Speaker A
I was offered five grand for a video, but this was when I was like 19. I was like, double it and I'll walk outside, I'll give it to a homeless person, and they're like, no you won't. And it's like, double it.
MrBeast shares his journey and strategies for YouTube success, emphasizing collaboration, data-driven content, and audience retention.
Key Takeaways
- Collaboration and honest feedback among creators accelerate growth and content quality.
- Data-driven analysis of thumbnails, titles, and retention is crucial for YouTube success.
- Matching and exceeding viewer expectations reduces drop-offs and increases engagement.
- Audience retention is more important than just click-through rate for video promotion.
- Expanding content to multiple languages taps into a vast global audience.
What the video covers
- MrBeast recounts negotiating video deals early in his career and his commitment to impactful content like giving to the homeless.
- He highlights the importance of having a supportive and honest YouTuber friend group for constructive feedback.
- The team studied YouTube trends obsessively, analyzing thumbnails, titles, and video retention to optimize content.
- They collaborated daily for years, learning from each other's mistakes to accelerate growth beyond solo creators.
- MrBeast stresses the significance of matching and exceeding viewer expectations through clear titles and thumbnails.
- He explains that audience retention matters more than just click-through rates for video promotion.
- The team experiments with content in multiple languages to reach a broader global audience.
- He advises building a strong foundation in content creation before scaling with a team.
- MrBeast prioritizes making the best videos over money or time, focusing on quality and audience satisfaction.
- He recognizes the potential of non-English speaking audiences, expanding reach beyond English content.
Chapters
- 00:00Early Career and Video Negotiations
- 00:40Importance of Honest Feedback and Friend Groups
- 01:21Forming a Collaborative Creator Team
- 02:01Daily Collaboration and Viral Video Strategies
- 02:45Learning from Mistakes and Accelerated Growth
- 03:26Thumbnail Design and Delivering on Promises
- 04:45Creating Strong Titles and Minimizing Drop-offs
- 06:12Understanding Audience Over Algorithm
- 06:52Building a Foundation Before Scaling
- 08:30Expanding Reach with Multilingual Content
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
it and it's like pacing around my neighbor for three hours convincing this guy like on the phone just double the money I promise the video will go viral and I'll give it homeless person I was like ten thousand dollars just looks
Speaker A
And it's like pacing around my neighbor for three hours, convincing this guy like on the phone, just double the money. I promise the video will go viral and I'll give it to a homeless person. I was like, ten thousand dollars just looks
Speaker A
have horrible friend groups because you really are like the type of YouTubers you hang around it's getting people with the right YouTuber friend group that aren't [ __ ] and will actually tell them when their content is bad and like
Speaker A
better in a title. It'll get more views. I promise you your app will do better. A lot of times people, oh boy, it's like they think their videos are better than they are honestly, and they tell Jimmy, tell it. I mean, they do that and they
Speaker A
just like quit his job we're all super small YouTubers and we basically talked every day for a thousand days in a row and did nothing but just like hyper study like what makes a good video what makes a good thumbnail what what's good
Speaker A
have horrible friend groups because you really are like the type of YouTubers you hang around. It's getting people with the right YouTuber friend group that aren't [ __ ] and will actually tell them when their content is bad and like
Speaker A
it again we do things like take a thousand thumbnails and see if like there's a correlation to the brightness of the thumbnail to have any views it got imagine a world where it's just you working solo and you work 12 hours a day
Speaker A
actually roast it and help them get better in a nice positive way. Basically, what I did was I've somehow found these other like four lunatics. Three of us were college dropouts, one was a high school dropout, and one I don't know, he
Speaker A
world where you have four friends who are also equally grinding in something similar Brand number one makes a mistake on Friday he teaches the other four people friend number two makes a mistake the next week teaches everyone and then
Speaker A
just like quit his job. We're all super small YouTubers and we basically talked every day for a thousand days in a row and did nothing but just like hyper study like what makes a good video, what makes a good thumbnail, what's good
Speaker A
way to capture the thumbnail I mean of course everyone should if people don't click they don't watch so you you want to give them something to click something a lot of people forget is like unsuggested on phones thumbnails are
Speaker A
pacing, like how to go viral. We would just get on Skype every morning and like some days I'd get on Skype at 7 a.m. and I'd be in the call until like 10 p.m. and then I go to bed. I wake up and I do
