The Man MrBeast Hired To Grow His Channel (Jay Alto Interview)
Aug 24, 2023
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Jay Alto, a creativity expert and thumbnail maestro, has collaborated with top YouTubers like MrBeast and Ryan Trahan. He discusses the crucial elements that make a great thumbnail, emphasizing color and messaging. Jay reveals the extensive prep work behind viral videos, sharing insights into Ryan's creative process. He hilariously critiques thumbnails from notable creators, including Mark Rober and MrBeast, while offering tips on how to sustainably grow your own YouTube channel.
Collaboration and weekly brainstorming sessions are vital for generating a multitude of original ideas and ensuring effective content production.
Thumbnails are essential advertising tools that should prioritize attention-grabbing elements, viewer interest, and visual impact to enhance engagement.
Deep dives
The Process of Ideation for Viral Content
Collaboration is crucial for generating viral content, as seen in Jay Alto's partnership with Ryan Trahan. They meet weekly to brainstorm and produce numerous ideas, ensuring they have a wealth of options to choose from. A distinctive strategy involves creating thumbnails before filming videos, providing direction and inspiration throughout the content creation process. By planning the visuals ahead of time, creators can streamline their workflow and maintain focus on their original concepts while traveling to various locations.
Identifying and Adapting Successful Ideas
Finding original ideas on platforms like YouTube involves recognizing 'triggers'—elements that ignite inspiration, such as trends, thumbnails, or titles. Jay emphasizes the importance of researching what resonates with audiences and adapting successful concepts from other creators. By maintaining a playlist of potential ideas, he draws from these triggers to create unique content that still aligns with existing interest. This strategy not only encourages innovation but also validates the relevance of adapted ideas, ensuring they cater to a broader audience.
The Importance of Effective Thumbnails
Thumbnails serve as critical advertising tools for videos, requiring careful consideration to capture audience attention and convey the video's essence. Jay outlines four key principles for creating compelling thumbnails: focusing on the video idea, captivating attention, demonstrating viewer interest, and providing a hook to entice clicks. The effective use of color and contrast plays a vital role in enhancing the visibility and impact of thumbnails, ensuring they stand out among the multitude of options available. By maximizing these elements, creators can increase their chances of engagement and viewership, leading to potential viral success.
I interviewed Jay Alto who’s worked with MrBeast, Ryan Trahan, Colin and Samir, and more.
Jay is a master of thumbnails, creativity, and now has a YouTube channel of his own. In our conversation, Jay breaks down the 4 elements of a great thumbnail, how to find better ideas, and the weeks of prep-work that go into a Ryan Trahan video. Plus he roasts some of YouTube’s best and worst thumbnails, from Mark Rober to MrBeast to my interview with Logan Paul.
Chapters:
00:00 - 0:36: Who is Jay Alto
00:37 - 01:33 Presented by Hubspt
01:34 - 03:39 Ryan's Creative Process
03:40 - 06:38 Finding Ideas on YouTube
06:40 - 08:29 The Thumbnail Checklist
08:30 - 09:31 Roasting Mark Rober's Thumbnail
09:32 - 10:33 HubSpot Presents: Another Bite
10:34 - 12:01 Improving Mark’s Thumbnail
12:02 - 13:57 Roasting MrBeast's Thumbnail
13:58 - 17:40 Roasting My Thumbnail
17:41 - 19:42 Scripting Like Top YouTubers
19:43 - 21:21 How to Grow Your Channel Sustainably