I'm begging you to read this email

Hey I've got a killer idea for you. This will be a fun one!

I posted a video earlier this week called "I'm begging you to make boring YouTube videos."

Coincidently, one of my former clients, Rachael, made her own version of it.

I swear we didn't plan this. (well sort of)

Hers is called "I'm Begging You to Check Your Hoyas"

(She's a plant momma 🌱)

And I'm happy to report, both videos are performing well above average. 💪

Mine is currently a 2 of 10.

And for Rachael, it's a 1 of 10.

She even got the confetti 🎉

CTR looks great across the board and strong early signals from returning viewers are giving these videos more reach.

I share this because, it's kind of cool that we both did it at the same time, but more so that we're both seeing good results from this "experiment".

The title format of "I'm begging you" came to my attention from my friend Natasha who shared her version of it that was working well for her a few months back.

"I'm begging you to sit on the floor" - 74k views 👀

She got the idea from her business partner Gabe

"I'm begging you to throw out your stuff" 557k views "holy 🤐"

In doing a bit of research, I found that this "I'm Begging You to..." format has been showing up all over YouTube in multiple niches over the past year, and the higher-performing versions all share something in common.

They're counterintuitive.

They beg the viewer to do something that feels backwards.

The act of "begging" also signals urgency and conviction.

You don't beg unless you have a strongly held belief about something, and viewers on YouTube are attracted to people with strong opinions.

Food for thought.

So as you're thinking about content for your channel, hopefully you are drawing inspiration from what you see around you, what grabs your attention on the home screen, or by what friends are making, and asking yourself.

How can I make a version of this for my audience?

A big part of YouTube isn't just studying what's working within your niche.

It's keeping an eye on what's working outside your niche and pulling those ideas in to give your viewers something fresh that they haven't seen before.

So here's my challenge for you.

Reply to this email with 3 different titles you might make using this format.

"I'm Begging You to X, Y, Z."

Lean into a controversial or counterintuitive take.

Because if you beg someone to do something they already know they should do, it's only slightly interesting because you're begging.

"I'm begging you to drink more water" (we all know)

But, if you beg them to do something that sounds backwards, they'll want to know why.

"I'm begging you to stop eating broccoli" ("wait, why? I freaking love broccoli." said nobody ever)

But you get the point, and that's the click.

Don't overthink it, just keep it simple.

A talking-head perhaps?

That's all mine is, and it's working out so far!