The Art of Storytelling and View Retention

Colin & Samir join Marques and Andrew to discuss storytelling in KZbin and how telling stories can help keep people interested in tech videos.
Links:
Colin & Samir: / colinandsamir
Interview with Mr. Beast: bit.ly/2ZWOwWR
Interview with Nas Daily: bit.ly/31nxSAa
Twitter:
/ wvfrm
/ mkbhd
/ andymanganelli
/ colinandsamir
/ adamlukas17
Instagram:
/ wvfrmpodcast
Shop the merch:
shop.mkbhd.com
Join the Discord:
/ discord
Music by 20syl:
bit.ly/2S53xlC
Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

[@Editx365-b2o]

00:02 Advice from KZbin creators may not always apply to all genres 02:07 Good storytelling requires causation between beats 04:19 Good storytelling builds tension and releases it. 06:24 Creating niche content for a specific audience 08:29 Creators' biggest complaint is inability to A/B test thumbnails 10:25 A/B testing thumbnails would be useful 12:18 Packaging video for reviews is a challenge 14:20 KZbin creators should not rely solely on AdSense for revenue.

[@3000-g2g]

marques has become a really good interviewer. i remember when he was a nervous kid interviewing kobe.

[@oxide9717]

Love your PFP

[@3000-g2g]

@@oxide9717 love yours too :)

[@malfaroangel3896]

Well now Kobe in the ground. While Marques is growing

[@bruhmeme7313]

@@malfaroangel3896 didn't laugh

[@underratedblastoise3908]

Everyone is nervous interviewing Kobe tho 😅

[@hazem_khalil]

I agree with Marques on this one. His honesty is what has kept me, and I'm sure many others, loyal to his channel. When there's a boring product, he doesn't sensationalize it to something it's not. 4:14 this explanation is what also makes a great salesman. Though he's not selling us this stuff, you feel he's genuinely just here to give you information about the new tech as opposed to just making it dramatic for views. And it's that realness that keeps me engaged. I know I won't be wasting my next 3-10min on nonsense opinions. Most people watching his videos are here for information and logical thinkers, even those of us who love a good story. I love storytelling and cinematography but when I want to learn about a piece of equipment, that part of my brain switches off.

[@Jesse-P88]

Creators I’d love to see interviewed: 1. Grace Randolph - Beyond The Trailer 2. Kara and Nate - Travel Vlog 3. Trixie Mattel - Trixie Cosmetics

[@thalesspinolafernandes2204]

Matt d'avella, director of The minimalists, would be a great guest: his insights on minimalism and storytelling, and cameras as well (connecting these subjects with tech or not) would make the show very interesting. I think Johnny Harris would be awesome as well. Both of you talking about cameras and maybe something related to big tech politics or privacy in the digital age wold be fantastic. Great video as always!

[@thalesspinolafernandes2204]

Thomas Frang too! Aside from talking about camera gear, storytelling and productivity, I think one of his greatest insights would be about exercising and health habits. I've never seen Marquess talking much about his sport career, that would be a great opportunity.

[@JoshuaGill]

I'mma check that out. Thank you!

[@HisuiCotton]

Hearing you guys mention the thumbnail and title changes that people frequently make is great because as a viewer I know that if I watch a video and it's thumbnail and title change to where I click it again later, I immediately click off when I realize it's the same video, so it's nice to hear that there are people trying to avoid doing that too often.

[@GeneralEverywhen]

It's funny to hear Marques talk about struggling to instill narrative into his videos given that, in my opinion, he's kind of already hit it out of the park. Every time he does one of those "talking to himself" intros, I am almost *instantly* drawn in. As it is in and of itself an awesome sort of "brand" in terms of video style. And is always a fun intro into the premise of the video, without ever overstaying its welcome. And even when he does something other than that, like just staring at the Sisyphus Table as the intro to the Dope Tech video on it. It's just enough to attract someone with "storytelling" without having to weave a proper narrative throughout the video, beyond simply making good on whatever the premise of the video is (e.g. Is the product good? Is X worth it?) All that to say, you're doing a great job Marques. And I think you may well already be on your way to making good on narrative in your videos.

[@PrabhavKhandelwal]

Absolutely bang on. Marques has been hooking people in with “story” of the product/brand/line incredibly well.

[@kooksoncamera]

What video does he talk to himself in? I would love to see how he goes about that

[@bulelanibotman]

man, colin and samir are one of the best in explaining and giving reasons to questions, very in-depth!

[@ChadSchrandt]

Gerald from Gerald Undone would be great since he's so tech oriented and can talk about the the studio with an level of expertise that I feel like many creators could only dream of matching.

[@TheThinkersBible]

It’s great to see Marques branching out like this. He’s as excellent as an interviewer as he is a tech reviewer.

