Transcription
Mr. beat, a millionaire, has the world's largest YouTube channel with over 345 million subscribers. 50% of his videos have reached 100 million views, and over 90% have exceeded 10 million views. Many people still say it's just luck. Like when I analyzed Lê Tuấn Khang's videos, many said he was lucky, but how can someone be as lucky as Mr. beat? His luckiest video reached 722 million views, and even his "unlucky" videos all have over 10 million views.
After many hours watching and studying Mr. beat's videos and podcasts, I've deduced some formulas and key points about his video-making methods. I must admit, I was incredibly frustrated and dizzy after watching so many of Mr. beat's videos. However, there's so much to learn. Not long ago, an internal training document prepared by Mr. beat himself was leaked. And if you're curious about Mr. beat's thoughts, I've included the download link below.
Now, after researching Mr. beat's latest and most viral videos, let's delve into his methods for scripting, storytelling, editing, and special effects. Honestly, there's so much to cover, so within this video's scope, I'll focus on storytelling and editing.
First, for those just starting out, with ideas and plans to make YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, or other social media videos, Mr. beat has this advice: In a podcast with Lex, he was asked what new creators with no experience or money should do for their first 10 videos. His response: "First video is not going to get views, period. It's not your first 10; they are not going to get views. I can very confidently say that. So stop sitting there and thinking for months and months on end, and just get to work and start uploading. Like, all you need to do—this applies to people who haven't uploaded videos but have dreams of being a YouTuber—is make 100 videos and improve something every time. Do that, and then on your 1001st video, we'll start talking." This really enlightened me.
The truth is, there's no single formula for success. Success requires a unique path. Of course, there are some commonalities, but there will never be universal advice applicable to everyone. After completing the first 100 videos, improving each time, you'll learn a lot, and the 100th video will undoubtedly be much better than the first. That's the foundation, and then you can ask others for advice. Because by then, you'll have experience and understanding of video making. From video 100 onwards, the chances of success will start to appear; you'll start to get luckier.
During the video-making process, you'll inevitably face many fears: standing in front of a camera, speaking alone, feeling awkward, etc. Then there's the fear of editing—cutting this part or leaving that part. Then, the fear of completing a video and uploading it to YouTube, even fearing to make it public for fear of criticism. There are many fears, and overcoming them is part of growing up. When we overcome many fears, our chances of success increase. So, make videos! And if you've made your first video, congratulations—you've passed a milestone.
Before diving into video editing, I want to introduce three crucial metrics that determine success on social media. In English, they are:
The first is the click-through rate (CTR). When you upload a video to a social media platform like YouTube, your video will appear in the platform's recommendations. If it appears 100 times and gets clicked on 10 times, the CTR is 10%. Similarly, 20 clicks is a 20% CTR. On YouTube, users rely on the video title and thumbnail to click.
Mr. beat's key is to make everything more extreme to increase the click-through rate. From the idea stage, Mr. beat makes it more extreme. For example, "sitting 50 hours in front of my house" sounds pretty normal. But "sitting 50 hours in a bathtub full of ketchup" sounds much more extreme. "I survived 50 hours in a bathtub full of ketchup—here's how," is much more attention-grabbing.
For a hobbyist channel, for example, instead of "I don't like this microphone," try "this is the worst microphone on Earth"—you'll see which is more extreme and appealing, right? The thumbnail should relate to the title and reflect the content; make it more extreme. This sets expectations.
Spend more time on the title and thumbnail; it's worth it. After they click on the video based on expectations, what do you do? You're not mistaken—generating 5 million views from one video is easier than generating 50,000 views from 100 videos. In other words, focus on quality over quantity. Everyone knows quality is better than quantity, but what constitutes quality? Here, video quality is measured by two factors: average view duration and audience retention. Make viewers stay as long as possible, even rewinding, to increase the retention rate. If it reaches several hundred percent, your video will go viral and succeed.
The key to editing a great video is to keep viewers engaged. This involves effects, arrangement, and layout. Mr. beat's internal document (link below) mentions a four-part video structure. Understanding this structure is essential for effective editing. Mr. beat divides it into four parts: the first 60 seconds, the first half of the first half, the second half of the first half, and the last half of the video. We try to make each part engaging, but prioritize sections with high viewership. The first 60 seconds gets the most views, then the first half of the first half, followed by the second half of the first half, and finally, the last half. Mr. beat says the last half is viewed subconsciously. Keep viewers engaged through the first half, and they'll likely continue watching. Focus more time on the first half; spend less time on the latter.
