Meet the YouTuber Who Solved Shorts (Jenny Hoyos Interview)
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Tips for Creating Viral Shorts on YouTube
- Every second counts in a short video, so make sure to keep the content concise and focused.
- Short form content varies across different platforms, so tailor your videos to suit the preferences of the platform you are targeting.
- While retention is important, it may not be the sole factor for viral success. Focus on adding a story and a twist to your videos to make them more engaging.
- Personalizing your content and giving it a relatable and ironic angle can help viewers become invested in your videos.
- A good short video should have a strong hook that can be understood visually and in a simple manner.
- Think of your short videos as if you were creating thumbnails for long-form content, and sketch out ideas to generate visually appealing hooks.
Research and Analysis for Creating Engaging Shorts
- Analyzed thousands of shorts by scraping titles and transcripts.
- Used a readability checker to determine the optimal readability level, aiming for fifth grade or below.
- Found that popular shorts, like those by Mr Beast, often have a first-grade level of readability.
- Noted that certain words and terms can significantly impact readability, so efforts are made to avoid them.
- Conducted a personal experiment, uploading shorts daily to analyze their performance.
- Emphasized the importance of quantity in generating quality content.
- Analyzed retention graphs to understand audience engagement.
- Found that one video with 50,000 views in five days did not meet the expected average of one million views.
Importance of Retention and Visual Hooks in YouTube Shorts
- Retention is a crucial metric for YouTube Shorts performance.
- Trimming off even a single second can significantly improve retention.
- Every second counts in short videos as it accumulates to a percentage of the overall video.
- Aim for high retention and looped views to increase the average scroll through rate.
- Personal scroll through rate should ideally be higher than the average.
- Rewatching the video contributes to higher retention and viral potential.
- 90% retention is a benchmark for short videos to have the desired virality and reach.
- Retention may vary based on the number of impressions.
- Visual hooks, such as the first frame of the video, are important for grabbing viewers' attention.
- Experimentation and learning from others' hooks can help in developing a unique style.
Process for Generating Video Ideas
- The YouTuber has a list of a thousand video ideas.
- Ideas come from watching YouTube, personal interest, and using AI.
- The best ideas come from personal experiences and thinking about potential video concepts.
- Examples include making a garden to have unlimited Ratatouille and getting free laundry detergent by complaining to a company.
Process of Narrowing Down Video Ideas and Creating Viral Content
- Start with a large number of ideas and narrow it down based on personal interest and feasibility.
- Evaluate the hook and mechanism of the idea to determine its potential for virality and rewatchability.
- Seek input from a video editor/strategist to further refine the selection and assess its viral and shareable potential.
- The mechanism refers to elements that keep viewers engaged until the end, such as a closing circle in Mr Beast's videos.
- Using a simple yet structured approach with three steps or elements helps set clear expectations for viewers.
- The goal is to follow through on the established expectations while also incorporating twists or surprises to enhance the content.
- The twist can add an element of surprise or unexpected outcome, keeping viewers engaged and interested in the video.
Structure of a Short Video
- The average length of the shorts is 34 seconds.
- For the user's personal channel, if a short is less than 30 seconds, it needs to have over 100% retention to take off.
- The last second of the video is crucial for a high retention rate.
- Before filming, the user creates a rough script to estimate the length of the video.
- Hooks and foreshadowing are always included in every video.
- Foreshadowing is done both visually and through spoken time in the voiceover.
- After the hook and foreshadowing, there is another structural element that follows.
Creating a Smooth Transition and Structuring a Video
- Use pacing breaks in the video to give viewers time to process information.
- Avoid abrupt transitions by smoothly transitioning between different topics or sections.
- Foreshadow upcoming content to maintain viewer interest and curiosity.
- Use "but therefore" storytelling to create a sense of change and intrigue in the narrative.
- Start with generating ideas, then narrow down to a specific concept for the video.
- Plan the hook and the last line of the video before filming.
- Develop a rough script or create bullet points to guide the filming process.
- Revise and finalize the script after filming.
- Proceed to the editing phase after finalizing the script.
- Leave the last line blank initially and fill it in with a relevant reaction or outcome during the filming or editing process.
Considering the Audience for Entertainment Content
- The creator thinks about specific individuals, including their younger self and their nieces, as the target audience.
- The focus is on engaging and making the content relatable to the target audience, even if they are not native English speakers.
- The creator believes that if the content can captivate their nieces and resonate with them, it is likely to be successful.
