The brutal truth on your YouTube growth

You might want to sit down for this one.

Author

Mario Joos
July 24, 2025

Hey there ,

It’s been a wild few weeks. I just stepped into the role of CEO of the Stokes Twins' YouTube empire... after helping grow the channel from 20M to over 128M subs. The mission now? Turn this thing into something much bigger than a channel.

At the same time, I’ve been prepping something I’m really excited about: Creator Week. From August 25–29, we’re hosting a 5-day series of livestreams to help you sharpen your content game, completely free.

More on that soon, but sign up below if you don't want to miss it!

In this week’s newsletter, we’re diving into something that trips up creators at every level:

  • The brutal truth on YouTube growth

  • Check out my Q&A live on X

  • Soon: Creator Week

  • Creator Comments Shoutouts

  • Advice from my LinkedIn


NEW ON YOUTUBE: 10 Brutally Honest Truths To Grow On YouTube

Mindset shifts en strategic decisions. This is what YouTube growth is built on. What kind of shifts and decisions? Well, hit play and find out.

💡 LIVE ON X (TWITTER) 💡

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - I’m now CEO of the Stokes Twins 🎉

As I’ve mentioned, I’m proud to share this with you. After two years as their Strategist, I’ve stepped into a new role as CEO of the Stokes Twins.

We’ve grown from 20M to 128M subscribers, but we all agree we’re just getting started.

This next chapter is about building smarter and bigger: hiring great people, launching new ventures, and growing the brand far beyond YouTube.

Still driving content and strategy, now leading the charge to scale it all.

Appreciate the trust from Alex and Alan. Time to level up.

UPCOMING… Creator Week! - hosted by me.

Join Us for Creator Week - a week of free Zoom sessions led by me & guests

I will be covering the advanced strategies, systems, and psychology behind today’s top creators. Drawing from my work with the Stokes Twins, MrBeast, Brave Wilderness, and others.

From creative thinking to data-driven ideation and scalable team building, this is for creators ready to level up fast.

​Session 1: How to Be a Million-View Creator
August 25th, 1 pm ET

I kick off with the mindset, structure, and hiring approach behind consistent million-view content, drawn directly from creators I’ve helped scale.

​Session 2: Ideation Strategies for Top Channels - Featuring special Guest Marcus Jones
August 26th, 1 pm ET

Marcus Jones and I break down how to generate winning ideas using data, niche TAM analysis, and outlier theory, plus how to apply tools like Velio.

​Session 3: The Psychology of Retention
August 27th, 1 pm ET

Here we’ll be exploring the dopamine triggers, narrative tension, and gamification tactics top creators use to keep viewers watching longer.

​Session 4: The importance of Storytelling
Featuring Special guest Hayden Hillier-Smith
August 28th, 1 pm ET

Learn how storytelling impacts retention as I break down how to structure narratives, build tension, and keep viewers engaged from start to finish.

​Session 5: Misconceptions & Analytics
August 29th, 1 pm ET

​Forget vanity metrics. Learn what actually moves the algorithm, how to test content, and why most creators misunderstand retention.

📣 CREATOR SHOUTOUTS 📣

💬 ADVICE FROM MY LINKEDIN

You can’t scale vibes.

Most teams don’t fail from lack of talent. They fail because they build on vibes, creating chaos. No roles. No clarity. No systems. That’s what burns people out.

At first, it feels fun. Then momentum dies. Structure doesn’t kill culture. It protects it.

You don’t need suits.

You need ownership, clear systems and a real plan.

That’s it for this one. Got pushback, ideas, or something you’re testing? Hit reply. I’m all ears.

-Mario