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Hala: Young Improfiters, welcome back to the first ever episode of the YAP Creator Series. This series is a deep dive into the art and science of content creation. Everything from mastering attention to understanding the psychology that fuels audience engagement. Every piece of content you put out should be meaningful, intentional, and ultimately drive action.

Hala: This series is all about giving you the tools to make that happen. Throughout these episodes, I'll share insights from powerful creators who have been guests on the show. Experts like Sean Cannell, Gary Vee, and Alex Ramosi. Today, we're kicking things off with a critical first topic, the psychology of attention and content creation.

Hala: In a world where attention spans are shorter than ever, we're Mastering this is essential. The goal is to make people stop scrolling, engage, and stay with you until the very end. Top content creators [00:01:00] use sneaky tactics to hook you into their videos and get you to want to keep watching them. With about only eight seconds to make an impact, it's crucial to stand out.

Hala: Imagine a crowded street where everyone's shouting to be noticed. Your goal is to make viewers stop and pay attention. On platforms like YouTube, thumbnails and titles are your first chance to hook in viewers. Thumbnails act like curb appeal. The more visually striking and straightforward they are, the more likely that people are to click.

Hala: Titles should be direct keyword focused and hint at the value that you'll deliver. Bold titles that spark curiosity or make clear promises set the stage for viewers to stay engaged. Sean Cannell, who built his YouTube channel from scratch, stresses the importance of thumbnails and titles as a strong first line of offense.

Hala: He recommends clean, simple thumbnails with bold colors, minimal text, and a clear focal point. A cluttered thumbnail or a vague title is not going to spark curiosity. It's just going to confuse [00:02:00] people. Less is more. The goal is to create a pause effect that stops viewers from scrolling and makes them want to watch.

Hala: If you've been creating content for a while, you've probably heard a lot about titles and thumbnails, but Sean adds another key element, topic. Here's what he has to say about that. 

Sean: YouTube is recommending brand new channels, but here is the painful part for you listening to this. If you get a chance. On this free platform to get in front of a complete stranger.

Sean: Are you going to miss that opportunity, or are you going to get it? Good news is, it doesn't just come once in a lifetime. But what I've noticed is that sometimes when those channels get recommended, I'm like, I'm, uh, that title doesn't really grip me. That thumbnail's not that great. And those are going to be the two metrics.

Sean: What is included in that topic? Right time, right place. So it's the topic itself, and then a good title that makes it even more interesting. Like, that's an irresistible video. And [00:03:00] so, you want to, cool. Get the click and those are what you're optimizing for. 

Hala: Sean says the biggest factor to grab people's attention is having a topic at the right place and the right time.

Hala: Gary V calls this the tiktokification of social media. When we spoke earlier this year about his new book, Day Trading Attention, Gary broke it down for me.

Hala: I'm one of the biggest LinkedIn marketing experts. I teach like a two day class. It's the most popular class.

Hala: And I'm always, I can hack the algorithm. And that's why people hire me. So one of the things that's happening this year is that they're prioritizing interest relevancy over engagement probability. It used to be that you would post something motivational, Something inspirational, if people shared it, you'd go viral.

Hala: Now, it's all about posting a specific topic, educating people, and then LinkedIn will match users based on the things they like. The interest graph. Exactly. So I actually wanted you to, can you go super deep on the interest graph? Because I feel like this is the major trend happening with all social media sites.

Hala: And that's what it's, from your book, I was like, [00:04:00] oh, he's right on the money. This is, yeah. 

GaryVee: I told my brother that I thought Tumblr was going to be bigger than Facebook and Twitter. I went Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr in my investing, those are the first three companies I invested in, in my life. Out of a liquor store in New Jersey.

GaryVee: It's like funny, it's like I'm like, you can see I'm laughing at my, it's so improbable, like it's absurd. Comma, I thought Tumblr was going to be the biggest because of this conversation, it just took 15 years for it to happen. Uh, the, again everybody. Social media for the first decade plus was very simple.