[@teatree5633]

Marques has been doing storytelling on his videos for a long time without realizing it. That’s why his videos are great.

[@JonDaiello]

This is super helpful! I've been realllly bad about crafting a good storyline to my content. I get lots of positive comments saying it's helpful, but I think I need to get better about making it have a compelling story arc so people will feel more engaged.

[@alexisaguirrevideos]

Anyone else got good video recommendations for how to tell and craft a story? Kinda how these guys broke it down in the beginning? They made it make a lot of sense.

[@UGPVlogsLA]

The picture and sound quality on this video is just perfect…

[@itsdavidmora]

Marques: "I'm pretty decently mobile & althetic" Also Marques: is recognized as one of the best defensive Ultimate Frisbee players on the planet

[@PrabhavKhandelwal]

man is criminally humble 😂

[@nikyabodigital]

MrWhoseTheBoss does it very well. The story telling part.

[@DioDiablo702]

Apple used storytelling to promote their products. They just found a way to combine storytelling, marketing, and advertising then package them together in a product.

[@gizConAsh]

Love for you guys to talk to Ali Abdaal. Especialy with him just announcing his book.

[@Pcoxproductions]

9:20 packaging the story into a thumbnail is the most important role when creating

[@goblinyoda2643]

Something I wish Marques did on his main channel is a more direct comparison between the Flagships and "Fine" phones but way less expensive phones, I feel like camara quality defines a good phone more than anything but I dont take that many photos...

[@pawelkapica5363]

I am with Marquez on this one. If I am looking at a review I want to get the important info right away and not have to listen to fluff.

[@ThePsychicStylist]

This is so upper-level! I wish I would have known everything that is involved in having a channel. Every potential creator needs to be informed of your conversation! Thank you!

[@thedadamer]

“Do you think you would last in a Mr. Beast chellenge?” Watching this in hindsight of Marques’s time on MrBeast is a small lol. Love it. Go Marques!

[@DaviesMediaDesign]

8:34 - I was literally thinking about this earlier today (and many times prior). I can't understand why KZbin doesn't implement an A/B testing feature for thumbnails. Creators and their videos live and die by their thumbnails, especially when the video is first launched. Would be nice to randomly serve up two options simultaneously and choose a winner.

[@Dancing_Alone_wRentals]

7:55 Complain about KZbin? This I don't understand. KZbin hates my videos; Todd has been heard saying they are nothing more than dark matter in a black hole, yet I'm still grateful for KZbin allowing me to post videos.

[@______jhno]

Thank you for sharing this type of content with us, so much to learn from you guys and your guests.

[@HavekAttacketh]

This is such good info! I feel like so many people try to nail down the exact method when really it just depends on the situation. I do really agree with the better the idea the easier the thumbnail and title are!

[@jazzyjaz8949]

THIS VIDEO WAS SO VALUABLE TO SOMEONE LIKE ME!!! A total novice, but this video has me looking at KZbin in a totally different way. Nothing but respect! 🙌🏾🔥🙌🏾 Grateful

[@kelwinkwel]

Great crossover guys!!

[@deveshsinghyadav2613]

I am really amazed how insightful this short video has been, taught me an important key aspect of story telling.. greatful for stumbling on this video by accident

[@MicahBuller]

MR BEAST 1 on 1 and get him to try making a tech review video, and then you try making one of his videos.

[@sebastiancervantes9577]

I definitely would like to see a conversation between you guys and Pewdiepie

[@goodgirlsguide]

Yes you can do story telling with a tech product. It's your reason for purchasing it and the manufacturers reason for creating it or upgrading it.

[@jryce]

Great insight from Colin and Samir, thanks for the video! 9:07

[@phonefamoustv7930]

Story telling in a tech review can run people the wrong way and feel like a cheesy waste of time

[@DigThat32]

The biggest pain point that smaller channels have no recourse for, is being falsely flagged. Ex: I gave away hundreds of dollars worth of in-game assets on a live stream without receiving anything in return. Next day.. warning for spam/fraudulent activity / deceptive practices. It's a serious accusation with no way to have an actual human being review the content or even listen to you.

[@Pcoxproductions]

13:10 knowing your formats or buckets direct your packaging

[@LudwickMa]

Flossy Carter and White Shoes. Simplest & effective reviewer on KZbin. Proves that personality trumps production.

[@cjohn64]

You can insert a narrative in a tech review. The issue many people have is that they visualize a story as being one type, the classic arc style story. There are NO-ARC stories. Also in America we tend to focus on the traditional 3-act structure. In Japan they tell stories from a 4 act structure. My point, there are different ways to tell the same story.

