If I told you to think of a superhero, you might pull up a list of your favorite crime-fighting heroes. When we think of a hero, specifically an internet hero, it’s easy for Mr. Beast to be an option. Find out how Mr. Beast took over YouTube in just a matter of a few years.
Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as Mr. Beast is a 22-year-old American YouTuber. He is most commonly known for his expensive stunts and philanthropic activities on his youtube channel. 2018 was a stellar year for him. In January of that year, he had 20 million monthly views and 2 million subscribers. However, at the end of the year, it grew to 200 million monthly views and 12 million subscribers. How?
Here are five key areas where MrBeast excels in:
Thumbnail and Title
Thumbnail and title go hand in hand when you’re a youtube content creator. The concept behind getting clicks is that your thumbnail and title should be interesting enough to gain a click. It should serve as a teaser for what the whole video is about. However, be wary of appearing as spam or clickbait.
What MrBeast does differently is how his videos seem to be large in scope. It sometimes appears as if it is clickbait and too good to be true. Only for you to find out that it’s not. He creates so much buzz around his videos using the title and thumbnail. Observe his thumbnails too. It looks natural and simple. He stays away from photoshopped images that may emit the “polished” look.
Hero Content
This is what I was referring to in the first section. Some content creators rely on their personalities to maintain the following of their subscribers. MrBeast on the other hand creates larger-than-life scenarios and banks on trending topics.
Hero content is creating videos that are aimed more than just at your subscribers. It is creating a video that could reach a massive audience. This content is evident in his Fortnite donation drive and building a house using legos. He also tailors his videos to be 11-17 minutes long. Perfect for YouTube’s algorithm.
PewDiePie vs. T-Series
This by far is one of the most ingenious moves by MrBeast. What he did was put PewDiePie and T-Series against each other. This effectively made people choose sides. One might argue that only the two channels are benefitting. Look closely. MrBeast is in the middle of the battle. He even went the extra mile and bought all the billboards in his town to tell people to “Subscribe to Pewdiepie”. What he did is he leveraged on the popularity of the two competing channels to get views on his videos. Now that’s really clever.
Breaking the YouTube Algorithm
YouTube’s algorithm has changed over the years. Mr. Beast knows how to take advantage of this. According to ScaleLab, daily posts are no longer beneficial for a channel. A YouTuber’s Click Through Rate (CTR) defines the traffic in his channel. Notice that MrBeast only posts 2-3 videos per week.
This method gives his videos ample time to get impressions from viewers. If you post videos daily, the impressions of viewers would shift to the newer content. This take lowers your CTR score.
No Primary Format
The great thing about having no specific format is it keeps your viewers wanting more. It helps in sustaining their attention. Notice that his videos are a mix of listicles, reaction videos, and challenge videos.
Sometimes, his videos are a combination of multiple formats. This creates the idea in the viewers that his content is fresh and unique.
Are you impressed by how meticulously Mr. Beast creates content for his channel? If you are aiming to be a YouTube sensation, you might learn a thing or two from this article. If you wish to know more about earning money from YouTube, click here.
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Devin Caherly (born 03/17/2001) is an American teen entrepreneur and influencer. Caherly is most widely known for his TikTok account with over a million followers.