GaryVee: It was like email marketing. You would get as many people to follow you as possible, and then you would post, and a percentage of those people would see it. That was the game. And that was easy for me to figure out, because I did email marketing in 97, 98, 99, when that was like new, and I was a big winner in that game.

GaryVee: That was underpriced attention. I was competing against liquor stores that were making catalogs. But I was getting to the customer for free instead of how much a catalog costs and getting to them faster. It was huge. It was foundational. 

Hala: Mm hmm. 

GaryVee: So I saw the same thing in [00:05:00] social. So I'm asked big followings.

GaryVee: That was the focus. Tick tockification of social media like I talk about in the book. That interest graph algorithm is now going to eat up everything because it's better. It keeps you on the platform longer. Mm hmm. Let's use common sense. You go to your Facebook. You're now 27. You went on Facebook at 18, the people you followed are people you met like one night, hooking up or at a random party or whatever.

GaryVee: And now you're seeing posts of them like them in Ohio with their aunt and you're like, I don't give a fuck. But just like email, we don't unsubscribe from our fucking list. We just delete it or archive it or like we don't put in the work to clean up our shit. So you kept seeing shit you didn't give a fuck about, which made you not spend four hours on it.

GaryVee: It made you spend 14 minutes on your feed. Then you go to Tik TOK. And you're seeing unlimited shit that you fuck with. And four hours later, you're like, what the fuck just happened? 

Hala: Yeah. 

GaryVee: That's good for TikTok. That was bad for Facebook. Now all of them are going to be like TikTok. And every social network is going to have the 4U page DNA in them for quite a [00:06:00] while now.

GaryVee: Maybe forever, because it's more humanly true. That's what I focus on. And that's why focus on your niche is about to fuck up everyone. You're going to need to talk about more things than ever that are true to you Because you're going to need that content to find more different audiences for you to be as big as you want to be 

Hala: Mmm, I was going to ask you does that mean riches are in the niches now because of the interest graph But to your point if you've got multiple topics 

GaryVee: Endgame 

Hala: God think 

GaryVee: about how weird I am the reason I know everybody from afar Especially in the game you're in are like what like garage sale videos Then I mean my grid has been fucked up for 12 years Everyone's like, make a good grid.

GaryVee: It's got to be on brand. I'm like, you fucking have no idea what you're talking about. The grid is like 5 percent of the consumption. The feed is the whole game. So you go to my fucking thing, you're like, who is this? Jets video, garage sale, keynote, board meeting. Like, I'm confusing the shit out of people [00:07:00] because I don't care about the grid.

GaryVee: I care about being as relevant to as many different people as humanly possible. Let's talk about viral. Sure. I'm gonna use baseball. I know it's not as popular anymore, but it's the easiest one. Going viral is hitting a grand slam. 

Hala: Mm hmm. 

GaryVee: Do you know anything about baseball? A little. I know enough. Enough to be dangerous.

GaryVee: Yeah. You know what a strikeout is? Yes. Good. Most posts are a strikeout. Okay. Right? Doesn't do what you want it to do. Mm 

Hala: hmm. 

GaryVee: I'm in the business of singles and doubles and triples. With the occasional homerun and grand slam but could give a shit about hitting a grand slam or if you don't follow baseball everyone I'll be I won't use an analogy.

GaryVee: I don't ever think about going viral ever I only think about making good content that is valuable to the people on the other side and That means that most of my stuff will consistently do solid Occasionally do better than solid And once in a while go viral. I believe that most people suck at social media because they try to go viral on every post.

GaryVee: And when they don't, they cry to mommy. 

Hala: So you're more about posting as much [00:08:00] as you can. Hopefully they all do pretty good. And 

GaryVee: posting as much as you can is also based on self awareness of like, I start with like, do I have something to say that can bring someone value? Again, I need everybody to hear this.

