The secret to retention 🤫

Happy 2025

As the new year begins, it is only natural to set new goals for yourself. If your goal in 2024 was to reach new audiences, increase engagement, or have your content stand out, but you couldn’t quite hack it, this newsletter is for you.

Retention is not as straightforward as it may seem, just because you make a good video doesn’t mean you are going to see the results you expect. This is because the algorithm is complicated and you could be making small mistakes that really impact your channel growth.

It is time to reach your goals this year.
I will keep sharing my research findings on retention optimization and other topics through this newsletter.

Topics covered this month:

• 7 ways to use suspense to get people to watch longer

• 34 retention tips in 12 minutes

• How the YouTube algorithm works in a nutshell

• 10 retention tips to develop a solid audience

• Exciting events upcoming in the MVC

• Advice from my LinkedIn

🍿 GET SOME POPCORN AND CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE 🍿 

Suspense is a great way to keep people engaged for longer periods of time. However, without the right strategy in place, you may lack the needed elements to create suspense. Here are 7 ways to use suspense in your YouTube content that would help to make viewers watch for longer.

These 34 tips aren't here to limit you, but instead focus on general optimization based on retention data from YouTube videos. Breaking one or two of these rules is completely fine and won't make the difference between a million and 10 million views. But yes, these tips are important for the widest possible appeal.

💡 LIVE ON X (TWITTER) 💡

UPCOMING EVENTS

Live Video Breakdown

When: January 14th

Where: Discord

You asked and I listened! I’ll be hosting another session breaking down videos selected by members in the MVC! Join the session to improve all aspects of your creation video process to master retention while learning along side similar creators. This session is only available for members of the MVC. If you would like to join, please add your name to the MVC waitlist by clicking the button below.

PAST EVENTS

Strategies To Win in 2025

In this Spaces session, Brendan (co-founder of Everbloom) and I discussed emerging 2025 trends in YouTube content creation. To give you some context -  Everbloom provides millions in funding to creators, helping them grow and diversify their businesses while unlocking new opportunities across platforms and industries.

We covered the following topics:

TV Viewing Trends and Content-Length 

• Brendan highlighted the increasing trend of YouTube being watched on TV across all generations. We examined how channels are extending their content length from 12-14 minutes to longer formats, noting that videos up to 30 minutes perform well, while those beyond 40 minutes see different viewer behaviors.

Shorts Strategy and TV Viewing 

• The data shows that 23% of shorts views come from TV viewers on some channels, challenging the assumption that shorts are primarily mobile-focused.

Thumbnail and Title Strategy 

• I provided detailed insights into thumbnail strategy, discussing various elements that grab attention. Some of these insights include the importance of titles and format selection, suggesting creators should be able to generate 8-10 videos within a chosen format.

 2025 Predictions and Future Trends 

• We analyzed various predictions for 2025, including increased data segmentation, potential TikTok ban (80% chance according to Brendan), the resurgence of retention editing, and the growth of global content. We also discussed the potential impact of AI in content creation, though noting current limitations.

  ⏩ WHAT IS THE MILLION VIEW CLUB (MVC)? ⏩

The Million View Club (MVC) is a private community and education platform that fosters learning, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The MVC brings creators together who are driven. I offer more research-backed knowledge, support, and strategies to unlock your full potential and achieve top-tier results. We are launching soon to the public.

📣 CREATOR SHOUTOUTS 📣

💬 ADVICE FROM MY LINKEDIN

• Most people only think about the title and thumbnail when it comes to what makes viewers more likely to click. However, there are more elements part of the decision-making process. Here are 5 forgotten elements that are important to viewers.

Comment on my posts on what you would like to see next and learn more about. I read every comment. Let’s make 2025 remarkable!

Yours,
Mario Joos