[@Jokesta]

Wow storytelling is pretty intresting. Im going to try to apply it to gaming

[@theglowcloud2215]

Please don't

[@andyyromano]

@@theglowcloud2215 why not

[@dorweksler3069]

Mr beast will be cool to see

[@rob-toolsandtech2521]

Interesting. I definitely agree, it’s hard to come up with a title and thumbnail ahead of time for a review.

[@UGPVlogsLA]

Yes, it sure is

[@Tynamite843]

Thank you guys 😎👍

[@biblicalmeditationsbyjosiah]

So true. I have to remind myself of this every time I watch videos that offer "advice".

[@Outright_Mike]

I know that I'm not the target audience for this video. But I agreed with Markess when he said that in review videos a story doesn't always apply. As "a viewer" I care about the reviewer's take after testing/reviewing the product. I don't care that he likes 1 thing or doesn't like 2 others. I hate feeling that a KZbinr is purposely stretching his story or reapeating the same things over and over just to keep me watching a video that would have taken half the time. Or using hyperbolic titles exaggerating facts (like the NEXT iPhone KILLER) 😂 Often I just fast forward to get to the good part. I've been watching MKBHD since he was making videos in his college dorm with the Cheerios boxes in the background. I rarely felt he was wasting my time with fluff. No "over the top" hyperbolic titles with an angry-faced Marquess hating on some product 😂

[@Pcoxproductions]

3:01 a great story is a dance of causation

[@blacklisted_autodetailingc133]

With all the tech stuff that I am geeking out on another creator that you should have on the show is some one that is just starting off on the actual nitty gritty of you tube. He has changed everything to focus on KZbin for 2024. He's had a impressive back story, working in the automotive world as a mehanic and restoration specialistist, hes been in the medical field doing backdoor IT stuff for Kaiser and supervisor at UCLA health. With all that technical skill, love for vehicles and using tech to further explain things on his channel , he is now a full time automotive detailer that is using the Think Media 1k challenge to be the first mobile detailer to have technical content for the consumer as well as tutorials in the future. Most importantly he is as eager to speak to you guys and bring an amazing conversation to your channel..,..Yes you figured it out, its me. I am in los Angeles/Van nuys.. amazing insight on this episode too ... seriously. talk to you guys soon.

[@drfaithabraham]

I almost skipped the video but Im so glad I didnt! The storytelling piece is marvelous 👏🏾

[@AquaVivaFit]

This is something that I am learning to improve my water fitness videos! Thanks!

[@MichaelGordonPenn]

Thank you!

[@Mirtual]

The art of jangling keys in front of children

[@homebusinessdad]

@2:22 I'm confused at the response to Marquess first question. The example given was a story, but a question, a good question at that, a good tactic, but that wasn't a story. Am I missing something here? Also when it comes to advise in any field, can someone show me where Samir advise is being CARRIED OUT in Tech channel?

[@pietro6032]

Brilliant, they rooked us the moment they started to disagree.

[@tanvir-alam]

Creators I'd like to see on the show: 1. Matti Haapoja 2. Potato Jet 3. Kara and Nate 4. Drew Binsky 5. Lost Leblanc

[@soubhagyagrover2630]

@mrmobile I cannot stress this enough. Immaculate screenplay and thorough pacing and I think that’s the most ideal example of narrative and technical showcasing; in one bite.

[@Jonathan-Creator-Tips]

Thank you once again for sharing this. Working on my storytelling in the coming months 🙂

[@judasjudas-fj4fx]

It's straight forward.. beginning middle and an end

[@sarpuser]

Ok now we need a Mr Beast x MKBHD collaboration

[@seanjamescameron]

Don’t forget to introduce the guests - I have no idea who these guests are or why they should be here.

[@bartekburnat1001]

True but its a clip

[@Jaredstthomas]

It’s just a clip of the podcast

[@miguelsandremusic]

Can tutorial videos have a story line?

[@taron.y]

Master: “Interesting” Pupil: Thought bubble…”Am I right”

[@rlfernandes9538]

I'd love to see Dieter and Vjeran from The Verge... the geeking out about tech, vídeo and drones would be Epic!

[@johnsaxz]

6:58 LMAO Marques not knowing that that question will be key in 2 years time 😂😂 Well he did well lmao

[@Chronick0fee]

Interview helped alot with how I should structure my videos

[@M360Studio]

This is so true and helpful.i agree with the concept of storytelling to get the audience attention but telling a story about tech is something else

[@atishayritulpatwa7235]

Please leave the link for full podcast KZbin channel video in description.

[@LuxevibeTube]

Bro do you, be you. U are a superstar and amazing keep going, U are so humble and your sense of humor is the coolest.Mob love G ❤️💪remember never let people's opinion determine who you are and stop you from what you wanna be 👊

[@dankelly]

I would like to see the full interview! A link to it (in a pinned comment) would help. Please.

[@wnms]

Dunna Did It Gerald Undone Think Media - Sean Cannell

[@HeresMo]

A/B thumbnail is finally coming.