GaryVee: That comes in all shapes and sizes. I mean this. If you're funny and you do a skit like King Bach, that's value. You made somebody smile, and it's a fucked up world out there, and the feeds are fucking negative, and media's negative, and like, that little ha ha ha, if you're attractive, like, people like looking at attractive people.

GaryVee: If you know something about LinkedIn, that's valuable to the people that want LinkedIn. Like, we all have value. If you know something about BMX, or wine, or sneaker, like, value, value, value. I think people have niched themselves in a corner. What happens if you know a lot about sneakers, and you know a lot about bourbon?

GaryVee: Post both.

Hala: So like Gary says, you have to pick your topics. And don't be scared to have more than one topic. The algorithm will do its job to feed your content to relevant audiences if you have a clear topic. Gary also mentions [00:09:00] that value comes in all forms. This is really important and we'll get back to it in a bit.

Hala: But first, let's move on to openings and introductions of our content. At Young Profiting, we're intentional with our intros because we know the first few seconds are key. The best way to capture attention right away is by creating a Curiosity Gap. The Curiosity Gap is a psychological concept that refers to the space between what people know and what they want to know.

Hala: It's used in marketing and storytelling to entice audiences by providing just enough information to Spark curiosity without fully satisfying it. This prompts people to take action, like clicking, reading, watching, to close the gap and satisfy their curiosity. You want to keep opening curiosity gaps throughout your content.

Hala: One way to leverage the curiosity gap is by using a headline overlay. An overlay like, 7 ways to avoid burnout. This immediately tells the viewer what value they're going to gain, and it sets expectations by sparking [00:10:00] curiosity. Well, what are the 7 ways? And notice that I used a number in this example.

Hala: Number 7, 7 ways to avoid burnout. Numbers attract attention because they're specific. What are the seven ways? It makes you wonder why is there seven ways and not eight or nine ways? Odd numbers are more specific. Numbers that are not whole numbers are even more specific and attract more attention.

Hala: Numbers immediately tell the audience what to expect, giving the hook more of a defined promise. Seven ways is definitely more enticing than just the ways to avoid burnout. And lastly, you can increase the punch to your hook by adding more numbers like revenue targets. timeline, or implied speed. And nobody knows how to hook viewers in more than somebody like Alex Hermosi, who is basically blown up overnight and become one of the top brands online through his engaging videos.

Hala: Here's him demonstrating how to spark curiosity with numbers in the intro of a recent YouTube [00:11:00] video. 

Alex: In this video, I'm going to show you how to turn 1, 000 into 45, 000 through email. And over the last 90 days, we spent just under 10 million emails from acquisition. com and we generate tens of millions of dollars across our portfolio using email itself.

Alex: And in this video, I'm going to break down emails that I've sent, and I'll give you the 10 tactics that have worked very well for us so far. 

Hala: Aside from hooking people in with a text headline overlay, you can also hook people in with action at the beginning of a video. In the example that I just played, Alex holds up two sheets of paper when he says how to go from 1k to 45k.

Hala: Action could also be something like a hand gesture, a close up of a sizzling frying pan, jumping into the frame, running through a brick wall. Anything that's going to surprise and shock your audience and get them hooked. The last thing that I'll say about intros is that you should be intentional about sharing what your audience can expect right at the beginning.

Hala: This gives them a reason to stay engaged. Promise something and then you have to deliver on that promise [00:12:00] throughout the video. Former YAP guest Ken Okazaki, who heads up Oz Media Global and helps his clients generate millions of dollars from video marketing, summarized this best. 

Ken: let me paint a quick picture for you.

Ken: Say you're a drug dealer, right? And, and social media, by the way, I see the closest analogy is it's like a farm, right? And like, you got to plot a land on the farm and the person who owns the farm is, you know, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, they own the farm and you are leasing a plot. Now what's going on is when you create content, um, then the product is your content.

Ken: And they use that and they sell it. The only thing on social media, university across all platforms, that is a universal currency is time. People buy time, the advertisers buy it from the farmer and you're just the person who's volunteering to create, you know, to, to work the farm for them, which is, you know, amazing that they convinced us to do this, but, uh, so now that we've got this analogy where time is the monetizable [00:13:00] product, it actually is money, it's bought and sold every single day, millions of times, billions of dollars.

