Thread
Ideas from @mrbeast on @lexfridman that I’m downloading to my brain:
Amazing pod on obsession, YouTube, and building a creative team.
Here's what I wrote down, with some personal takeaways at the end.
"Don't focus on metrics. Just focus on making the best videos possible and the metrics will be taken care of."
Here's what I wrote down, with some personal takeaways at the end.
"Don't focus on metrics. Just focus on making the best videos possible and the metrics will be taken care of."
On evergreen videos:
"It's much easier to get 10M views on 1 video, than 100,000 on 100 videos. Because if you make a good video, it’s so evergreen, and never dies."
"It's much easier to get 10M views on 1 video, than 100,000 on 100 videos. Because if you make a good video, it’s so evergreen, and never dies."
On retention:
"The longer people watch, the more likely they are to keep watching. You don't need to try as hard in the back half as you do in the front. Get people where they’re really immersed and hold them there."
"The longer people watch, the more likely they are to keep watching. You don't need to try as hard in the back half as you do in the front. Get people where they’re really immersed and hold them there."
On hiring:
"Hire hard workers, who are really obsessed, coachable, and train them for YouTube."
"People who see the value in the work." (Not people using MrBeast to get to TV/Movies)
"Hire hard workers, who are really obsessed, coachable, and train them for YouTube."
"People who see the value in the work." (Not people using MrBeast to get to TV/Movies)
On managing creatives:
"The more constraints you put on the team- the more repetitive and less innovation you get. After 10 videos people will say ‘Alright I'e already seen this.'"
"The more constraints you put on the team- the more repetitive and less innovation you get. After 10 videos people will say ‘Alright I'e already seen this.'"
"The only way to make innovative content is to not put constraints on, our put as little as possible."
On talking to camera:
"When I look at camera, I don't see a camera. I'm picturing what the viewer sees when they watch it."
"I can perfectly picture what I’m filming by looking at the camera and putting myself through lens of camera- while making content- I do it at same time."
"When I look at camera, I don't see a camera. I'm picturing what the viewer sees when they watch it."
"I can perfectly picture what I’m filming by looking at the camera and putting myself through lens of camera- while making content- I do it at same time."
“It’s harder for me to talk to a person, than it is to talk to a camera."
On cloning himself:
"I have people in company who can think like me, make decisions like me. They'd make the same decision. For 4-5 years me and (CEO) spent an absurd time together."
"I have people in company who can think like me, make decisions like me. They'd make the same decision. For 4-5 years me and (CEO) spent an absurd time together."
"I’m a big fan of finding people who are super obsessed and all-in and A players that really just want to be great, and then just dumping everything I have into them."
On inspiration:
"The only way I’ve found to consistently come up with 100M videos is to intake inspiration and see what my brain outputs."
"The only way I’ve found to consistently come up with 100M videos is to intake inspiration and see what my brain outputs."
On titles:
"The more extreme the opinion, typically the higher the click through rate. If you can pay it off in the content, that supercharges it."
"The more extreme the opinion, typically the higher the click through rate. If you can pay it off in the content, that supercharges it."
On the next @MrBeast:
“The next MrBeast isn’t going to do what I'm doing better. They’ll invent their own lane.”
“The next MrBeast isn’t going to do what I'm doing better. They’ll invent their own lane.”
On starting YouTube from zero:
“All you have to do is make 100 videos and improve something every time.”
“All you have to do is make 100 videos and improve something every time.”
On learning:
“I always feel like I need to be learning something to justify the time I’m spending.”
“I always feel like I need to be learning something to justify the time I’m spending.”
On when to experiment (this one is huge):
"You don’t want to test new things when you plateau/downtrend. If you have a bad experiment, now you’re nosediving. You want to test things while you’re still growing, to keep the growing happening. "
"You don’t want to test new things when you plateau/downtrend. If you have a bad experiment, now you’re nosediving. You want to test things while you’re still growing, to keep the growing happening. "
On making apps/games:
"Steve Jobs didn’t know how to code. He just knew how to make a good product. Just like with YouTube, I just want to obsess over making a great product and things my audience will love.”
"Steve Jobs didn’t know how to code. He just knew how to make a good product. Just like with YouTube, I just want to obsess over making a great product and things my audience will love.”
On path to $100B:
"My goal (I’m a broken record) is to make the best videos possible. I know whatever else I want will come [from that]. So the path to $100B is keep getting 100M views a video, or more."
"My goal (I’m a broken record) is to make the best videos possible. I know whatever else I want will come [from that]. So the path to $100B is keep getting 100M views a video, or more."
On obsession:
"It's this, or I'm dead."
"Every level I got up- *where are all the [1M,20M subscriber] psychopaths?* Every step of the way I just got more and more lonely,"
"It's this, or I'm dead."
"Every level I got up- *where are all the [1M,20M subscriber] psychopaths?* Every step of the way I just got more and more lonely,"
"There's just not many people that want to give up everything, go all-in, and then obsess over making the best god-damn videos every day of their lives." - @MrBeast
Biggest takeaways for me, as I build my own creative team:
- Give editors freedom, limit constraints to keep things fresh
- See everything through mind of viewer
- Experiment when growing, not plateauing/downtrending
- Surround yourself with obsessed humans
- Give editors freedom, limit constraints to keep things fresh
- See everything through mind of viewer
- Experiment when growing, not plateauing/downtrending
- Surround yourself with obsessed humans
