Overview
This interview with Jenny Hoyos, an 18-year-old YouTuber with over 600 million views on Shorts, explores her strategies for creating viral short-form content. She discusses her approach to ideation, scripting, platform differences, and audience engagement for maximizing views and retention.
Viral Video Creation Philosophy
- Believes any topic can be made viral by adding a compelling story and twist.
- Focuses on personal storytelling and relatable motives to drive viewer investment.
- Considers irony and simple, personal goals as engaging hooks for audiences.
Hook and Structure Techniques
- Starts with a strong, simple, visually-driven hook reminiscent of clickable long-form thumbnails.
- Uses sketches and visualizations to design hooks before scripting.
- Ensures scripts are easily understandable, aiming for fifth-grade readability using readabilityformulas.com.
- Always begins scripts with the hook, foreshadowing, and last line for clear structure.
Script and Editing Process
- Analyzes the top-performing Shorts for trends in length and readability.
- Tests and revises scripts based on word count and anticipated video timing.
- Edits videos for abrupt but satisfying endings, often trimming just one second to improve retention.
Audience and Platform Strategy
- Designs content for a young, broad audience, using relatives as mental avatars for clarity.
- Recognizes major differences among platforms: YouTube prefers longer, story-driven content; TikTok rewards brevity; Instagram favors visual, shareable videos with subtitles.
- Adapts editing and structure according to each platform’s preferred style and audience behavior.
Idea Generation and Selection
- Maintains a large database of potential ideas (e.g., 1000+), refining through feasibility, personal interest, and viral potential.
- Collaborates with an editor for additional curation and strategic input.
- Uses mechanisms like lists, escalating challenges, and clear expectations with subsequent twists.
Video Length and Retention Benchmarks
- Optimal short length is 34 seconds based on personal analytics.
- Targets 90%+ retention for Shorts to maximize virality, with even higher retention necessary for videos under 30 seconds.
- Structures video around quick hooks, foreshadowing, and efficient storytelling using the “but therefore” method.
Transition to Long Form
- Aims to replicate Shorts success in long-form content for personal challenge and audience connection.
- Sees long form as an opportunity for deeper viewer relationships and creative growth.
Platform Differences
- Notes that success does not always translate between YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels.
- Adjusts pacing, length, and style to suit each platform’s viewer preferences.
Decisions
- Focus on balancing both Shorts and long-form videos in future channel growth.
- Maintain 34-second target length and high retention as ongoing content benchmarks.
Questions / Follow-Ups
- Open question on the true impact of sharability versus retention on virality.
- Ongoing curiosity about platform algorithm nuances and how non-retention factors influence performance.