Hello hello, and welcome to the second issue of Off Script!

I’m still quite new to “this whole newsletter thing”:

• Writing each issue feels like climbing a mountain

• I still haven’t figured out how to properly embed videos & tweets

• I have no idea what I should be doing for the subject lines

• I’m 100% sure there are a million and one cool things I could be doing that I don’t even know exist yet

But regardless, we’re here. We’re showing up. Because it’s a Friday, and Fridays are Off Script days.

I hope you enjoy this week’s Off Script.

🎓 YouTube Academy

How to Rank in YouTube Search Results

YouTube is the second-largest search engine (the first is Google), and people use it to find videos on almost any topic imaginable. When someone searches for a certain topic on YouTube, YouTube uses keyword to connect the viewer with the videos most relevant for what they’re looking for.

By using the right keywords in your video title, description, and even spoken in the video itself, you can increase the chances of being shown in a viewer’s search results, leading to increased discoverability, views, and even subscribers.

We get it, ranking in YouTube search results is great. But how can you find the right keywords to target in your videos and titles?

Here’s how to conduct YouTube keyword research:

Step 1: Generate a List of Keyword Phrases

Begin by opening an incognito browser tab on YouTube. Start typing the main topic of your video into the search bar and note down the auto-filled suggestions. These suggestions are actual phrases people have searched for on YouTube, which gives you an idea of what viewers might be interested in. Remember to try out different formats of questions and statements around your topic, such as “how to ___” or “why is ___” to generative a diverse list of keyword phrases.

Step 2: Use TubeBuddy for Keyword Analysis

Install the TubeBuddy Chrome extension and link it to your YouTube account (it’s free, don’t worry.) Type in one of your keyword phrases from Step 1, and click “Show Keyword Score” on the TubeBuddy panel. You’ll be presented with an indication of the search volume (how often a term is searched) and competition (how many other videos are targeting the same keyword) of the keyword phrase you searched. You want to look for keywords with a high search volume and low competition. TubeBuddy scores keywords out of 100; aim for scores of 75 or higher.

Step 3: Experiment with Different Keywords

Experiment with adding different terms to your keyword phrases to increase their score. For instance, you could add “2023” or the word “beginner” to your keyword phrase. These additions can often increase the relevance of your keyword while reducing competition.

Step 4: Construct Your Title

Once you’ve identified the highest-scoring keywords, use them to construct your video title. If you can, structure your title in a way that sells the result of your video, without describing too much. You can combine multiple keyword phrases into a single title, but remember that YouTube’s character limit for titles is 100 characters. You can use tools like wordcounter.net to help keep track of your character count.

Step 5: Incorporate Your Targeted Keywords Elsewhere

Don’t just stop at your title. Add your keyword phrase(s) into the first line of your video’s description, and spoken within the video itself. The more your keyword phrase shows up in your video, the more likely your video is to rank for that keyword in YouTube search results.

This is a summarized lesson. You can find the full lesson on YouTube here.

🔎 Content Close-Up

In this week’s Content Close-Up, we’re taking a deep dive into an intriguing video by Ali Abdaal: 5 Steps to Start Your First Business: The CASTLE Method

Each of Ali’s videos is an absolute banger, but what drew me to this one particularly was how well Ali was able to direct traffic off of YouTube and into his own email list.

Let’s take a look at what makes this video so effective:

The Hook

Ali kicks off the video with a hook that directly addresses potential concerns or doubts his audience may have about starting a business:

• It sounds like an impossible task

• You might think you don’t have what it takes

• You might think you’re not very entrepreneurial

• You might know the statistic that 9/10 startups fail

In doing so, Ali proves how well he knows his audience. To the viewer, it feels like he’s speaking directly to them. Directly afterwards, Ali immediately provides a sense of hope by offering a “way out” through a specific framework he’ll cover in the video. This incentivizes the viewer to continue watching.

The Intro

Following the hook, Ali presents a promise of transformation. He asserts that if you follow the first two steps he outlines in his framework, you’ll create a minimum viable product (MVP) in less than two hours. This promise once again serves as an incentive for viewers to stay and engage with the video. At this point, Ali had his videos hooked. If they’ve made in this far, they’re likely going to remain watching for the duration of the video.

The Structure

Ali’s video is structured around a memorable, easy-to-digest acronym: CASTLE. This makes the contents of the video mor accessible. Ali continues to go through each step of the CASTLE framework one by one, balancing telling (overview of the concept) and showing (applying to concept to a business idea) for maximum learning and engagement.

The Credibility

Ali’s credibility shines through as he mentions his own experiences building a multi-million dollar business. Every time Ali addresses his own experience, he builds trust with his viewers. He’s not just “some business guru” on YouTube spouting “advice.” He’s actually walked the walk, and he proves it. But Ali doesn’t take this display of credibility too far - you never get the impression that he’s bragging. Instead, he remains likeable and relatable, reinforcing the idea that he’s just like you, which in turn makes the steps he outlines more attractive.

The Popular Culture

The video regularly references popular culture, with nods to Harry Potter and Twilight. By illustrating the popular and recognizable franchises early in his video, Ali effectively hooks any viewers who are Harry Potter or Twilight fans.

Directing Traffic Away from YouTube

Finally, Ali refers to an additional free resource multiple times within the video itself. The way he does so is masterful - you never get the sense that he’s “shilling” or leading you on. Instead, his rationale for directing you to an outside resource is that his 17-minute-long video is “long enough as is” and he couldn’t fit in all of the information he wanted to say. Ali pairs this redirection with a constant flow of usable, valuable information in the video itself - this proves to the viewer that Ali isn’t full of hot air, and that he knows what he’s talking about. As a result, they’re much more willing to trust that the free resource he keeps mentioning is truly worth their time. Ultimately, Ali is able to drive viewers on YouTube - viewers he knows nothing about, viewers he has no “ownership” of - to willingly give him their email addresses, allowing him to build up his email list and “own” more of his audience.

Find a video you want me to analyze? Reply to this email with the link!

🫰 First Impression Fixes

No one submitted their channel or video for a title & thumbnail review last week!

If you’d like to put yourself up for a free title & thumbnail review, reply to this email with your channel or with a specific video.

I’ll be kind, I promise.

🎭 Subscriber’s Stage

For this week’s Subscriber’s Stage, we’re featuring Fanilo Andrianasolo.

Fanilo is living proof that you don’t need to have a huge YouTube channel in order to have a large impact, and his channel is an inspiration for those within niche markets.

Here are a few reasons why Fanilo and his YouTube channel deserve recognition:

First, Fanilo is able to consistently deliver high-quality content, despite holding a full-time job. I struggle to stay consistent on YouTube, and it’s all I do. That’s some serious passion and commitment.

Part of what sets Fanilo apart is his unique ability to infuse humor into a typically dry niche: data science. His wit and personality shine through in his videos, adding a relatable and human element to complex topics. As a result, his videos are not only educational, but also highly entertaining.

I literally know nothing about data science, but I still laughed while watching some of his videos. If that’s not a testament to how you can make a video entertaining regardless of topic, I don’t know what is.

Despite being in a very niche field, Fanilo has built a strong and dedicated community around his channel. He often extends help and advice to his subscribers, even helping viewers with their Streamlit issues in the comments. His viewers truly appreciate his efforts, consistently expressing their support and gratitude in his comments sections and even contributing donations.

Check out Fanilo’s channel here to experience his unique blend of humor, data science knowledge, and community spirit.

🤔 Off The Record

It’s been a rough week.

Entrepreneurship is neither easy nor straightforward, and the phases of darkness can get quite brutal.

And in an effort to claw myself out of the pit that I was in, I took to Twitter and wrote two tweets.

The first one was about the feelings of hopelessness and despair that the entrepreneurial path sometimes brings.

The second was about how crushing rejection can feel

And to my utter amazement, I wasn’t alone.

My first tweet received 145 comments, and my second received 300.

These were comments from people across all different walks of life, bringing different perspectives. Many commenters were within my own network/audience. Many were not. But all brought with them a little slice of wisdom.

When I read through these comments, I felt the most supported I’ve felt in months. The countless words of encouragement brought me to tears. People shared their own stories, their own experiences, their own lessons. Many took things even further by sending me DMs.

I’m sure there’s something deep and profound I can say about the entire experience, but for now, I’ll just say this:

There have been many times along this creator journey of mine where I’ve needed a little bit of help. Where I’ve fallen into pits and needed a hand, or a few, to pick me back up, dust me off, and send me forward.

If not for the community I’ve built over the last 2 years, I would have given up many times over.

If I could give one piece of advice this week, it would be this:

And if you’re struggling with any of the same challenges I was going through this week, read through the comments of those two tweets. I hope you find the same answers I did.

With love,

Aprilynne

(P.S. I launched a new product this week! I now offer ultra-personalized YouTube channel reviews. A lot of you have asked for YouTube advice, but don’t want to pay for a full consultation or take a full course.

Now, for $100 you can get a 20-minute recording of me telling you everything I would do if I worked for you.

I’ll do a complete review of your channel, including feedback on your titles, thumbnails, hooks/intros, video structure, editing, aesthetics, video ideas, and strategy.

If this is something that’s appealing to you, you can get your channel review here.)