Viewers constantly asked Elliot why he rubs ice on his customer's face when this was an antiseptic product for cuts.
He's created two shorts on this "ice block" and received over 8M views. If you see confusion and questions from your audience, close that curiosity loop for them!
This week,
@dannymcmahon
unveiled a documentary on Keanu Reeves that is nothing short of fantastic.
Following his incredible string of documentaries, I wanted to understand what makes his work so compelling.
You can watch the full video on my channel, just search: Jamie Whiffen
I launched The Thumbnail Vault a month ago. Here's a breakdown of the numbers:
1️⃣ Since the launch, over 3,150 people have visited The Thumbnail Vault.
2️⃣ Over 850 people have signed up.
3️⃣ The most popular channel types that signed up were gaming, business, and education.
👇
Just showed my new project, 'The Thumbnail Vault,' a library of the best YouTube thumbnails in various niches, to a client.
They loved it but pointed out the name might imply the thumbnails are being locked away, even though it will be free to use. Any name suggestions?
Wow.
I knew that AI was going to start having a big effect on thumbnail design but this is ludicrous!
Imagine what this will be able to do in another 12 months! 😳
I still prefer the original thumbnail but I'm still amazed by how good
#DALLE3
is! 😶
(The thumbnail you see wasn't handpicked or anything; it's literally the first result that popped up out of that simple prompt)
Currently working on a thumbnail for the latest
@JoePompliano
video titled:
How Michael Jordan Turned $94 Million Into $2.5 Billion
Which of these four thumbnails would you click on?
YouTube also provided some more information on how Shorts will be monetised:
1. Ads will run between Shorts appearing in the Shorts Feed.
2. Every month, they'll pool the revenue generated by these ads, using it to reward Shorts creators and cover costs for music licensing.
I attended the YouTube Shorts event in London yesterday.
Here’s what I learned about how YouTube is changing Shorts & what the top creators are doing to achieve high views/subs👇
There are now new eligibility requirements to enter the YouTube Partner Program.
In 2024, an additional pathway for Shorts-focused creators will allow them to get monetized by reaching 1,000 subscribers and 10,000,000 Shorts views.
🚨Stop putting your favorite creators on a pedestal! 🚨
If you want to become a thumbnail designer, video editor, or scriptwriter for your favorite creator, there are a few simple rules to follow when sending that DM.
George, Gwilym, and I give our advice on the do's and don'ts
@GeorgeBlackman_
and I spoke about the placement of payoffs in a YouTube script and the common retention killers that are boring your viewers.
Watch the full video here:
It's always worth revisiting old thumbnails and giving them a new lick of paint when you're not creatively burnt out 🤪
Here's a quick upgrade on the video 'How to Monetise your Newsletter with 1,000 Subscribers'
3. 45% revenue sharing for all Shorts creators
This approach simplifies the complexities of music licensing, making it so that creators don't have to worry about whether or not they use music in their short.
This includes music that may accidentally be in a video's background.
I'm going all in on organic content this year.
Last week I hired my first full-time employee which is a massive milestone for me.
I'm convinced that the future is organic content + community building after going down the rabbit hole of
@IAmAndrewKirby
's Synthesizer School.
A hack he uses to get more content is to live stream a Q&A with two phones.
One for the live stream and another set up on a tripod that records him which he can quickly edit and publish as a short for any interesting moments caught on camera.
There's a new model built for creators:
1. No change to revenue sharing on other sources
The revenue-sharing model for ads and fan funding on long-form content is not being changed; this is specific to the Shorts revenue-sharing model.
Ready to start creating videos on YouTube but uncertain how to niche down?
Here's my personal take on niching based on everything I know.
It's a long thread so buckle in.
We met as Ali Abdaal employees.
Now, we’re scaling our own creator businesses.
Tomorrow we launch Making It, a podcast roundtable discussion exclusively for the faceless people who work behind the camera.
We'll share our experiences as YouTube producers, writers, thumbnail
THREAD: How To Turn your iPhone into a Productivity Machine
The iPhone can be an incredible tool, but most people waste time carelessly with it. If you follow the steps in this thread you will become more:
🔨 Productive
🤔 Focused
⚙️ In Control
#DigitalMinimalism
|
#DeepWork
I started working with a client this week who planned to release a video with a vague and un-interesting title + thumbnail.
I suggested we went with something that created intrigue and caused a *small* amount of urgency.
This video has exploded and had over 400k views in just three days yet 90% of it has come from external traffic via Google!
This happens quite often on this particular YouTube channel, yet YouTube gives us no information on what people are searching to be shown this on Google.
I love watching ecosystem and aquarium videos on YouTube and it seems that many other people do too.
This channel has three videos that have already reached 4M views and 129k subscribers.
