Tom Cain 00:00
So, this is the epic origin story of MrBeast
00:03
and this video went over 24 hours I got the first thing. We introduced them to start, strategize born
Tom Cain 00:09
on May 7 1998 in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. Jimmy Donaldson's journey began with a simple passion for creating videos are just 13 years old, he took his first steps into the YouTube world launching his channel with gaming videos and commentaries. These early efforts were just the beginning of what would become a revolutionary presence on the YouTube platform. And on February 20 2012, the MrBeast6000 channel was born. Welcome to break the internet viral stories. This is where we uncover the secrets behind some of the world's most explosive content creators. I think the best way to learn this is to study the people who've already done it, and then try and recreate the success there must be a formula and we're gonna find out today we dive into the journey of MrBeast, one of YouTube's biggest stars, but first up a timeline. In February 2012, he started his channel with zero subscribers as does everybody else. His first video was a Minecraft let's play a year later in February 2013. He had seven subscribers in the middle of 2013 he had 140 subscribers, and by September he'd reached 50,000 views consistently posted Let's Play videos almost every other day.
01:26
What's up guys,
01:27
welcome to Minecraft letsplay.
Tom Cain 01:29
In February 2014, he had 730 subscribers and 80,000 views in August 2014 He hit 1500 subs 2015 was a big year for MrBeast as he started experimenting with lots of different types of content, but also creatively with his titles and thumbnails. He experimented with mobile games in early 2015. But swiftly moved back to let's play Call of Duty right? Let's play Okay, call duty what's it called? We're experts call duty class No, don't
01:58
ask the new call duty combat Advanced Warfare Advanced Warfare.
Tom Cain 02:02
He also pivoted into two camera experiments during this period, which means you would see his face learning and growing to see where his content fit was during 2015. Jimmy also played whilst commenting on other creators channels like PewDiePie and speculated on how much income would be generated through YouTube.
02:20
What's up guys today we're gonna be talking about
Tom Cain 02:24
his obsession with YouTube was clear. During this year he also questioned whether or not he should quit YouTube in one video saying I've uploaded maybe 1000 videos since I started across different channels and I thought I was done with YouTube. I
02:38
wasn't making enough to do YouTube and like literally considering going and getting a job at Hardee's to like make a little bit extra money and buy more equipment
Tom Cain 02:44
in July 2015 He hit 3000 subscribers and by August it was 5k most of his commentary during his Let's Play videos was about YouTube or YouTubers. He identified quickly that making videos about how much YouTubers make got more views. So he made a long string of those
03:01
I see comments about YouTube money all the time, and most people have no idea what they're talking about how much do YouTubers made per view
Tom Cain 03:08
in March 2016. He had 20,000 subscribers throughout 2016 He basically abandoned gaming and let's play videos for more to camera style content. In 2017. MrBeast released his video counting to 100,000, which goes viral and significantly boosts his subscriber count. This video marks the beginning of his shift towards unique and extreme content. By February 2017. He had gotten 600,000 subscribers by June, Jimmy received his first sponsorship deal of $10,000 his idea for the sponsors video was to give away the 10k And luckily, the sponsor agreed.
03:50
Hey, how's it gone? I said, Okay, let's
Tom Cain 03:54
pause for a minute and break this video down. Why did this video do so much better than the others? Firstly, emotional appeal. It taps into the viewers emotions by showcasing a generous act towards a homeless person. It creates a powerful narrative of kindness and transformation. Also, the concept of giving away a large sum of money to a homeless person is unique and attention grabbing is extremely shareable as it's heartwarming and inspiring and that kind of stuff generally gets shared far and wide. I also think curiosity plays a big part in this video. What's the homeless person going to do? How is he going to react? How's Jimmy going to react viewers are engaged by the feel good nature of this video and possibly witnessing a life changing event. Right let's get back to the timeline. Over the next few months Mr. B started giving away money to pizza delivery drivers Twitch streamers Uber drivers and his mum both Jimmy and his YouTube audience seem to really enjoy the genuine reactions from people in February 2018. MrBeast was closing in on 5 million subscribers and he's really seem to find his calling. One year later in 2019 he shifts gears again hits 20 million subscribers and the high stakes challengers and philanthropic videos really begin this crusade of content straps a rocketship to subscriber base and sends it off into the beyond. Also in 2019, he got another large sponsor in APEX legend, and he set up a battle royale with 39 other YouTubers. It was in 2019 that he and YouTuber Mark Rober started team trees, a charity to plant 20 million
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trees. You guys spam me to plant 20 million trees on Twitter. The
Tom Cain 05:32
movement even sparked massive donations from people like Elon Musk, Marc Benioff from Salesforce, and even Twitter's Jack Dorsey. Between 2021 and 2024 Mr. B's channel continues to grow exponentially. He diversifies his content further, including challenges like recreating squid games in real life,
05:52
I recreated every single swing game in real life
Tom Cain 05:55
and the last to leave the circle wins $500,000 whoever
05:59
leaves the circle last wins $500,000 As of June 2024.
