Scripting Your First 30 Seconds YouTube Video - for YouTuber Channel Growth | Cal Hyslop MBA, University Instructor | Skillshare
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Scripting Your First 30 Seconds YouTube Video - for YouTuber Channel Growth

teacher avatar Cal Hyslop MBA, University Instructor, Be Free to Do the Work You Want

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Watch this class and thousands more

Get unlimited access to every class
Taught by industry leaders & working professionals
Topics include illustration, design, photography, and more

Lessons in This Class

    • 1.

      Welcome to Class

      1:36

    • 2.

      Why the First 30 Seconds is Crucial

      2:02

    • 3.

      One Thought Provoking Question

      2:57

    • 4.

      Full Story Snapshot

      2:38

    • 5.

      Set the Stakes

      5:46

    • 6.

      Read Out Loud for Time

      1:31

    • 7.

      Class Project

      1:16

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About This Class

If you were asked how to best hold viewers’ attention at the beginning of a YouTube video, what would you say? 

In this course, I’m going to show you how to use a 3-part formula for scripting your next YouTube video and why it’s essential that you get the first 30 seconds of your videos right. Because if you lose the attention of viewers in the beginning, they may just click off, and the rest of your video will have been a wasted effort.

Welcome to Scripting Your First 30 Seconds YouTube Video. My name is Cal Hyslop and I’ll be your guide. I’m a YouTuber probably not much different than yourself, and I’m excited to show you the tips and tricks I use for more engaging videos.

In this class, we’ll cover:

  • Why the First 30 seconds is Crucial
  • One Thought Provoking Question (that fuels internal dialogue)
  • Full Story Snapshot
  • Set the Stakes
  • Read Out Loud for Time
  • Class Project

So if you’re looking for a method to better grab your YouTube viewers’ attention, then this course is for you.

Also, this is the first of three videos dedicated to Scripting, Filming, and Editing the first 30 seconds of your YouTube videos. So be sure to check out video #2 on filming and then video #3 on editing. That way you can see how everything comes together for the most effective 30-second YouTube hook possible. 

Links to the filming and editing videos are below:

  • Filming Your First 30 Seconds (COMING SOON) Currently in Production
  • Editing Your First 30 Seconds (COMING SOON) Currently in Production

But first comes scripting. Make sure you watch this course before the others!

See you for our first lesson coming right up!

Meet Your Teacher

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Cal Hyslop MBA, University Instructor

