MrBeast’s leaked PDF spills secret sauce on how to be successful on Youtube
An internal onboarding document allegedly containing the MrBeast production team's ‘secret weapons’ has leaked online. It reveals how Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast) builds and manages his YouTube empire.
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An internal onboarding document allegedly containing the MrBeast production team's ‘secret weapons’ has leaked online. It reveals how Jimmy Donaldson (aka MrBeast) builds and manages his YouTube empire.
MrBeast is the most popular YouTuber, with 315 million subscribers. His success on the platform can’t be denied.
An internal onboarding PDF called “How to Succeed in MrBeast Production” has surfaced on social media. The 36-pager was allegedly written by MrBeast himself to explain what makes good content and what it takes to succeed in his team.
“Your goal here is to make the best YouTube videos possible. That’s the number one goal of this production company. It’s not to make the best-produced videos. Not to make the funniest videos. Not to make the best looking videos. Not the highest quality videos. It’s to make the best YouTube videos possible,” the standard set by the document reads.
MrBeast is often open about how he creates new videos and talks about them on podcasts or other media. Yet, the document sheds light on the ‘secret weapons’ that have made the channel a global phenomenon.
“One of the secret weapons of MrBeast Productions, we aren't stuck in any old ways of thinking and you can literally turn anything into content.”
MrBeast explains that only the first dozen employees had unlimited and unfiltered access to him to learn as much as they could about his vision. Sadly, the ones reading don’t have that luxury.
The leaked document was shared on X by Pat Walls, founder of Starter Story, then observed and re-shared on the weblog of Simon Willison, the creator of Datasette, a tool for exploring and publishing data.
I know MrBeast kinda got canceled for this document, but it's an amazing read and insight into why he is so successful.
undefined Pat Walls (@thepatwalls) September 14, 2024
MUST READ for anyone creating content, on any platform. pic.twitter.com/pSM75mgo3V
How MrBeast only wants A-Players
MrBeast believes that the number of hours worked is irrelevant and results are much more important.
“Before you get mad, recall the story about James solving a problem in 30 minutes a team of 5 couldn’t in a week,” the leaked PDF states. “Obviously we want grinders that put in the hours and love you guys to death that do. But at the end of the day, you will be judged on results, not hours.”
Only “A-Players” are wanted, who are “obsessive, learn from mistakes, coachable, intelligent, don’t make excuses, believe in Youtube, see the value of this company, and are the best in the goddamn world at their job.”
He further explains that B-Players need to step up, and the C-Players are just average employees, who “don’t suck, but they aren’t exceptional at what they do.”
“They just exist, do whatever, and get a paycheck. They aren’t obsessive,” the document reads. It contains misspellings, informal language, and appears as an internally circulated casually written manual rather than an official company publication.
Mr. Beast got canceled for this, but it also has some hidden gems.
undefined Claire Jencks 🤘 (@CMJencks) September 16, 2024
Definitely worth reading.
Link to the uncut pdf in thread 👇 pic.twitter.com/uPcmjy3QyJ
Videos have a refined structure
Employees are required to focus on three key metrics, which are click-through rate (CTR), average view duration (AVD), and average view percentage (AVP). MrBeast goes further on explaining how to craft titles and thumbnails so they set expectations for viewers.
The first minute of a video is the most important and must be well-executed to retain viewers.
The next two minutes are for the transition from hype to execution using the strategy of “crazy progression” to immediately make the viewer “super invested.” MrBeast gave an example of a video about a guy surviving weeks in the woods – it covered the first few days in just three minutes.
Around the three-minute mark, MrBeast's team aims to include a “re-engagement,” which is highly interesting and impressive and sometimes requires lots of time and money to perfect.
The next most crucial segment of a video is the 3-6 minute mark, which needs to be filled with” most exciting and interesting content that is also very simple.”
“This includes lots of quick scene changes and highly stimulating simple content that reflects the story. The goal is to make them fall in love with the story, the people in the video, and the overall video itself.”
After another “re-engagement” at the six-minute mark, the hope is to retain the viewers till the end of the video.
“I don’t want you to ever for a second think that I’m okay with content being subpar.”
The second chapter of the document is dedicated to content creation. MrBeast shares his insights on management and responsibilities and recommends everyone read “The Goal.” It’s essential to recognize “critical components” for videos, which should be treated like “your baby.”
The next chapter describes the creative process. Any video should make the audience happy and excite MrBeast himself. Anything can be turned into content, and formats such as “last to leave” and “stair stepping” can help achieve that.
“If I'm not excited to get in front of that camera and film the video, it’s just simply not going to happen. I’m not fake, and I will be authentic, which is partly why the channel does so well. And if I’m not excited by the video, we’re fucked.”
One “cheat code” for videos is consultants.
“Need to make the world's largest slice of cake? Start off by calling the person who made the previous world’s largest slice of cake.”
Any brand deals should be integral parts of the content so they don’t nuke retention and boost conversion.
MrBeast also includes slogans such as “It’s okay for the boys to be childish,” “We don’t fake things,” “No dull moments in videos,” and “You can’t fake intensity in videos,” among others.
Yet, the document MrBeast also states that this is not a rulebook and he’s not always right.
“I’m young, and I'll be the first to admit I'm not perfect. I promise not a single person on this planet wants us to succeed more than I do, and no matter how much you work you’ll never invest more time into this company than I will, but I can’t promise I’ll always be right.”
Cybernews cannot confirm the authenticity of the document.