Tubegraph

YouTube video ideation and packaging

8 min read

From: gregisenberg

Patty Galloway, a renowned YouTube strategist who has worked with creators like MrBeast and brands like Red Bull, emphasizes that successfully building a YouTube channel scaling to millions of subscribers, whether for a personal brand or a business, hinges on more than just creating videos [00:00:24]. The core focus should be on strategy, understanding what video to make, and effective packaging [00:02:25].

Why YouTube?

YouTube stands out from other platforms like Instagram or TikTok because it functions more as a streaming service akin to Netflix or Amazon Prime [00:04:41]. A significant portion of viewership (60-90% for some clients) comes from TV consumption [00:04:55]. Nielsen data indicates that YouTube is the world’s largest streaming service by total time spent [00:05:31].

Videos on YouTube are “digital assets” that can live on the internet indefinitely, offering “Evergreen content” that continues to generate views over time [00:06:05]. This contrasts with platforms like X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram, where content has a much shorter lifespan [00:07:50]. For businesses and founders, YouTube excels in lead generation, converting leads effectively, second only to email marketing [00:14:45]. It also provides a direct monetization stream through AdSense, with potential RPMs (revenue per thousand views) ranging from 10 for Western audiences [00:15:40].

YouTube is also a stable platform, resistant to sudden bans or policy shifts seen on other social media platforms [00:18:24]. Its algorithm is more predictable, rewarding quality content rather than short-lived “growth hacks” [00:20:30]. Furthermore, YouTube has a strong and growing appeal among younger demographics, with 33% of 2-11 year olds’ streaming time spent on the platform [00:19:50].

Finally, YouTube offers a unique combination of “real depth” with an audience and strong “Discovery,” allowing creators to build strong connections while still reaching new viewers [00:30:23].

The 12-Month YouTube Plan for Channel Growth

Months 1-4: Establishment Phase

This initial phase focuses on understanding the platform without overthinking or striving for perfection [00:38:00].

  1. Find Your Niche/Sub-Niche: Identify the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what people want to watch (the “triple Venn diagram”) [00:38:42].
  2. Laser Focus: Avoid being a “sushi restaurant serving burgers” [00:40:28]. Focus on a specific niche to avoid diluting your audience, even if it means not covering all your interests [00:40:50].
  3. Post Frequently: Aim for two videos every week to get into the habit of content creation without excessive refinement [00:41:18]. This initial volume helps you understand the platform.

Months 5-8: Improvement Phase

Having established a consistent posting rhythm and a defined niche, this phase shifts to strategic improvement [00:51:13].

  1. Intensive Ideation: Start brainstorming 100+ ideas per week [00:52:19]. This volume helps in finding truly good ideas, much like an “idea farm” approach used by large creators [00:53:53].
    • Brainstorm around outliers: Use tools like 10.com or ViewStats to find high-performing videos in your niche or similar niches [00:49:52]. Then, adapt or twist these ideas for your content (e.g., applying a successful golf video format to a fishing channel) [00:55:20].
  2. Thumbnail Creation: Make three unique thumbnail options for each video [00:57:44]. YouTube’s ABC testing feature allows you to test which thumbnail performs best [00:57:48]. Thumbnails are crucial, often contributing 50-60% to a video’s effectiveness, yet are often rushed [00:59:01].
    • Tools: Canva for basic designs, Photoshop for more advanced ones [01:01:10]. Understanding the psychology of a thumbnail is more important than advanced graphic design skills [01:02:13]. Thumbnail designers can be hired on platforms like YTjobs.co [01:03:09].
  3. Prioritize Quality: Transition from two videos a week to one, focusing on improving the quality of each individual video [01:05:11]. This allows for more effort in production, akin to the “MrBeastify” trend where quality is highly rewarded [01:06:00].

Months 9-12: Strategic Growth Phase

This phase is about refinement and strategic application of learnings [01:07:39].

  1. Hone in on Top Performers: Analyze your top 10% of videos (roughly the top 5 videos if you have 50 posted) and identify what made them successful [01:08:01]. Replicate and build formats around these successful ideas [01:08:44]. This shifts your approach from a “machine gun” to a “sniper” [01:09:09].
  2. Dedicated YouTube Study: Dedicate about four hours a week to studying YouTube [01:09:54]. Create playlists for “outlier videos,” “great thumbnails,” “great titles,” or “great intros” and regularly review them to understand what works [01:10:06]. This acts as a “swipe file” for YouTube strategies [01:11:00].
  3. Continuous 1% Improvements: Maintain weekly posting while focusing on small, marginal gains in each video [01:13:36]. Utilize retention curves in YouTube Analytics to pinpoint where viewers drop off or stay engaged, informing future content adjustments [01:14:52].