Be Free to Do the Work You Want

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Level: Beginner

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Transcripts

1. Welcome to Class: If you're asked how to best hold years attention at the beginning of a YouTube video, what would you say? In this course? I'm going to show you how to use a three-part formula for scripting your next YouTube video and why it's essential that you get your first thirty-seconds of your video, right? Because if you lose the attention of viewers in the beginning, they may just click off and the rest of your video, We'll have been a wasted effort. Welcome to scripting your first thirty-seconds YouTube video. My name is Carol has slipped and I'll be your guide. I'm a YouTuber and content creator, probably not much different than yourself. And I'm excited to show you the tips and tricks I use for engaging videos. In this class, we'll cover why the first thirty-seconds of your video is crucial. One thought-provoking question that fuels internal dialogue. A full story snapshot of your video, setting the stakes for your video, reading out loud for time and your class project. So if you're looking for a method to better grab your YouTube viewers attention, then this is the course for you also. This is the first of three videos dedicated to scripting, filming, and editing the first 30 s of your YouTube videos. So be sure to check out video number two on filming and then video number three on editing. That way you can see how everything comes together for the most effective 30-second YouTube hook, possible links to the filming and editing videos are in the course description. But first *** scripting, make sure that you watch this course before the others. Okay, see you for our first lesson. Coming right up. 2. Why the First 30 Seconds is Crucial: So what's the big deal about the first thirty-seconds of a YouTube video? Well, U2 believes that if a video has a strong and engaging hook, then viewers are much more likely to stick around and watch the rest of that video. Just take a look at your analytics. What YouTube measures is a clue to what YouTube thinks is important. And by going into any videos analytics, you can see this revealing graph called key moments for audience retention. Notice that the first thirty-seconds is highlighted clearly. Youtube want you to pay special attention to this data. Something to understand and keep in mind when creating videos is the overall purpose of YouTube, which is number one, to serve viewers videos they like, and to keep them on the platform for as long as possible. And the first thirty-seconds have a lot to do with keeping viewers watching. A good video should do these three things. Number one, quickly and clearly show the viewer that they are in the right place to show the direction of the video going forward. N3, be short so the viewer can get into the main content as soon as possible. If you stick to these guidelines than Oswego, well, but the content you include in your hook can take many forms as it is a creative choice. However, there is a formula you may like to test on your own videos and see how it affects your percentage of viewers still watching around the 30-second mark. We're going to go through four examples plus one extra example that will serve as our main script. That main script will be for a mobile phone filmmaking channel on YouTube with the video title, film and edit YouTube videos on iPhone and this thumbnail. And all of our examples will include these three elements. Number one, a thought-provoking question, to a full story snapshot. And number three, clear stakes. So join me in the next video so we can get started scripting. 3. One Thought Provoking Question: Okay, so let's get into our three-part starting with number one. Try starting out your video with one thought-provoking question. If done correctly, then viewers will automatically have a quick internal dialogue with themselves and answer that question in their minds. This immediately gets viewers involved and invested in what you're going to say next. This works best if you make this question something your viewers will relate to. After all, as a YouTuber, you should have a pretty good idea who your viewers are, what their interests are, and what struggles they encounter regularly. Play off that information if possible, the result should have your viewer thinking, Hey, that sounds like me or I'm familiar with that. So how should you exactly Frazier first question? Well, I'm going to show you four examples, so you can use these and modify them to fit your videos. In here they are. Firstly, we have the F plus. Would you, for example, if you add the opportunity to collaborate with influencers in your industry, would you know what to do first? Second is the if plus do you think, for example, if your computer was being accessed by someone you didn't know, do you think you'd notice? Number three? What would you do if, for example, what would you do if you are given a thousand dollars to spend on camera gear and forth, how would you like to x by y? For example? How would you like to consistently find sponsors for your YouTube channel by only sending out three emails a week. Using these types of thought-provoking questions can really stimulate your viewers internal dialogue. Now let's create one thought-provoking question for our main example for our YouTube video. Here it is, How would you like to film and edit professional looking YouTube videos 100% on your phone. Did this spark any internal dialogue for you? Viewers probably already know that they can film great videos with special apps on their phone. But editing is usually done with expensive software on computers with big screens. If it was possible to do both filming and editing on a phone for a fraction of the cost, then that might spark some internal dialogue. When asked this question again, How would you like to film and edit professional-looking YouTube videos 100% on your phone? Yeah, that would be great, but how would that be possible? Let's see what they have to say next. Once we've got that internal dialogue happening, then we want to go immediately to the next step, which is the full story snapshot. We'll take a look at that in the next video. See you there. 4. Full Story Snapshot: One of the most important things of your needs in the beginning of any YouTube video is to know that they are in the right place. That means they immediately know that what was promised in the thumbnail and title is what will be included in the videos content. Otherwise, the viewer could become confused with a video or simply not care enough to wait and see what happens. That means the viewer leaves and looks for something else on YouTube. So that gets us into number two. A great strategy to use in the beginning is to let the viewer know what to expect and then later spend the bulk of your video showing them what the details are. This is best accomplished by essentially bullying down your full story into one sentence that follows this formula. I did x, but y, or I did x and y. Here are four examples that follow this formula. Number one, I reached out to 100 influencers and found that there's one question I asked, they got immediate attention. Number two, we challenge to top IP security professional to hack into our YouTube account and try to take it over. Three, we gave five professional filmmakers, a maximum of $1 thousand to make a cinematic living video from scratch. And they can't use anything other than what they buy with that cash in for. I was able to get a sponsor for every YouTube video I published in 2022. And I did it by following a proven email formula. You may have realized by now that these examples are continuation of the previous four examples using our lesson on starting with one thought-provoking question, I've intentionally made them all around a YouTube theme, since you're most likely a new or experienced YouTuber. So let's create a full story snapshot of our main example. Remember that the one thought-provoking question was the following. How would you like to film and edit professional-looking YouTube videos, 100% on your phone. The full story snapshot will be this. I recorded an entire YouTube video using only the filmic pro app, and I'm going to try and edit it all with the luma fusion app on my iPhone. That's our full story snapshot. But the icing on the cake is to have some element of stakes involved. That means that either the viewer or the character in the video has the potential for something to lose. This will help keep viewers watching for the entirety of the video. We'll talk more about what stakes you can use and how to use them in the next video. 