Read this if you care about YouTube.
Each newsletter designed to grow your channel.
ARTICLESeptember 3, 2026 · 5 min read
Non-Obvious Truths About Storytelling
Storytelling is definitely making a comeback as a priority. Everyone is collectively realising how important it is. Companies are now increasingly hiring dedicated "storyteller" roles after finding out that in fact, just paying excessive...
ARTICLEAugust 28, 2026 · 4 min read
Struggle is necessary to get good at YouTube
The demand for people that are actually “hardcore good” at YouTube has increased a LOT in the last 2 months. But what’s interesting is that “hardcore good” is the main criteria for a YouTubers who talk to me, wanting to hire someone to h...
ARTICLEAugust 6, 2026 · 13 min read
How To Develop Taste
Taste is the single most important skill to cultivate in a world of AI, if you're in a field where humanity matters. I'm blessed to have the privilege of working across many fields at once. Without trying to be too self-congratulatory, I...
ARTICLEJuly 31, 2026 · 3 min read
Open Loops — How to maximise YouTube longform video retention (simple -> advanced).
As a YouTuber, there’s one storytelling device you MUST use for your videos to perform well. It doesn’t matter how many subscribers you have; this will improve your views if you do it consistently. I’ve personally worked on many multi-mi...
ARTICLEJune 16, 2026 · 4 min read
For top 0.01% YouTubers who get stuck on future channel/video directions
Novel concepts for top 0.01% YouTubers to focus on: 1. Risk. - YouTube channels can go stale with riskless content - Bravery/boldness should be considered as a new variable to directly optimise for - “What‘s the version of this idea that...
ARTICLEJune 1, 2026 · 4 min read
Storytelling principles for newer YouTubers in 2026
Brief storytelling advice for newer YouTubers, from my experience working on a large number of multi-million view videos across different niches: 1. The title and thumbnail filter your viewer done to a very specific intent. A lot of “ret...
ARTICLEMay 25, 2026 · 5 min read
Proxy Strategy: A novel approach to optimal YouTube ideation, by using sacrificial channels for data
Barnes, a YouTube strategist who recently helped with the ideation of MrBeast's high-performing "trapped in a grocery store" video, wrote a thought provoking thread on the concept of mature ideation: https://x.com/Barnical_/status/205895...
ARTICLEFebruary 15, 2026 · 9 min read
How to thrive in an AI-agentic world
What you are able to do as a single human being is shifting entirely. The skills that we should prioritize learning are also shifting entirely. These days, I’m a doctor still working in clinics where on one week I’ll do stuff like cut ou...
ARTICLEJanuary 23, 2026 · 12 min read
The 11 Commandments of YouTube Storytelling (2026)
I've helped many YouTubers - of many sizes big and small - make multi-million view videos, a bunch of times. Unfortunately, I'm no genius. I just happen work with a lot of YouTubers, have spent a ridiculous amount of time thinking about...
ARTICLEJanuary 22, 2026 · 5 min read
How To Actually Make 1,000,000 View YouTube Videos
It's 1:59am. I need to go to sleep. But in my stupor, I want to be valuable. So, here's what I think of successful patterns for 1M+ view YouTube videos. The tl;dr for why you should believe me is that I've worked on more than I can count...
ARTICLEJanuary 21, 2026 · 3 min read
Human YouTubers in a world of hyper optimisation
I think there are a lot of smaller creators who are amazing. I’ve thought about YouTube storytelling for about 4-5 years now, with the core of the knowledge base being the direct studies of channels and videos…and so coming across videos...
ARTICLEJanuary 18, 2026 · 2 min read
A Trick For Advanced YouTubers: Video Gameization
There’s an exercise that I think will help the vast majority of YouTubers, even those with a few million subscribers: Every video — no matter what niche — should be thought of as making a video game. Your audience isn’t just passively in...
ARTICLEJanuary 8, 2026 · 2 min read
My prediction: a return to shorter long-form YouTube videos
I think there will be a return to shorter long-form content (~40 mins --> back to ~20 mins) . There has been a trend in the last two years of content getting longer and longer, sometimes reaching even 1 hour+ duration. I myself am guilty...
ARTICLEOctober 30, 2025 · 2 min read
The illusion of the ocean: a simple mindset shift to understand the economics of views that come from beyond YouTube.
YOUTUBE ECONOMICS: THE ILLUSION OF THE OCEAN If one were a fish in the ocean, we’d forget about the ocean, as it would simply appear to be everything. Knowing the sky exists would even be possible, though you’d be a real genius of a fish...