Ken: And when you understand this, then. What you got to think is like, well, if I am buying and selling time, and that's the currency of social media, when someone watches a video, let's say they spend three minutes, they pay you three units of time, and what are you getting in return? What you got to give them is a dopamine hit because otherwise, I'd They will not get addicted, they won't come back, they won't feel like they got their money's worth.

Ken: So, if you say, hey, get over here, you know, spend three minutes with me, and I'm gonna give you a dopamine hit. They come, they pay their three minutes, and you don't give it. Two things are gonna happen. Number one, they're gonna feel like, hey, you are a scumbag. And number two, I'm never coming back, and I might even tell people to avoid you.

Ken: And that's what happens when the promise doesn't meet the delivery. So, what you wanna do is give them a dopamine hit. And, and I think another way to say this is, aha moment. If you could get people, like right now, I see you're nodding, I love that. When I see people nodding, I'm like, [00:14:00] that's, we're on the same page.

Ken: They're having an aha moment here. And that transaction was successful, very likely they'll come back. So, you just got to deliver what you say you can deliver. If you say, I'm going to teach you the most mind blowing strategy to use ChatGPT that will earn me 12, 000 in the next 30 days. And then you actually show screenshots and demonstrate it, that is a good fit.

Ken: But if you say it and then give some general advice without showing anything that's actually believable, not a high chance that people will continue coming back. They'll be disappointed. 

Hala: Okay, let's move on to how we can keep listeners engaged after the intro. The concept of pattern interrupts can be extremely effective in longer videos.

Hala: Pattern interrupts are unexpected elements in the content that break up the usual flow and give users something to focus on which re engages their attention. These can be sudden zoom ins, quick cuts, unique sound effects, or color changes. Another approach is to build in novelty with small, surprising elements.

Hala: This could mean [00:15:00] adding a quick animated graphic, a pop of color, b roll footage, or a brief audio cue that stands out from the usual rhythm. When used sparingly, these surprises act as mini resets for viewers to refocus and help them stay engaged. Tools like OpusClip can help you find the most emotional or action packed parts of your videos and also can make your videos more engaging and boost watch time by automatically adding AI b roll to your videos.

Hala: Grabbing attention with video editing tactics can help your videos move fast paced. It can help them be more engaging. People remember stories far more than they remember facts. Why? Because stories involve emotions and emotions make things more memorable.

Hala: You want to use a value first approach in your videos that gives your audience insights that hook them in from the start. Then, you want to guide them through a mini story throughout the video that keeps them engaged until the end. When we create content, we want it to be more than just information. We want it to feel like an experience.

Hala: One way [00:16:00] to create this feeling is through a simple, relatable, three step storytelling structure. Number one, introduce a common problem. Number two, share a relatable struggle. And number three, provide a solution. Think of it like this. The problem is the hook. The struggle is the emotional connection. And the resolution is the payoff.

Hala: This arc makes viewers feel invested in the outcome because they've emotionally connected with the journey. Relatability is key here because people connect with stories that mirror their own challenges. Maybe you're talking about work life balance or the pressure to succeed in a competitive market.

Hala: These are experiences that many people relate on. on a deep level. And when you tap into this emotional common ground, and when you share your own stories, you're not just holding attention, you're creating loyalty. Your audience feels like they know you, and more importantly, that you know them. This mutual understanding builds trust and engagement over time.

Hala: Storytelling is a skill I think that we should all spend time improving. [00:17:00] Yostar Khan, one of the most successful Sought after public speaking coaches in the world recently came on and gave me his three R's to good storytelling. 

Yasir: The most important thing that I feel That storytelling does is it's just memorable people just remember for much longer So if I asked you do you want people to remember what you said?