Speaker A
say we put 100 million Orbeez in the backyard we put 100 million Orbeez in the backyard your title and thumbnail set expectations like what you're saying is like I like bananas and what you need is bananas are the best goddamn food on
Speaker A
it again. We do things like take a thousand thumbnails and see if like there's a correlation to the brightness of the thumbnail to how many views it got. Imagine a world where it's just you working solo and you work 12 hours a day
Speaker A
[ __ ] did he say in that video what the [ __ ] I need to know at the very beginning of the video to minimize drop-offs you want to assure them that those expectations are being met if
Speaker A
every day for like a year and you're just grinding. You make a mistake, you learn from it, you grind, you make, make, you learn from it and you do that for like a year. And then imagine a different
Speaker A
this entire backyard with them match the expectations and then you want to exceed them so you want to assure people that what they clicked on is what they're getting and then blow their mind and be like but you're also getting even more
Speaker A
world where you have four friends who are also equally grinding in something similar. Brand number one makes a mistake on Friday, he teaches the other four people. Friend number two makes a mistake the next week, teaches everyone and then
Speaker A
you promote a 10 minute video that people watch on average a minute and a half I mean every video even the stupid ones I learned something you know that's something I'd try to make a very big point of is like no matter how bad we
Speaker A
like you're all learning from each other's mistakes, you're all constantly studying 24/7 and downloading each other. Like after a year, you're like two years ahead of the guy who was just solo. Do you frequently go that far out of your
Speaker A
edit it but news flash someone can it's actually not as difficult as you think it was good that I got a really strong foundation on how YouTube works and how the style of videos I wanted and everything before I skilled up a team if
Speaker A
way to capture the thumbnail? I mean, of course everyone should. If people don't click, they don't watch, so you want to give them something to click. Something a lot of people forget is like unsuggested on phones, thumbnails are
Speaker A
decade of my life hyper obsessing over YouTube and I have a good pulse on it but if you didn't have that then you wouldn't know like you wouldn't be able to spend four million dollars on a squid game because you might lose 2 million
Speaker A
really [ __ ] small. So like people are editing thumbnails full blown on their computer and when you shrink it down you can't see. We tried it all around the above the rest. Anyone can click, babe, but you do actually like deliver on it. We
Speaker A
just spent it the next month in content and I just did that every single month and it just kept getting bigger and bigger and here we are since I was 13 there probably hasn't been a single hour that's gone by that I've been awake or I
Speaker A
say we put 100 million Orbeez in the backyard. We put 100 million Orbeez in the backyard. Your title and thumbnail set expectations like what you're saying is like, I like bananas and what you need is bananas are the best goddamn food on
Speaker A
the algorithm does is reflect what the people want 280 and If you deny that you just make terrible videos and are trying to find a scapegoat we do our videos in other languages as well if you Google it
Speaker A
the planet. Like that's the type of opinion you need. Like you need something like how to get a hundred million views on YouTube or not even that, that's not strong enough. You need something that makes people go, what the [ __ ] what the
Speaker A
watch this stuff like we just started doing this like six months ago and it's crazy like how viral some of these videos are 51 million in Spanish the guy who does my dubs is the same guy who dubs Spider-Man we managed to convince
Speaker A
[ __ ] did he say in that video? What the [ __ ] I need to know at the very beginning of the video to minimize drop-offs. You want to assure them that those expectations are being met. If
Speaker A
just relative retention and you know having to watch it a lot of creators think click-through rate is just like the title and thumbnail and did they click it but a lot of it too is did they enjoy your last video because if someone
Speaker A
you're putting a million Orbeez in a pool, don't start the video with you shopping for, you know, your mom's birthday present. At the beginning of the video just say, this is 100 million Orbeez. We're gonna fill this pool and
Speaker A
filming plus months of setup whereas multiple creators probably filmed for a couple hours and set up for a day outside of just filming I mean we brainstorm video ideas I mean relentlessly hours every day am I always doing all those things it just
Speaker A
this entire backyard with them. Match the expectations and then you want to exceed them. So you want to assure people that what they clicked on is what they're getting and then blow their mind and be like, but you're also getting even more.
