The leak reveals the anatomy of viral videos and the rules of teamwork.
An internal document from the MrBeast team has appeared on the Internet, revealing the secrets of the success of the most popular YouTube channel in the world. The 36-page PDF is supposedly written by Jimmy Donaldson himself (the creator of the channel) and is intended to train new employees.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his stage name MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has revolutionized the world of YouTube content. He became famous for his large-scale and expensive video projects, which include extreme challenges, grand prize draws and large-scale charity events. Among his most famous videos are giving away a million dollars to random people, creating an exact copy of the Squid Game game with a prize of $456,000, as well as various challenges where participants compete for large cash prizes or expensive gifts, such as a private island. As of September 2024, its main channel has over 315 million subscribers, making it the most popular on the platform.
The document emphasizes the main goal of the company - to create the best YouTube videos, and not just the funniest, highest-quality or technically advanced videos. MrBeast considers the ability to turn literally anything into engaging content as a key asset of his team. According to the leak, Donaldson values employees not in the number of hours worked, but in specific results. He divides subordinates into categories: "A-players" are the best in the business, "B-players" are those who need to catch up, and "C-players" are average employees who "just exist".
It turns out that all MrBeast videos have a strict structure. The first minute is considered decisive for the retention of spectators. The next two minutes are used to move from the plot to the main action (the effect of "rapid development of events" is especially important here). At the three-minute mark, the team tries to create "re-engagement" — to add an unexpected action or detail. Particular attention is paid to the period from 3 to 6 minutes of the video. This segment should contain the most exciting and interesting, but at the same time easy to perceive content. The task is to make the viewer fall in love with the story and characters.
MrBeast encourages employees to treat every video as "their child" and never put up with mediocre quality. He emphasizes the importance of his own enthusiasm: "If I don't want to get in front of the camera and shoot video, it just won't happen". One of the "secret techniques" for creating interesting content, Donaldson calls the involvement of consultants. For example, if you need to bake the world's largest piece of cake, he advises starting with a call to the person who set the previous record.
Integrating brand ads into videos, according to MrBeast, should be an organic part of the content to retain the audience and increase conversions. The document also contains some unspoken rules of the team. For example, "children can behave like children" and "we don't fake anything." MrBeast insists on the authenticity of the emotions in the video, arguing that genuine excitement cannot be played.
Despite the detailed instructions, Donaldson acknowledges that the document is not a rigid set of rules. In some moments, he may be wrong.
The leaked document caused a lively discussion on the network. Many noted the informal style of presentation and the presence of spelling mistakes, which may indicate its authenticity. In any case, many of the principles described in it are consistent with what MrBeast has previously talked about his approach to content creation in various interviews and podcasts.
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An internal document from the MrBeast team has appeared on the Internet, revealing the secrets of the success of the most popular YouTube channel in the world. The 36-page PDF is supposedly written by Jimmy Donaldson himself (the creator of the channel) and is intended to train new employees.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his stage name MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, entrepreneur, and philanthropist who has revolutionized the world of YouTube content. He became famous for his large-scale and expensive video projects, which include extreme challenges, grand prize draws and large-scale charity events. Among his most famous videos are giving away a million dollars to random people, creating an exact copy of the Squid Game game with a prize of $456,000, as well as various challenges where participants compete for large cash prizes or expensive gifts, such as a private island. As of September 2024, its main channel has over 315 million subscribers, making it the most popular on the platform.
The document emphasizes the main goal of the company - to create the best YouTube videos, and not just the funniest, highest-quality or technically advanced videos. MrBeast considers the ability to turn literally anything into engaging content as a key asset of his team. According to the leak, Donaldson values employees not in the number of hours worked, but in specific results. He divides subordinates into categories: "A-players" are the best in the business, "B-players" are those who need to catch up, and "C-players" are average employees who "just exist".
It turns out that all MrBeast videos have a strict structure. The first minute is considered decisive for the retention of spectators. The next two minutes are used to move from the plot to the main action (the effect of "rapid development of events" is especially important here). At the three-minute mark, the team tries to create "re-engagement" — to add an unexpected action or detail. Particular attention is paid to the period from 3 to 6 minutes of the video. This segment should contain the most exciting and interesting, but at the same time easy to perceive content. The task is to make the viewer fall in love with the story and characters.
MrBeast encourages employees to treat every video as "their child" and never put up with mediocre quality. He emphasizes the importance of his own enthusiasm: "If I don't want to get in front of the camera and shoot video, it just won't happen". One of the "secret techniques" for creating interesting content, Donaldson calls the involvement of consultants. For example, if you need to bake the world's largest piece of cake, he advises starting with a call to the person who set the previous record.
Integrating brand ads into videos, according to MrBeast, should be an organic part of the content to retain the audience and increase conversions. The document also contains some unspoken rules of the team. For example, "children can behave like children" and "we don't fake anything." MrBeast insists on the authenticity of the emotions in the video, arguing that genuine excitement cannot be played.
Despite the detailed instructions, Donaldson acknowledges that the document is not a rigid set of rules. In some moments, he may be wrong.
The leaked document caused a lively discussion on the network. Many noted the informal style of presentation and the presence of spelling mistakes, which may indicate its authenticity. In any case, many of the principles described in it are consistent with what MrBeast has previously talked about his approach to content creation in various interviews and podcasts.
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