5. Set the Stakes: Let's move on to number three. To keep your video moving and to give those in your videos something to strive for, you need to have stakes. The higher the better. Without stakes, the story may feel flat, the pacing may lag, and your viewers may get more stakes, make viewers interested in the outcome of your video. So you'll need to have one or more goals. A person or thing needs to want something. That person could be you or someone else in your video. There also has to be a potential obstacle getting in the way of that goal. This creates a situation where there is potential for failure. That possibility of failure is what is at stake. Here are four examples of stakes that you can use for your videos and which can be introduced and your videos hook for the first thirty-seconds. Number one, time, you can raise the stakes by limiting the time that a goal can be accomplished. If that goal can't be completed within that time limit than you or someone else fails. A simple example of this would be to introduce a clock counting down. You've seen this cliche before and movies when someone is trying to defuse a bomb. It could also be something as simple as possibly being late for a plane flight or an important meeting. Number two, loss of something valuable. You can raise the stakes. If there is something physical that could be lost if the goal is not accomplished. Perhaps there's a challenge where participants in the video have the opportunity to win a new computer or new car. Or perhaps your video stresses that they may lose money if the viewer does not take your advice, three, emotional distress, similar to the physical loss of something valuable, you can raise the stakes by creating a possible loss of something internal. If a goal is not accomplished, then there may be a loss of love, respect, reputation, or degree of happiness. To create emotional distress stakes, you will need to identify what the viewer cares about on an emotional level and show that this thing could be at risk of loss. Number four, necessary sacrifice. You can combine different stakes in a way that no matter what, there will be a loss. This could be where you or someone else in your video must choose between a loss of a or a loss of B. Perhaps you have a YouTube Travel Channel and are in a situation where you're traveling and needed choose between staying in a place that is very cheap, but in a more dangerous part of town, or going over budget and staying in a safer, more luxurious spot. The first option, you sacrifice a significant amount of safety. And in the second option, you sacrifice a significant amount of money. This will help keep viewers watching to see what eventually happens. Let's look again at our initial four examples and add stakes are first complete example. If you have the opportunity to collaborate with influencers in your industry, would you know what to do first? I reached out to 100 influencers and found that there's one question I asked that got immediate attention. But to get that immediate attention, I had to make sure I asked that question at the perfect time. This is our example of a time stake. Number two. If your computer was being accessed by someone you didn't know, do you think you'd notice? We challenged a TOP IT security professional to hack into our YouTube account and try to take it over. And if he's successful, we'll give him the next year's worth of all our channels ad revenue. Here, something physical at stake is money. Our third example, what would you do if you are given a $1000 to spend on camera gear? We gave five professional filmmakers, a maximum of $1000 to make a cinematic looking video from scratch. And they can't use anything other than what they buy with that cash, who will be able to pull it off and whose reputation will suffer? This is an example of some internal stake, specifically reputation. And number four, how would you like to consistently find sponsors for your YouTube channel by only sending out three emails a week, I was able to get a sponsor for every YouTube video I published in 2022. And I did it by following a proven email formula. But by sharing that formula with you and the rest of the world will most likely hurt my chances in the future. But I want to be truthful and helped my viewers. No matter what I do, I'm either going to lose my chances in the future or the respect of my viewers. Now that you've got a better idea about adding stakes, let's add some to our main example. Here's what we've created so far. How would you like to film and edit professional-looking you two videos, 100% on your phone. I recorded an entire YouTube video using only the filmic pro app, and I'm going to try and edit it all with the luma fusion app on my iPhone. But I'm concerned that it may be too difficult to edit everything on such a small screen with just an app and still end up with something worthy of publishing. If so, then this will all be a complete waste of time. The stakes here are somewhat twofold. Iris, the possibility of ending up with poor quality video. And if that ends up being the case, I've wasted or lost a lot of time. Nonetheless, there are clear stakes involved. But once you've got your thought-provoking question, story snapshot and stakes written out, you still have one more step before filming. You'll need to check things for timing. That's what we'll be looking at next. See you there. 6. Read Out Loud for Time: Time is of the essence when it comes to hooking your viewers attention. So the quicker you get your thought-provoking question, your full story snapshot and your stakes across to your audience, the better. And it really shouldn't take you longer than thirty-seconds. One of the easiest ways of checking your script for time is to read it out loud to yourself and time it on your phone and be sure to speak at the same pace you normally do in your videos. Let's time our main example now. How would you like to film and edit professional-looking YouTube videos, 100% on your phone. I recorded an entire YouTube video using only the filmic pro app, and I'm going to try and edit it all with the luma fusion app on my iPhone. But I'm concerned that it may be too difficult to edit everything on such a small screen with just an app and still end up with something worthy of publishing. If so, then this will all be a complete waste of time. If it turns out that your hook is shorter than thirty-seconds, then that's fine. However, if your hook is longer than 30 seconds, you have two options. Number one, you can speed up your speaking rate than time it again. Or number two, you can trim out the fat by looking for content that isn't essential to our three points of a hook. Anything that's in excess, take it out or reword it, and don't worry, you can include that information later in the main body of your video. But be sure not to miss out on your class project. I'll tell you more about that coming up in our next video. 7. Class Project: Congratulations. You should now have a working hook for your next YouTube video. Try practicing this technique for future videos. And remember that practice makes perfect. Also, remember that this is the first of three videos dedicated to scripting, filming, and editing the first thirty-seconds of your YouTube videos. So be sure to check out video number two on filming. In video number three on editing. That way you can see how everything comes together for the most effective 30-second YouTube hook, possible. Links to the filming and editing videos or in the course's description. Before going there, you have the opportunity to share your 30-second script with us here on Skillshare. Yes, that's your class project. And you've already completed it. If you've been writing as you've watched this course, all you need to do is take a photo of your script with your phone and uploaded here to Skillshare by clicking on the Create Project button under the projects and resources tab. I can't wait to see what you come up with. Also, thank you so much for being a part of this class and I hope to see you in the next course.