Speaker A
really put an effort and like if they can tell you're putting in a lot of effort they're going to be more likely to click on future videos and that type that snowballs and because once you build that trust they get to a point
Speaker A
Anytime you say the word algorithm, just replace it with audience. The algorithm didn't like that video. No, the audience didn't like that video. If I wasn't retaining a viewer, just would it make sense for you to promote it? Why would
Speaker A
sure we're doing everything we can no matter how expensive it is no matter how much time it takes to make the best video possible a lot of people if they give away 100 Grand they would make a huge deal about it but we're you know
Speaker A
you promote a 10-minute video that people watch on average a minute and a half? I mean, every video, even the stupid ones, I learned something. You know, that's something I'd try to make a very big point of is like no matter how bad we
Speaker A
people aren't willing to put in 10 hours days because they don't like what they're doing so it's finding what they enjoy because it is like a long grind like you're doing this for years not months so if you don't enjoy it then
Speaker A
mess up, like we sometimes have videos that have horrible retention. It's just like as long as you learn from it, it's not the end of the world. Every YouTuber says it. It's like no one will ever be able to replicate my style. It's, I gotta
Speaker A
they're young 20s so they'd be where I'm at in their 30s I just walked out and found it when I was really young living your life chasing like a nicer nicer car in a bigger and bigger box to live it's
Speaker A
edit it, but news flash, someone can. It's actually not as difficult as you think. It was good that I got a really strong foundation on how YouTube works and how the style of videos I wanted and everything before I skilled up a team if
Speaker A
broke in stole everything out so I had to I had to get a little nicer house for security reasons but before I was robbed I'd be like my place is like a little duplex 700 a month you get a roommate's
Speaker A
that makes any sense. I just want to make sure that's clear because I've seen people try to build the team without foundation and knowing how to do well. I know that if we film this video it will do well just because I've spent a
Speaker A
quit just give up like you gotta at least semi enjoy what you're doing or you're gonna quit long before it gets to the point where it brings them money or whatever else could be driving you so find what you love and then I would just
Speaker A
decade of my life hyper obsessing over YouTube and I have a good pulse on it. But if you didn't have that, then you wouldn't know, like you wouldn't be able to spend four million dollars on a Squid Game because you might lose 2 million
Speaker A
motivated because I want to employ my friends and help them I motivated because I want to help other people I'm motivated because I want to be a YouTuber I want to be I mean I feel like that's another misconception you can
Speaker A
bucks and then you can't pay your people. But of course, yeah, if I didn't have these people, I couldn't do or half the stuff I do for the last like eight or nine years. Like every dollar I've made, I
Speaker A
willing to be coachable I would say like just education like there is a lot of misinformation out there that like people like live and Breathe by like the weirdest stuff I gotta upload at midnight on Wednesdays or my videos
Speaker A
just spent it the next month in content and I just did that every single month and it just kept getting bigger and bigger and here we are. Since I was 13, there probably hasn't been a single hour that's gone by that I've been awake or I
Speaker A
watch the end just to see what happened whichever one of these 456 people survives the longest wins 456 Grand cut out all dull moments try not to over explain and things my camera just sits on me and I'm just talking for 20
Speaker A
haven't thought about YouTube. Like I'm just focused on making the best videos possible, period. I don't care about making money. I don't care about time. I don't care about, I just want to make the best videos on the planet. Literally all
Speaker A
views in one video back then which I think small YouTubers should do is I would reply to every single comment and so I think a few people caught on that they would I would always reply and so some people would just be like I wonder
Speaker A
the algorithm does is reflect what the people want. 280 and if you deny that, you just make terrible videos and are trying to find a scapegoat. We do our videos in other languages as well. If you Google it,
Speaker A
literally go through your last 50 videos write down where everyone clicked off and then just don't do those things again but wait a minute Mr Beast what if I don't know how to actually improve my everyday duration how do I know where to
Speaker A
it's like only whatever less than 10% of the world speaks English, so 90% of the world can't even enjoy your content. And when I realized that, I was like, wait a minute, 90% of the world can't even
Speaker A
steps that will help you do just that check it out
Topics:MrBeastYouTube growthcontent strategyaudience retentionthumbnail optimizationcollaborationvideo marketingYouTube algorithmviral videosmultilingual content
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