Great thumbnails ✅
High demand with low supply ✅
Unique aquariums not seen in the niche
2. Ads don't have to appear next to your Short
This approach allows YouTube to reward all YPP creators who make up the Shorts experience, not just to those with videos running next to ads.
Creator
@Temi_Danso
() also mentioned she will respond to questions and requests from her audience with Shorts and racked up tens of thousands of subscribers in the process.
What started as a hobby for a McDonald's employee called Matthew Haag, turned into one of the world's most successful gaming brands.
This is the story of
@100Thieves
and how they've managed to achieve so much in such a short period of time.
Check out the latest Huddle Up 👇
🚨 New YouTube Video 🚨
A former McDonald's employee has built a $500 million business, attracting investment from Dan Gilbert, Drake & Scooter Braun.
So this week's video breaks down
@Nadeshot
's story and the business behind
@100Thieves
. Enjoy!
Watch:
🧵 I'm going to show you how the smartest YouTubers get you to click their thumbnails.
Here are seven things to keep in mind when you're next making a thumbnail. 👇
I've had a lot of questions recently about how I found and trained my video editor to create such high-quality animations in a certain style.
This is a video loom that explains my process which allowed me to hit the ground running with my editor. 👇
This is great news. Too many were struck by these false claims in the past, including myself.
Hopefully YouTube can crack down on this as there are entire teams out there false flagging videos for profit.
Struggling to think of YouTube video ideas?
Think of your target audience's problems and pick just one.
Now, imagine you've joined them on a video call, and you have to teach them everything you know in the next two hours. What would you teach?
That's prime YouTube content.
I've been working in the Creator Economy for 8 years in both YouTube and TikTok agencies alongside working for creators.
Every year more people want to work in the Creator Economy and with Goldman Sachs predicting the industry will double in the next 5 years, there's no better
YouTubers always debate whether to script their videos or to turn up and riff on some bullet points.
Here's
@GeorgeBlackman_
&
@gwilymsw
breaking down their approach to writing scripts for YouTubers 👇
Watch The Full Episode of 'Making It':
I find it funny when 'Make Money Online' YouTubers always use clips from The Wolf of Wall Street when talking about earning money.
Jordan Belfort is a financial criminal who scammed people of their money and served time in jail. Aligning yourself with him isn't a good thing 😂
Super excited to launch this creator focused podcast on Friday.
This all started as an idea I had earlier in the year when I noticed there weren’t enough voices talking about the ‘behind-the-scenes’ of running a YouTube Channel for some of the biggest creators on the planet.
We met as Ali Abdaal employees.
Now, we’re scaling our own creator businesses.
- But what does “working for a YouTuber” actually look like?
- How do you get hired in the first place?
- What are the realities of trying to balance work and life in an industry that's ripe with
3️⃣ Infinite ways to improve a video:
There are countless ways to improve a video and no one way is the best.
It's important to experiment with different methods of filming, editing, scripting, pacing, and other aspects of video production.
It's always a surprise to me when I log into my old YouTube channel and see hundreds of comments from people saying that I made their childhood and they rewatch videos for nostalgia.
You never know how the content you make impacts people.
If you want to laugh at a young Jamie
2️⃣ Don't get stuck in planning:
One of the biggest pitfalls for new YouTubers is spending too much time planning and not enough time creating.
It's important to have a general idea of what your videos will be about, but don't get bogged down in the details.
So,
@AliAbdaal
earned $4,790,000 last year.
And his thumbnails played a crucial role.
Here are his most popular uploads from the last year...
And 6 things we can learn from the thumbnails… (thread)
@mtpennycook
@CAFCofficial
@EFL
I do not understand why the EFL can't just reject ESI and save themselves the trouble that is coming?
They've had nearly 9 months to provide the paperwork needed, it is clear that their intentions are not good.
#cafc
It's important to focus on improving something in each video, whether it be the scripting, filming, editing, or pacing.
This will help you grow as a content creator and consistently put out higher-quality content.
Leverage attention-grabbing visuals: Like a billboard on a busy highway, your thumbnail should make viewers stop and take notice.
Successful thumbnails demand attention on the homepage and it's your job as a creator to immediately catch the viewer's eye.
What a crazy 72 hours.
I changed my profile birth date to the correct year and Twitter suspended me indefinitely because in 2009, aged 12, I joined and lied by saying I was 13!
I’m 27 next month and they still banned me because of it, thankfully they accepted my appeal! 😂
PewDiePie hasn’t grown at all in the past year.
This is because he’s losing and gaining the same amount of subscribers keeping him at 111M subscribers.
This isn’t because people have stopped liking him.
It’s because:
1. He’s slowed down - He’s not uploading as frequently as he
It's time to vote on which thumbnail you think was the best in February.
I've whittled it down to these four, but there are a few more contenders in the tweet thread below.
The poll ends in 24 hours. Get voting below! 👇