Theoretically, I've analyzed many of Mr. beat's recent, high-view videos. His average video length is around 13 minutes. Recently, even YouTube says longer videos get better recommendations, and Mr. beat has increased his average video length to 23 minutes. Currently, longer videos are prioritized, get more views, and earn more money—YouTube says so. But don't blindly follow suit by making videos as long as Mr. beat's. His videos are increasingly higher quality, and importantly, his production team has 400 people. New creators should make shorter videos. Shorter videos have advantages: less shooting and editing, more videos produced, higher success rates, platforms prefer them, and viewers watch faster. While value may be debated, shorter videos have a higher success rate.
First, let me thank our sponsor, Epidemic Sound, for sponsoring this content. Creating videos in your desired style has never been easier. Visit epidemicsound.com, enter the song title, artist name, or paste a Spotify link to instantly get suitable music suggestions. This simple search function works on the web, mobile app, and plugins for DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Audition. Epidemic Sound has upgraded its library to 250,000 Hollywood-standard sound effects. Combined with AI technology and intelligent search, it helps you find perfect sounds faster. Music and effects are crucial for creating emotion in your videos. Try the SoundArt or Find Similar features to find similar songs or search by category or context to make your story more vivid. Ready to elevate your videos? Click the link in the description to explore this vast, high-quality music library.
Although Mr. beat is a famous, generous person who can give millions of dollars, he's very frugal when it comes to cameras. He never buys expensive cinema cameras but buys many small handheld cameras for his team members. Mr. beat doesn't lack money; he chooses small, numerous cameras for each team member to shoot with, fostering creativity and unexpected elements. This results in more shots and angles. Typically, Mr. beat uses 10 cameras, sometimes 30, with no script. Each person films, and everything is spontaneous. Beyond the main camera following the character, there are various additional angles: wide shots of the yacht, aerial shots, shots of the character from afar, and interior shots of the yacht. I won't delve into filming techniques, but the key is multiple, diverse angles.
The most important aspect is post-production editing. Let's start with the first technique: rhythm. Do you remember the 6-second rule I mentioned? I studied and analyzed over 6000 cuts in Mr. beat's highest-viewed videos, totaling 2 hours and 34 minutes. Dividing 6000 cuts gives us 1.5 seconds per cut—an incredibly fast cut. To illustrate, watch my analysis of Lê Tuấn Khang's videos. His average cut length is 2.8 seconds; feature films average 3-6 seconds. Mr. beat's videos have continuous cuts, keeping things fresh, switching angles continuously to keep viewers engaged. They don't have time to get bored because they are constantly processing new shots and information.
Mr. beat further uses sound and visual effects to maintain novelty and excitement. Remember how Lê Tuấn Khang exaggerated everything—washing machines, air conditioners, refrigerators, snoring—everything amplified? Mr. beat does this too, but on a higher level—bigger, more colossal, unique, and unprecedented. This exaggeration intensifies the drama and adds surprising emotional impact. If you want viral videos, from the idea stage, think big.
The video is already over 10 minutes, so let me quickly touch on how you can exaggerate when editing. The first technique is creating contrast: black and white, good versus evil, light versus dark. This can be achieved using background music. For example, in a survival video, introducing a bright island, you might hear upbeat music followed by darker music for the survival aspect—creating emotional contrast. If unsure about contrasts, use ChatGPT to list contrasting emotions. Skillfully arrange footage, scripts, and storytelling to create contrast.
Another simple yet surprisingly effective technique is abruptly cutting music. This creates an unexpected silence, making viewers wonder, "Where's the music? What's happening?" While they're curious, continue the story.
Finally, use sound effects. For any visible action—throwing a bag, breaking branches, chopping coconuts, drinking coconut water—add sound effects. Even for invisible actions, add sound effects to enhance imagination. Visible actions include sounds like a coconut cracking or water flowing. For invisible actions, like zooming out for an aerial shot, add bird sounds to create the illusion of height. Sound effects can amplify the clip and exaggerate actions and everything in the video.
Thank you for watching. If you'd like me to analyze other YouTube channels or personalities, comment below. I'll analyze them soon.