- The specificity of the target audience varies, with the main consideration being the creator's younger self.
- The creator recognizes the differences between platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok in terms of content and audience engagement.
- They acknowledge that their YouTube channel is larger than the other platforms, while TikTok used to perform better in terms of views when their YouTube channel had fewer subscribers.
Transitioning from TikTok to Long Form Content
- Initially focused on TikTok as the lead platform, with YouTube shorts and Instagram Reels getting fewer views.
- Switched strategy after getting banned on TikTok and started focusing on YouTube.
- YouTube prefers slower, more mature content with a storytelling approach, while TikTok prefers short, information-dense videos.
- Instagram Reels is also slightly more mature and focuses on visual content with subtitles for easy sharing.
- Aspires to create long-form content and become established in that space.
- Sees long form as a new challenge and an opportunity for growth, as there may be limited growth potential in shorts.
- Money is not the main motivation for transitioning to long form, but rather the desire for a new journey and personal challenge.
Thoughts on Audience Preference and YouTube Shorts
- The content creator believes that the relationship with viewers is more personal and built on trust over time spent together.
- There is a distinction between short-form and long-form videos, with different audiences for each.
- The content creator shares a funny story about their young cousin recognizing them as a famous YouTuber and discussing the difference between shorts and long-form videos.
- The content creator believes that audience preference plays a significant role in the success of shorts versus long-form videos.
- The content creator acknowledges that some shorts creators struggle to transition their audience to long-form content.
- The content creator believes that YouTube is doing a good job transitioning viewers between shorts and long-form videos.
- The content creator mentions two beliefs that they have but haven't gathered enough data to support: the importance of sharability and its impact on video success, and the connection between high retention and video popularity.
The Importance of Sharability and Viewer Satisfaction in Short Video Content
- High shares and a high shares-to-view ratio indicate that sharability plays a significant role in the success of short videos.
- A high scroll-through rate (92%) suggests that sharability contributes to increased engagement and viewership.
- Retention may not be as crucial as commonly believed, as some videos with low retention still receive a substantial number of views.
- Comparing retention rates among similar videos shows that high retention does not always guarantee high viewership.
- Some videos with low retention can still achieve significant success if they have a high number of returning viewers.
Tips for Creating Engaging and Viral Short Videos
- Keep the content concise and focused.
- Tailor your videos to suit the preferences of the platform you are targeting.
- Add a story and a twist to make your videos more engaging.
- Personalize your content and give it a relatable and ironic angle.
- Create visually appealing hooks to grab viewers' attention.
- Aim for a fifth-grade or below readability level.
- Analyze retention graphs to understand audience engagement.
- Trim off even a single second to improve retention.
- Aim for high retention and looped views to increase scroll through rate.
- Rewatching the video contributes to higher retention and viral potential.
- Aim for 90% retention as a benchmark for virality.
- Use visual hooks, like the first frame of the video, to grab attention.
- Generate a large number of ideas and narrow them down based on interest and feasibility.
- Evaluate the hook and mechanism of the idea for viral potential.
- Seek input from a video editor/strategist to refine the selection.
- Incorporate twists or surprises to keep viewers engaged.
- Use a simple yet structured approach with three steps or elements.
- Foreshadow upcoming content to maintain viewer interest.
- Use pacing breaks and smooth transitions between topics or sections.
- Use "but therefore" storytelling to create intrigue in the narrative.
- Plan the hook and the last line of the video before filming.
- Develop a rough script or bullet points to guide the filming process.
- Revise and finalize the script after filming.
- Fill in the last line with a relevant reaction or outcome during editing.
Target Audience and Platform Strategy
- The creator's target audience includes their younger self and their nieces.
- The focus is on engaging and making the content relatable to the target audience, even if they are not native English speakers.
- The creator believes that if the content can captivate their nieces and resonate with them, it is likely to be successful.
- The specificity of the target audience varies, with the main consideration being the creator's younger self.
- The creator recognizes the differences between platforms like YouTube, Instagram Reels, and TikTok in terms of content and audience engagement.
- Initially focused on TikTok as the lead platform, but switched strategy after getting banned and started focusing on YouTube.
- YouTube prefers slower, more mature content with a storytelling approach, while TikTok prefers short, information-dense videos.
- Instagram Reels is slightly more mature and focuses on visual content with subtitles for easy sharing.
- Aspires to create long-form content and become established in that space.