The Idea Framework: 0-100-10-1

This framework outlines a structured approach to generating and selecting video ideas [01:18:19]:

  1. Zero Ideas: Start by understanding your channel’s strategy and frameworks [01:17:52].
  2. Brainstorm 100+ Ideas: Generate a large volume of ideas (ideally weekly) [01:18:02]. This can be done individually, by scheduling “idea time,” or by soliciting ideas from others, including community members [01:21:51].
  3. Apply Elimination Criteria: Filter your ideas down to about 10 strong candidates [01:18:08].
    • Can it have a good title/thumbnail?: If you can’t imagine effective packaging, it’s not a strong YouTube idea [01:27:14].
    • View Target Filter: Realistically assess if the video could hit a predefined aspirational view target (e.g., 1 million views) [01:27:49].
    • Feasibility: Is the idea physically or logistically possible to execute? [01:29:03].
    • Excitement: Does the idea genuinely excite you or your team? [01:29:15].
  4. Further Develop One: Choose the single best idea from your narrowed-down list to move forward with [01:18:18].

Key Idea Frameworks:

  • CCN Fit (Core, Casual, New): Ensure each video appeals to your existing loyal audience (Core), regular viewers (Casual), and potential new viewers (New) [01:19:00]. Avoid making videos too narrow (only for core) or too broad (alienating the core) [01:20:00].
  • 80%+ Audience Overlap: Strive for a high degree of audience overlap between your videos [01:20:46]. This means if someone watches one of your videos, there’s an 80% chance they would also be interested in other videos in your catalog [01:20:51]. This consistency helps build a dedicated audience within your niche.

Sources of Ideas:

  • External Sources: Look at other successful channels within your niche or similar niches for inspiration [01:25:00]. Use tools or even create a dummy YouTube account to see what videos the algorithm recommends based solely on watching your own channel [01:25:15].
  • Internal Ideation: Analyze your own channel’s past performance to identify what content has worked well and brainstorm more ideas around those successful themes [01:25:53].
  • Innovation: Brainstorm completely new or unique ideas, drawing inspiration from non-YouTube sources like movies or shows [01:26:03]. While nothing is truly original, this allows for fresh perspectives [01:26:10].

Qualities of a Great Idea:

  • Easy to Convey in Title/Thumbnail: If it’s hard to package, it’s not a great YouTube idea [01:29:27].
  • Uniqueness/Superlatives: Incorporate elements like “world’s best,” “biggest,” or “most expensive” to make the idea stand out [01:29:51].
  • Plays on Competitive Advantage: Leverage your unique knowledge, experience, or access that other creators don’t have [01:30:27].
  • Appropriate Breadth: Not too narrow, only appealing to a tiny segment of your audience, but also not so broad that it loses its appeal or focus [01:31:32].

Packaging Cheat Sheet: Titles & Thumbnails

The goal of packaging is to find the delicate balance between being boring and being misleading [01:32:20]. Exaggeration, rather than outright misleading, is common practice among top creators to grab attention, with the expectation that the video itself delivers value [01:33:04].

Thumbnails:

  • Multiple Options: Always create two to three distinct thumbnail concepts for each video, not just variations in text [01:35:11].
  • Visual Clarity: Keep them clear and bright, making it easy to discern what’s happening at a glance [01:39:56]. Perform a “glance test” by quickly flashing the thumbnail to ensure it can be processed in a second [01:40:00].
  • Minimal Text: Limit text to around four or five words to avoid clutter [01:40:51].
  • Three Focus Area Rule: A thumbnail should have no more than three main elements for the viewer to focus on (e.g., a face, text, and an object) [01:41:26].
  • Emotional Resonance: Ensure the expression or imagery in the thumbnail matches the tone and topic of the video [01:42:30].

Titles:

  • Concise: Keep titles under 60 characters [01:36:58].
  • Simple Language: Use easy-to-understand language. Even for mature audiences, clear and simple English improves consumability [01:37:01]. Avoid jargon that might not be universally understood, especially if targeting a global audience [01:39:03].
  • Unique and Superlative: Incorporate elements that make the title stand out and imply uniqueness or exceptionalism [01:37:04].
  • Human Interest Over Algorithm: Focus on crafting titles that appeal to human curiosity and interest, rather than just stuffing keywords for search engines [01:37:12]. While keywords are important, the primary goal is to entice a human to click [01:37:54].

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