Tom Cain 06:04
MrBeast has 288 million subscribers. Having studied many of MrBeast videos, several things come to mind when we're talking about key factors to his growth. Jimmy started his channel in 2012 with Minecraft let's play videos. Through his early years he experienced very slow growth as all YouTubers do, unless you're really really lucky. He consistently posted videos sometimes every other day and experimented with titles and thumbnails constantly thinking of how he can improve or adapt to get more views and subscribers. Even though he was adapting by changing some of the games that he was playing, changing the titles changing the thumbnails, the growth was still reasonably slow, but even slow growth is still growth. So from his early years, consistency and experimentation are the only things we can really take from his growth. Now that being said, you're unlikely to find your thing within your first couple of videos. So keep experimenting. By 2015. Jimmy had started trying with mobile games, but also experimented with some to camera content. This period was crucial for him as he tested and experimented to see what worked with his audience. He realized that discussing other YouTubers, and particularly how much they earned like pewdiepie garnered a lot of attention. And by 2016, he'd got 20,000 subscribers, he found something that worked this means he listened to his audience, or at least studied the data and understood what worked and what didn't. I will add that some creators stick to what they enjoy, and they maintain slower growth, or they sometimes stagnate because they're locked into that one content form. This is absolutely fine. And if you love the content, you create more power to you. MrBeast, on the other hand was not, he noticed that his Let's Play videos were not getting the attention he wanted. So he pivoted between 2012 and 2016 is when he really experimented the entire time for four years constantly posting constantly experimenting until he found what worked. This was likely because he wasn't obsessed with becoming a YouTube gamer. He was obsessed with becoming a successful YouTuber by any means necessary. And it didn't actually matter what content needed to be created. He spent four years just trying, then he counted to 100,000 and everything fell in place, he had an idea, and it hit 100,000. So in short, be consistent. Keep experimenting until you find your thing, and then double down on that. It's all about audience engagement, entertainment, and providing value. All right, let's stop for a moment. But let's break down a couple of his videos one older one and then one more recent. Let's go back to 2018 and have a look at this video
08:40
I spent $30,000 on lottery tickets, scratch off tickets, whatever you want to call these tickets are $30 apiece and I bought 1000 of
Tom Cain 08:49
them. This one straight off the bat has an interesting title. It teases a significant investment and a mystery outcome grabbing your attention. It's also relatable because everybody has a fantasy about winning the lottery. Maybe not Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk and relatable content normally wins the hook is great and it gets immediate attention, giving a summary of the upcoming challenge. As for the editing is edited for pace which increases viewing duration and YouTube likes quick and smooth transitions also help in this regard. They also use graphics like the phone display, which is a nice touch. Blending suspense and entertainment is a winner for this video. Let's jump to 2024 with this video,
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I have built the most horse in the world my friend back here and he's attempting to complete it without folding 200 feet to the ground whenever you're ready back for a
Tom Cain 09:37
great hook. We all know what this video is about. And we all know in under 10 seconds quick glimpses of huge sets and action sequences grab our attention in just over one minute of this video, the contestant completes His first task and we're locked in for the rest. The editing is sharp. The pacing is great. It's stripped of anything unnecessary, and it's still almost 30 minutes long, dramatic music and sound effects help build the tension And I think for this one is the extreme mental and physical challenge of completing the course. Both of those videos rely on high stakes and suspense. The first video relies more on curiosity and suspense, whereas the second has a focus on thrills and excitement. A modern MrBeast video typically contains high stakes with big challenges or monetary rewards, great hooks immediate action and teases fast paced editing, rapid cuts and dynamic visuals always a straightforward narrative high energy with consistent excitement throughout feel good moment at the end where we all go and unique and entertaining tasks. Now MrBeast approach to virality revolves around one core principle, go big or go home. His viral hits like giving away a million dollars and lastly, the circle wins $10,000 or recreating the squid games in real life highlights his willingness to take risks and create content on a grand scale. By continually reinvesting his revenue into bigger projects, MrBeast keeps his audience engaged and eagerly anticipating what's next. This strategy drives a hell of a big viewership, but also builds a loyal fan base that loves what he does. Also, his philanthropic efforts like donations and giveaways have become a hallmark of his brand. These acts of generosity creates a feelgood factor that resonates deeply with viewers making his content highly impactful and shareable. Also MrBeast ability to leverage social media and collaborate with other popular creators amplify his reach an audience I think he understands the importance of community and he often involves his audience in his philanthropic missions. This fosters a sense of participation, and connection. While he has faced criticism of being wasteful and irresponsible. He defends his actions by emphasizing his desire to entertain and provide a net positive on the world. He believes that his extravagant projects can not only provide entertainment, but also help people to think creatively and generously in essence, Mr. B success is built on a foundation of bold ideas, strategic reinvestment, audience engagement, and a genuine desire to give back all of these things, making him a stand out figure in the YouTube landscape. If you'd like this episode, don't forget to drop us a sub and if you know anyone who would also enjoy it, send it on
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