Yasir: Yes, okay. Do you want to share your message in a way that people remember it? Yes, then you must do it in a format of a story. How many of your three hour lectures do you remember from college, Ella? 

Hala: Like, none. 

Yasir: Exactly. How many movies since you were a child do you remember? 

Hala: Plenty. 

Yasir: And all of those are stories.

Yasir: I imagine none of those were 30 bullet points from start to finish. So you have to learn to create imagery and you have to get people to feel something. If they don't feel anything, they will not remember it. 

Hala: So talk to us about how we can become better storytellers. Just like, how can we start to infuse stories and the things that we do and get better at it?

Hala: Is there a formula or like, how should we think about it? 

Yasir: There are three [00:18:00] things that I talk about. There are three R's to be remembered. The first R is your story has to be repeatable. If I hear the story, can I hear it long enough to then repeat it to someone else? So if you've heard your favorite stand up comedian, you have this bit that you like.

Yasir: Oh, he has a great bit on dating or a great bit on whatever. You can repeat it to other people. If I can't repeat it, I won't remember it. So first thing has to be repeatable. Number two, does it relay emotion? Do I feel something when I hear your story? I can tell you about how I got into my car and I got gas and I came back home.

Yasir: What's the point? It's a pointless story, but is there a point to it? And you'll be shocked how many things you can make sound emotional. Like earlier we talked about. And just with the volume, we made it sound a little bit emotional, right? Someone asked me in a conference of 500 loan officers, napkins, and we made napkins emotional.

Yasir: So can you talk about that with emotion? Can you resonate and relay your emotion? And number three, I feel like this is the strongest thing when it comes to storytelling. [00:19:00] Can you reframe an existing belief? If your story tells me what I already know, It's not changing my belief. Can you take me from point A to point B and reframe how I look at the world?

Yasir: That's what a good story does. So three things, it has to be repeatable, you have to relay emotion, and it has to reframe your beliefs. 

Hala: It's so true. Stories like really trigger our own emotions. We feel more relatable to the person talking and to your point, it helps us question like our own beliefs. And that's the point.

Hala: And that's, especially with social media, gets people commenting and giving their thoughts, they're agreeing, they're disagreeing, and it kind of like causes a lot of engagement.

Hala: So like you heard it from Yasser, storytelling is so important to connect with your audience. So before you start your next video or content piece, think about structuring it as a mini story with three parts.

Hala: The problem, the struggle, and the resolution. Even if it's a short clip, this structure can make it feel like a complete journey, keeping viewers engaged from start to [00:20:00] finish. The goal isn't just to get them to watch. It's to make them care for long enough to get the value. And when you get them to care for long enough to stay and get the value, they're going to come back for more and become engaged fans.

Hala: And that wraps up the first episode of the Yap Creator series. Today we explored the psychology of attention and content creation, touching on everything from hooks to pattern interrupts. In this landscape where attention is currency, those first few seconds count, but providing value while you hold attention can keep your audience coming back for more.

Hala: If you're new to all of this, please don't feel overwhelmed. Content creation is a journey, and you don't have to apply everything all at once. Start by choosing one or two techniques we discussed today. Maybe experiment with a stronger hook or try adding pattern interrupts into your videos. Small, consistent changes can lead to big results over time.

Hala: Opus Clip has been a huge help for us at Yap Media in pinpointing high impact moments and transforming our [00:21:00] longer content into bite sized, engaging clips. In fact, Opus Clip can help you stitch together scenes from different parts of a long form content video to highlight a specific theme and produce beautiful, engaging clips.

Hala: Professional grade storytelling in every clip. It is such a game changer. It is such a time saver. If you're looking to streamline your content, you can try Opus clip at opus. pro slash clip anything. You can try it totally for free at opus. pro slash clip anything. That's O P U S dot pro slash clip anything.

Hala: Well, I can't wait to dive into our next episode. We're going to explore the art of building trust and authenticity online, two key elements that help create a loyal, engaged audience. Thanks for tuning in and I'll see you in episode two of the YAF Creator Series. 

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