[@PinupSticknerd]

Step 1: This happened, then this happened. Step 2: Look around

[@davidhall6452]

Marques, the product in your review example, the product is the story The scope of your story is usually outlined in title of video?

[@ChiRat22]

Click Bait! I was expecting Slick Rick and Andre 3000 OUTKAST SONG ! Lol. Sarcasm of course. Great video!

[@thebunn]

Awesome episode! It would be cool to see some of the music creator KZbinrs. I have a feeling that many of them are wildly tech informed.

[@landel5923]

wow marques with the gem 2 minutes in

[@Thecreativelifechronicles]

Story is not always fictional. A story is told through many different narratives. Understanding how to introduce your product should include storytelling always. It’s the most relatable technique used to connect to your audiences.

[@versatileimagePro]

Looking forward to seeing Peter McKinnon on the podcast

[@TMooreTheMotivator]

Let me know when?

[@Pcoxproductions]

4:44 tension and release are fundations for storytelling

[@Vysair]

People might also watch because of who reviewing it like LinusTechTips, MKBHD, Mrwhosetheboss, etc because they have high standard and their personality.

[@razarnold]

Chris do, Ross Draws, Peter Mckinnon?

[@MarcusYarbrough-xt9yx]

Love this conversation.

[@gazgadgets]

Loved this one. Thanks

[@KimmySang]

This was a great video although I'd really like them to explain the principles behind storytelling. That would really help asipring creators like myself to understand how to create,edit and package a video from start to finish. But I still apperciate the time and effort you guys put in making this content.

[@StarlitJourneys]

Incredible insights! We've been applying similar techniques to our own 'The Guestbook - Haunted Manor' series, but these are very short. It's fascinating how a good story can transport us anywhere.

[@soubhagyagrover2630]

And not just that, Mister Mobile has series on his channels wherein he writes a whole new script for a device WAYYYYY ancient and then it creates for a MUCH MUCH MUCH more better tech review than your average (not you all, MKBHD) unboxing, hawk eye pov video.

[@sobeidalagrange7129]

02:45 03:00 04:10 06:40 09:09 11:30

[@cheryltaylortaylor]

You mentioned that this was a "clip" but I didn't see a link to the entire interview. Did I miss it or did you not include it?

[@StephenHaugse]

Storytelling can be used in pitch decks and PowerPoint presentations as well. By deconstructing your ideas into a linear story using whiteboarding software (or a real whiteboard) you will be able to see gaps in your messaging. Give it a shot :)

[@TysonMichael77]

This was really insightful

[@bobcekaymusic]

This happened, but then that happened therefore this happened

[@obao2024]

Great video! I think you should bring on Flossy Carter and discuss the differences between your tech review formats

[@Jartny_]

Thank you for this conversation. Couldn't stop taking notes. This information is useful and applicable to every person, as its not about only making effective videos, its aboit effective human communication. A story told with love

[@asddfdsdf]

The advice from blue hat dude is from the South Park creators writing seminar they held. I'd check that one out for advice for compelling storytelling instead.

[@BuickOutdoors]

Would it be of any value to you guys to have a small youtuber, such as myself, on to discuss what its like trying to become an emerging creator and what it takes to grow a channel with less then 10,000 subscribers? It seems like a lot of these type of interviews is with creators that have already made it and no creators who are still trying to make it.

[@sobeidalagrange7129]

Great video!!, thanks!! 12:00 12:50 13:40 15:00

[@philipohmes9395]

How do devices get tailored to age groups, people with physical challenges, cognitive challenges and who is ignored ?

[@homesformeremortals5935]

This was a great informative video. The bit at 2:45 about south park storytelling was genius! I will say one thing about the ad cents bit. I completely disagree. Yes, I agree KZbin provides a "Free" platform but since they have gone ape shit with the amount of commercials, I disagree. As they get worse, I believe KZbin will eventually kill itself. There are so many commercials sometimes that I will stop watching the video and just leave KZbin all together. I've done that multiple times lately. So when KZbin earns revenue but ruins a creators watch time I don't believe that KZbin gives enough to the creator. KZbin would have been so much more valuable by sticking to videos on the front and end, plus whatever creators add in the middle. They are literally devaluing themselves. I guess they want to be the Walmart of social media. They were the Gucci or Amazon before. I am not monetized and while that would be great it's not my goal or purpose. I want to provide great, valuable information to create leads for my business. ( I suck now. lol but I'll keep at it ) However, if I become monetized but then loose my audience because they can't even finish a short video It defeats the ultimate purpose.

[@Tyski_Ty]

i'd deff would like to be on a podcast episode! All i do is enjoy the art of being a film creator!

[@DOUGandNIKI]

I'd like to see DOUGandNIKI on... :)