ARTICLEOctober 12, 2025 · 5 min read
Some condensed Vidsummit 2025 reflections.
Vidsummit 2025 was lovely. Many people don’t know this, but I still actively work as a doctor in Australia, whilst balancing my own channels/doing YouTube strategy/building things for CreatorSide. I’m likely taking over some clinics next...
ARTICLESeptember 20, 2025 · 4 min read
If you’re an anime studio releasing an anime movie…
Wrote a much bigger tweet but it didn’t save properly, so here’s the short version of something super niche. How do you make $70M USD in a weekend with YouTube? Long story short, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle had the highest grossing ope...
ARTICLEApril 12, 2025 · 3 min read
Patterns of ultra-viral cultural memes
✨STORYTELLING CONCEPT: PERI-VIDEO EXPERIENCE ✨ I think there’s definitely something significant to take away from the success of the Minecraft movie. Despite the movie itself apparently being terrible, the memes around it have been stron...
ARTICLEMarch 30, 2025 · 2 min read
Momentum
✨YouTube Storytelling Concept: MOMENTUM I’d like to briefly talk about momentum. I believe it’s a vital concept for retention and making a great experience for viewers… But it is somewhat difficult/abstract to characterise, so I just am...
ARTICLEFebruary 3, 2025 · 1 min read
Hook-Event-Payoff: a classic building block of a YouTube video's storytelling.
📝 This is the Hook-Event-Payoff structure. It is a very important foundational building block of modern YouTube storytelling. And once you learn about it...you'll start to see it everywhere. Here's exactly how to use it in your YouTube...
ARTICLEFebruary 3, 2025 · 4 min read
11 Commandments of YouTube Storytelling for 2025
Here’s my 11 commandments for YouTube storytelling in ✨2025✨ for better retention and therefore more views. I've been behind the scenes of many multi-million view videos. May this be helpful to both new and seasoned YouTubers. 🧵/11 1. P...
ARTICLEDecember 8, 2024 · 3 min read
Mark Rober’s genius Black Friday timing hack, for creators with businesses.
Mark Rober is a YouTuber with 174,000,000+ views… In the last 7 days alone. He engineers inventions for his channel that go viral. But he’s also got a creator business strategy that I guarantee 99% of people won’t find. It’s *insanely* s...
ARTICLEDecember 6, 2024 · 2 min read
Negative Outliers
Let’s introduce a new concept to the YouTube meta that doesn’t yet have a name… 🔻Negative Outliers🔻 This lets you save time, use objective evidence to predict video performance in advance, and save your money for the bangers. Concise �...
ARTICLENovember 9, 2024 · 3 min read
Reasons for creator downfalls and strategies for preventing them
This tweet will probably only really matter to 1% of creators, but here goes. This is a draft ⚠️so consider this a rough brainstorm, rather than a validated thesis. It comes mainly from a place of thinking about YouTube everyday for year...
ARTICLEOctober 30, 2024 · 3 min read
Specific hook strategies from a 1M+ view educational video I made
Writing a good hook in educational YouTube videos can literally be the difference between 100 views and a few hundred thousand views. I help others with YouTube strategy, but I also have my own YouTube channel where I got 1M+ views for a...
STORYTELLINGOctober 27, 2024 · 4 min read
How To Push The Limits Of Your YouTube Skill: What Herbie Hancock Learnt
Herbie Hancock learnt how to play fast, which eluded him for many years. This was his lesson from trumpet player Donald Byrd, and how I think you can take that for YouTube.
ARTICLEOctober 25, 2024 · 2 min read
YouTube Economics 101: for understanding the flows/systems of how videos get views
When YouTubers want to get more views for YouTube, it really helps to understand the economics of how YouTube views work. I think both YouTubers and YouTube strategists think about this in slightly different ways, but I've made this diag...
ESSAYOctober 23, 2024 · 6 min read
The Post-Views Era: When YouTubers Care About More Than Becoming Huge
A shift is happening in who we want to become as YouTubers. The future isn't about getting as many views as possible — it's about something deeper.
ANALYTICSOctober 6, 2024 · 12 min read
Interpreting Retention Graphs
The retention graph is the single best quantitative tool for understanding how audiences react to your content. Here's my personal approach to reading them.
ALGORITHMOctober 5, 2024 · 5 min read
The YouTube Algorithm Explained
Everything you need to know about the YouTube algorithm — a comprehensive guide with deep algorithm insights and actionable strategies for every level.
STORYTELLINGSeptember 23, 2024 · 14 min read
21 Commandments of YouTube Storytelling
Whether you're new to YouTube or an experienced creator, these principles can elevate your content and keep your audience engaged from start to finish.
