my Instagram, Twitter, and SnapChat that everyone who downloaded and put their “finger on the app” at a certain time would have the chance to win $25,000. All you had to do was be the last person with your finger still on the app. The app was only available on iPhones and only in America. Even with these limitations, and without even trying, I had 1.5 million people install the app. I hadn't even promoted it on my YouTube channel, which at the time had more than 37 million subscribers. In contrast, a newcomer to the mobile video world, Quibi, launched around the same time as my app, but they had a $1.7 billion budget. Guess how many installs they got? Only 300,000 on the first day.
Finger On the App was inherently cool, so people talked about it. It naturally went viral. This is how businesses should pitch things. Change your mentality from wanting to get the most views to wanting to be the most talked about. My app was trending everywhere. I created a social footprint. And it all happened because I owned the app myself and had the control to spread the message my way. Brands come along and think they know better, but they would be so much more successful if they let YouTubers do what they do best. We know how to go viral. We know this digital world inherently because it's what we've lived and breathed our whole lives. We know how to get your brand talked about naturally. This is way more powerful than a pointless view.
YouTube isn't going anywhere. Google's parent company Alphabet and Google's Android operating system funnel so much crazy traffic to Google‐owned YouTube. These companies have so much power and an unfathomable amount of cash that YouTube can't be a fad because of this. It's worth putting effort into something with such secure staying power. A lot of YouTube content is subpar now, but people will start to figure it out and it will be more competitive and expensive as time goes on. Figure it out now.
If you picked up this book, it's because you're already on YouTube or you are thinking about being on YouTube. Hopefully I've helped you understand that you absolutely should be on YouTube. You'd be nuts not to be. The opportunity to make money, grow a business, and spread a message is so huge, whether you're a regular person like me or a big brand. And this book has every element you'll need to do just that.
I first met Derral Eves in Dallas, Texas, for the sole purpose of talking about YouTube. I was working hard to achieve my dream of becoming the world's biggest YouTuber when I came across Derral's YouTube channel. I knew I had to meet him because he knew stuff I needed to know. So I messaged him, and I jumped on a plane. We've been YouTube data best buds together ever since.
Derral has pulled tens of billions of views on YouTube and even on other platforms because of his deep understanding of algorithms and the viewer. He owns VidSummit, the #1 YouTube data conference in the world. Only one or two other people in the entire world understand YouTube on the level that Derral does. I have one of the top three most‐watched channels on YouTube, and I still talk about YouTube data and strategy with Derral because nobody is on the same wavelength as he is. Whether you're a creator or a brand, you can learn how to be successful on YouTube by reading Derral's book. Be open to what he can teach you, whether you have five subscribers or five million. Because remember, you should be improving at every level, always making better content. The YouTube Formula will help you do that.
MrBeast
INTRODUCTION
A magical ice‐cream‐pooping unicorn made me write this book. That's not where it started, but it's what pushed me over the edge. If you think this makes me sound a little crazy, let me explain.
It was 1999. I had recently graduated with a degree in advertising and marketing, and I had a stable job with benefits and potential for advancement. But then … I quit. It wasn't the right career path for me. I wanted to start my own business and create my own future. This felt crazy because my wife and I had our first baby, Ellie, that year, and I felt the pressure to provide for my family. Keeping a steady job and building savings would have been the safe thing to do, but instead, I spent all our money on the latest Macintosh computer and the software it needed (it would have been cheaper to go with a PC! Dang you, Steve Jobs). I was determined to be a successful business owner and ready to take on the world … from my kitchen table workstation at home.
I spent days coming up with my company info, designing a website, and making my own business card. I just knew I would be a great entrepreneur. But after only two weeks, my wife, Carolyn, let me know that my office needed to move from the family table where she fed the baby and where there were spills aplenty. She had gotten a degree in accounting and had a really good job and had put me through school, but we both wanted her to be able to stay home with Ellie and our future children. Carolyn was my business partner—she did payroll, invoicing, and bookkeeping. We discussed where the company was going and how we could get money coming in. I needed to find clients to start bringing in the money so Carolyn wouldn't have to go back to work.
My first order of business, though, was to move my work space. This took me to Staples to buy a desk for my computer. I was admiring all the things I wanted for my new business, walking down the aisle with color laser printers. If only I could convince my business partner‐wife that I needed to buy one of these beauties! A fancy printer could help me show future clients work samples for ads I could make for them. My tech‐geek daydream was interrupted by a man asking me a question about printers. He introduced himself as Chuck and was wondering if I could help him with picking a color printer. I explained the difference between the two printers in question because I knew all their specs—these were printers I wanted to buy for my business, too. I didn't have the money for a printer because I didn't have any clients. I recommended the more expensive printer because of its print capabilities and less expensive toner. He said, “I've been coming to Staples for years, and you are the best employee I've ever talked to.” I informed him that I didn't work for Staples (which surprised him because I was wearing a red polo shirt and khakis—the classic Staples employee outfit). “Are you sure?” he asked. I convinced him by telling my story about starting my own business doing graphic design and websites. Wouldn't you know, he had recently started his own company called 1001 Business Cards and was looking for a designer. He hired me and my company on the spot to design his website and business cards. How serendipitous! I walked out of that Staples with a desk for $200 and a check for $300 from my first client, a $100 net profit. “That was easy!” in true Staples fashion. Owning a business was going to be a walk in the park.
I couldn't wait to go home and share my first success with Carolyn. My confidence soared and I knew I could do anything I set my mind to. However, only a few months later, my confidence had morphed into a feeling of uncertainty. I was going nowhere. I was barely making enough money to pay some of the bills and feed my family. We were dipping too much into our meager saving account. I needed more clients and fast.
Do You Know What Your Problem Is?
I went to see my dad to ask his advice. My dad had owned several businesses and done a lot of real estate ventures, and he had been successful at both. He gave me some simple advice, but it was some of the best advice I've ever received. He said, “You need to find a way to make more money with less time and with diverse streams of income.” That was his standard way: he would always restate my problem before giving me fatherly advice. “Derral, don't think of solutions, think of the problem. When you focus and obsess on the problem, the solution will present itself.” Take a minute and let that soak in. