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How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

simonwillison.net

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Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#121

Post by smsm42 »

tmoertel wrote: post #11

From the referenced doc: > CTR is basically how many people see our thumbnail in their feeds divided by how many that click it. That's actually 1/CTR. Another example of math fluency not being required for success at the top.

I think it's a good example of understanding how people think is good for the success at the top. Out of 1000 people asking "Wtf is CTR now?" maybe one needs a precise definition usable for immediate conversion to the programming code. That's the person for whom CTR and 1/CTR difference is important. The other 999 need to understand what's this term is used to measure and where it comes from - and for them this explanation is just fine. They are not people who make decisions or calculations based on it - those already know what CTR is. They are random people that need to fit a new thing into their mental model - and they won't even notice the difference, especially given the followup explanation.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#122

Post by mrkramer »

talldayo wrote: post #61
mrkramer wrote: post #12

I respect his dedication and grind....I prefer more YouTube pop culture and YouTubers than TikTok and TikTokers. YouTube is so much better.

Trying to discern whether YouTube or TikTok influencers are better than the other is like picking which tooth you want pulled. Both are so gratingly painful even compared to normal cable television. I have really no respect for the people that abuse a broken status quo to only improve their own personal standing. The fact that a lot of HNers seem to look up to Mr. Beast is almost as tellingly acerbic as the reliance…

>Both are so gratingly painful even compared to normal cable television.

This is the new type of cable television and it's free. Yea sure I pay it with my data but at least I don't need to spit out money every month to watch it.

>I have really no respect for the people that abuse a broken status quo to only improve their own personal standing.

Again, entertainment on YouTube is free....even YouTube stopped bothering me to disable my ad-blocker so MrBeast is not getting a penny from me. I might buy YouTube Premium at some point in the future tho.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#124

Post by next_xibalba »

simonw wrote: post #92
ocean_moist wrote: post #77

Lot of people critiquing this, but you can't deny the success. I think a lot of the advice is applicable to startups. 1. KPIs, for Beast they are CTR, AVD, AVP, will look different if you are a startup. I am willing to bet he knows his metrics better than >95% of startup founders. Because he is literally hacking/being judged by an algorithm, his KPIs will matter more and can be closely dissected. Startups aren't that…

I’m with you on the management vibes - it doesn’t sound like a culture that I’d enjoy. That’s one of the things I find so interesting about this document: it does feel very honest and unfiltered, and as such it appears to be quite an accurate insight into their culture. And that’s a culture that works if you want to create massive successful viral YouTube videos targeting their audience. How much has that specific ch…

> How much has that specific chosen culture contributed to their enormous success in that market?

You see this across industries. Even Google, in the early days, was people working crazy hours, sweating the details, and just generally grinding. It is something like a law of nature that extraordinary results require extraordinary effort from extraordinary people.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#125

Post by sixothree »

Loughla wrote: post #109
IAmNotACellist wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's the thing. You have to love that, and that's probably something only people who grew up watching YouTube can feel at a deep level. Generational divides happen like that often.

Bingo. I do not understand the attraction of nearly all YouTube creators and celebrities. I don't get the appeal. All the videos sound the same and have the same stupid looking tag lines to get you to watch them. Outrageous actions for attention are deeply troubling to me. And I'm also SUPER aware that it's because it's not for me. I'm not the target demographic at all, and never will be. At some point you have to re…

Honestly it sounds like a deficiency on your part and that you need to explore some. Because I follow a lot of smart, talented, nerdy, and interesting creators. And my feed is nothing like what you described.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#126

Post by ninetyninenine »

brookst wrote: post #98
zulban wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy has earned a net worth of maybe $700 million starting with YouTube. Saying it's all a bunch of contrived bullshit hides the fact the he is obviously brilliantly talented and dedicated at making a business from YouTube. If you or others blow off a document he wrote or an interview he gives because most of his videos are "just" gaming an algorithm then you must not be a very curious person. I don't like coffee…

I like your perspective but I don’t think liking coffee is the right comparison. It’s closer to reading a manual for a successful casino, where a lot of it is about manipulation rather than creating value. Obviously Mr. Beast isn’t as far out ethically as casinos, but IMO more in that direction than coffee tea preferences.

Both perspectives are somewhat true. Mr. Beast is building the best YouTube videos. It is a quality product and it is entertainment. It’s garbage for education or self improvement but it’s legit for entertainment and you can’t dismiss entertainment as a net bad for the world, not completely.

You both are right and wrong in a way. Parent poster who only had negative things to say is totally out of touch.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#127

Post by ajkjk »

tmoertel wrote: post #11

From the referenced doc: > CTR is basically how many people see our thumbnail in their feeds divided by how many that click it. That's actually 1/CTR. Another example of math fluency not being required for success at the top.

... Sounds like a person with plenty of fluency made a typo.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#128

Post by zulban »

abeyer wrote: post #76
zulban wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy has earned a net worth of maybe $700 million starting with YouTube. Saying it's all a bunch of contrived bullshit hides the fact the he is obviously brilliantly talented and dedicated at making a business from YouTube. If you or others blow off a document he wrote or an interview he gives because most of his videos are "just" gaming an algorithm then you must not be a very curious person. I don't like coffee…

Maybe... but I read it more as (and tend to agree with) blow it off because it's explicitly an approach that makes the world a worse place in almost every way except perhaps your bank account balance. It's possible to be successful without being mercilessly amoral and there's a big difference between not personally caring for a product vs thinking a product is toxic and holding your nose anyway for the sake of a payc…

You seem to be arguing there's no use in learning about immoral businesses.

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#129

Post by [deleted] »

brookst wrote: post #98
zulban wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The guy has earned a net worth of maybe $700 million starting with YouTube. Saying it's all a bunch of contrived bullshit hides the fact the he is obviously brilliantly talented and dedicated at making a business from YouTube. If you or others blow off a document he wrote or an interview he gives because most of his videos are "just" gaming an algorithm then you must not be a very curious person. I don't like coffee…

I like your perspective but I don’t think liking coffee is the right comparison. It’s closer to reading a manual for a successful casino, where a lot of it is about manipulation rather than creating value. Obviously Mr. Beast isn’t as far out ethically as casinos, but IMO more in that direction than coffee tea preferences.

[deleted]

Re: How to succeed in MrBeast production (Leaked PDF)

#130

Post by redox99 »

xrd wrote: post #81

I have kids and I'm really bothered by MrBeast. I had to buy goddamn chocolate bars at Walmart because of him. I acknowledge he is creative and driven but the content is such crap, with a few exceptions that my kids point out. But, what's the alternative? For example, I love 3brown1blue videos. But, it is too advanced even for my eleven year old. Mark Rober videos are great, and my kids love them, but he's even insid…

I don't think buying some chocolate bars is such a big deal. Just like buying some Mickey Mouse toy or sticker is fine.

And nothing wrong with some entertainment videos, some leisure is good. It doesn't need to be all educational.

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