ARTICLESeptember 20, 2024 · 3 min read
My thoughts on approaching being a creator in a psychologically healthier way, and how important it is to long-term success.
Really enjoyed this and think Mario is wise. But to expand a lot on the idea of views affecting one’s mood/self-esteem: High performers — people who are often friends of mine either because of YouTube, or because they’re doctors/surgeons...
ARTICLEAugust 22, 2024 · 1 min read
Time to First Emotion (TTFE)
Time To First Emotion (TTFE) It is a concept I’ve made up basically to emphasise the need for an early viewer emotion to occur, as an important way to reaffirm the click. The problem with many people’s understanding of reaffirming the cl...
ARTICLEAugust 20, 2024 · 1 min read
Interview for 1of10 talking super in-depth about many useful aspects of YouTube Storytelling
STORYTELLING MASTERCLASS with DOCTOR @dabidoYT 1of10 Podcast ep.4: - How he helped get 1M views in 7 days - Storytelling tips for beginners and advanced creators - Reaffirming the click - The Hero's Journey - Up-to-date strategies Also g...
ARTICLEJune 3, 2024 · 2 min read
The necessity of a longitudinally-based attention infrastructure i.e. "How To Fix Pixar"
𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅 𝗣𝗶𝘅𝗮𝗿 I like Pixar. I liked Elemental and Turning Red. But Pixar is in trouble. In one sentence: they’ve lost the ability to capture attention where it’s needed. This means that they have to turn to sequels to be...
ARTICLEMay 7, 2024 · 1 min read
Miscellaneous thoughts from 6hr car ride brainstorm
Three potentially life-changing thoughts for YouTubers: 1. Outlier strategy is incredibly effective, but…why does it have to stop at video ideation? > If you abstract outlier strategy to the entirety of a channel — or even your understan...
ARTICLEMay 3, 2024 · 6 min read
Why AVD and CTR used to be thought of as great metrics…and why for the moment, people think of them as “bad” metrics.
YOUTUBE ESSAY: THE DEATH OF AVD AND CTR For those who are either fairly new to this side of YouTube Twitter or just confused, I’ll just quickly explain the whole “AVD sucks” and “CTR sucks” thing, because there’s a bit of history that’s...
ARTICLEApril 29, 2024 · 1 min read
Golden rule of YouTube
Regardless of literally every other rule, there is only one true golden rule of YouTube: > Focus on viewer satisfaction. I don't even mean this in a vague artistic sense or from a place of idealism. Of course, making the best video possi...
ARTICLEFebruary 15, 2024 · 2 min read
OpenAI's Sora and why it will change YouTube forever
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗔𝗜'𝘀 '𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗮' 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 (𝗗𝗮𝗯𝗶 𝗘𝘀𝘀𝗮𝘆) This video is AI. In fact, every video in this thread is AI. And this is a moment that will permanently change YouTube, and the w...
ARTICLEFebruary 12, 2024 · 5 min read
The YouTube Course ecosystem (Feb 2024)
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 The YouTube education landscape continues to grow and evolve. But how do you know if a YouTube course is right for you? I’ve screenshotted some curriculums for you to see, as well as my personal experience d...
ARTICLEJanuary 12, 2024 · 3 min read
Rhythm in YouTube storytelling
𝗥𝗵𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 Understanding rhythm is an unfair advantage in YouTube storytelling. It is underappreciated by many, yet critical for every viewer’s experience. The specific reason is because it...
ARTICLEJanuary 10, 2024 · 5 min read
A proposed framework for developing a healthier relationship with YouTube as a creator
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 I’ve been thinking about the announcement of two classic YouTubers saying goodbye on their channels, Tom Scott and The Game Theorists (MatPat and team). Is it possible to understand complete...
ARTICLEDecember 23, 2023 · 1 min read
Can you use an iPhone microphone as a vlogging microphone?
So, I've noticed YouTubers starting to use iPhone microphones. But actually, how good is the sound quality compared to lav mics? I tested the following: - iPhone 15 Pro Max Microphone - Rode Wireless Go II - DJI Mic - Sennheiser MKH416 (...
ARTICLEDecember 1, 2023 · 3 min read
Compilation #1 of many thumbnails
a banger YouTube video starts from a great idea, but superb ideas are inspired by other ideas. so, here’s a mega compilation of high performing YouTube thumbnails that go hard + a series of mini-essays. many 1M+ view examples. not a conv...
ARTICLEJuly 16, 2023 · 1 min read
Why you can have heaps of views with “bad” AVD…and why one can have poor views with “good” AVD.
I wanna join the retention debate 🥺 - squiggly line importANT 😤 - me help squiggly line be less squiggly! yay - ⬆️ views uwu - but squiggly line change when views :( - therefore AVD useless…? 🥺 - but views increased so :D - is just na...
ARTICLEJuly 12, 2023 · 2 min read
The editing mistake that literally almost everybody makes, no matter how good you are or how long you’ve been editing for: repetition and its abstract variants.
By far one of the most common problems in YouTube editing that both new and surprisingly experienced editors get wrong, is too much repetition. The reason it’s so hard to be aware of is because it’s not as simple as “delete a specific wo...
ARTICLEJuly 2, 2023 · 5 min read
My approach to diagnosing underperformance in YouTube videos
If YouTube videos are underperforming,I think there are only really a few main causes for why this may happen that cover the majority of cases. These can be systemically broken down to give you perspective as to what may be going wrong....
ARTICLEJune 25, 2023 · 2 min read
How to interpret retention graphs. An absolutely critical skill for YouTubers.
Improving retention gets you more views for your YouTube videos. Therefore, if you want to grow your YouTube channel, you must learn how to interpret them and learn from retention graphs. So, here is my in-depth excerpt from my NEWLY UPD...
ARTICLEJune 15, 2023 · 2 min read
Elements in music applied to storytelling
But of course, it's this Twitter account, so I guess the question is always...how does it relate back to YouTube? 1. REFERENCES: The chords before the chorus go A -> B -> Db. This flat 6th and flat 7th chords is actually the same kind yo...
ARTICLEJune 11, 2023 · 2 min read
Thoughts on whether retention, a classic metric of the YouTube algorithm, matters or not. And a common misinterpretation of it.
YouTube definitely cares about retention. They’ve stated this publicly (attached from https://t.co/KRpTweoI0M ). What YouTube hasn’t publicly discussed, and I think is unfortunate because people just make the conclusion “retention doesn’...
ARTICLEJune 11, 2023 · 3 min read
A path to learning storytelling for YouTube
A path to learning storytelling for YouTube: 1. Watch - the videos that you like. 2. Introspect - what feelings did you like about them? 3. Analyse - what components led you to feel those feelings in the video that you liked? There’s usu...
ARTICLEMay 29, 2023 · 2 min read
Density and observation as tools in YouTube storytelling.
In YouTube storytelling, you don’t need speed - you need density. Big difference. I continue to observe channels blowing up on the back of super well thought out videography and scripting, without the need for either to go super fast. Sp...
ARTICLEMay 12, 2023 · 4 min read
On creating original YouTube ideas, and inputs/outputs.
Here’s how to generate YouTube stories that are original yet compelling: 1. Go outside of YouTube. Your inputs and your filters define your outputs, so if you want to create something super original on the platform, it means going outsid...
ARTICLEJanuary 23, 2023 · 1 min read
Basics for getting retention right in the hook.
Here’s 7 quick ways to improve retention on the hook on YouTube. 1. Reaffirm the click. 2. Think about your unresolved questions. 3. Pace faster at the beginning. 4. Progress the plot soon after the premise is stated. 5. Make sure the st...
ARTICLEJanuary 8, 2023 · 1 min read
‼️ Mastering conceptual packaging and thumbnails on YouTube.
To grow on YouTube, you absolutely need to master the triad of packaging: 🔺idea, title, thumbnail. Here’s 7 principles that will help you, based on banger videos that skyrocketed in views when published. You won’t have seen some of thes...
ARTICLEJanuary 7, 2023 · 1 min read
How to communicate complex ideas in a YouTube video, whilst avoid retention dips.
~COMPLEXITY~ YouTube is harder than my work as a doctor in one sense: as a doctor, I only have a single person to tailor a message to. But for the biggest YT’ers, you guys have literally millions of people at once. Here’s how ideas from...
ARTICLEJanuary 4, 2023 · 1 min read
How to make better YouTube videos — first principles and a ‘deliberate practice’ methodology from the world of game design.
The simplest way to succeed on YouTube is to make incredible videos and make lots of them. Masahiro Sakurai is the creator of Super Smash Bros,, Kirby, and countless iconic titles. Turns out his method for designing games is directly app...
ARTICLEDecember 27, 2022 · 1 min read
Personal case study on one of my own channels about the relationship between CTR and impressions.
Here’s a small riddle for YouTubers. This is my CTR for one video on one of my channels. As you can see, the CTR absolutely *tanked*. Q: What happened? And is this a good or bad thing? 🧵/5
ARTICLEDecember 20, 2022 · 1 min read
The YouTube Algorithm - this is a briefer version of the full write-up at academy.dabido.com.au.
THE YOUTUBE ALGORITHM There’s a lot of misinformation about the YT algo going around right now. For new YouTubers: let me explain how it works. This *shouldn’t* be news or controversial to experienced creators. 🧵/13 1. Watch time matter...
ARTICLEDecember 15, 2022 · 3 min read
About how to use stakes in YouTube storytelling.
In YouTube storytelling, there’s a 3x3x3 grid of stakes. In descending complexity for each set: 1. Stated 2. Realised 3. Implied a. Fake b. Real c. Authentic x. Physical y. Emotional z. Existential What happens if you use these for your...
ARTICLEDecember 12, 2022 · 17 min read
This thread is literally 100 tweets about YouTube storytelling and filmography. The biggest and craziest thread I’d ever written to date, and probably one of the most helpful.
If you master YouTube storytelling, you'll definitely grow your YouTube channel. If someone made a thread with *100* tips about YouTube storytelling, that would be *absurdly* valuable, right? But would anyone actually do that...? 🧵/100...
ARTICLEDecember 11, 2022 · 1 min read
Thumbnail megathread.
There’s no University for how to design YouTube thumbnails. So…here’s 60 thumbnails in a single megathread to learn from. 🧵/4 - Always design with mobile first in mind. It’ll be small! - Always think carefully about composition. 1:1, 1:...
ARTICLENovember 27, 2022 · 2 min read
Some principles for writing YouTube titles.
A great YouTube title for a video is absolutely critical for views. Here’s a few principles for how to write them, as I was asked. 🧵/ 10 1. Generally, use active rather than passive verbs. “I Ate The World’s Largest Apple” ✨beats✨ “The...
ARTICLENovember 5, 2022 · 1 min read
Retention killers to avoid when making hooks for YouTube videos
Bad retention kills the chance of your YouTube video performing well. Here’s 7 retention killers *just for the hook* you need to know about, that I’ve made mistakes on but also keep seeing others repeat. 🧵/7 1a. A hook that’s too fast t...
ARTICLEOctober 24, 2022 · 2 min read
Preliminary guidance on YouTube Shorts storytelling.
YouTube Shorts is something that can explode channel growth, but guidance on storytelling here is lacking. Until now. I ended up doing my own analysis on what makes Shorts successful. Here’s my preliminary findings. 🧵/ 4 1a. The best Sh...
ARTICLEOctober 14, 2022 · 6 min read
Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling, but applied to YouTube.
Here's Pixar's 22 Rules of Storytelling, but applied to YouTube. Better story means higher retention and more views. This is the ultimate storytelling framework for new and seasoned YouTubers alike 🧵/22 1. "You admire a character for tr...
ARTICLESeptember 22, 2022 · 1 min read
Useful websites for YouTubers.
These 7 websites are so insanely useful for YouTubers that they actually feel illegal to know. I guarantee you won’t know some of them. 🧵/7 1. Pexels. Free stock footage. 2. Descript. Deep fake your voice with it, but it also lets you e...
ARTICLESeptember 22, 2022 · 1 min read
How to make a YouTube hook that performs well.
The hook is possibly the single most important aspect of YouTube storytelling, because it is a huge part of retention and therefore views. 🧵/11 1. The first 5 secs are enough for a viewer to decide whether to watch or not. 2. Honour the...
ARTICLESeptember 2, 2022 · 3 min read
11 more tips for YouTube storytelling!
Here’s 11 more tips for YouTube storytelling, for better retention and therefore more views. Once again, it’s for new and seasoned YouTubers. 🧵/11 1. The opening visuals of the hook should match the thumbnail. That immediate feedback is...
ARTICLEAugust 31, 2022 · 4 min read
Here’s my 11 commandments for YouTube storytelling for better retention and therefore more views.
Here’s my 11 commandments for YouTube storytelling for better retention and therefore more views. I hope this is helpful to both new and seasoned YouTubers alike. 🧵/11 1. A banger title/thumbnail can’t arise from non-banger idea. Spendi...
My 5 Day YouTube Growth Blueprint
(Using insider tactics from 1,000,000-view channels)
Sign up to my FREE email course that will teach you how to:
- Get more views
- Increase retention
- Make better ideas, titles, and thumbnails
- Have hooks that captivate viewers
- Implement YouTube storytelling principles for videos that grow your channel and your brand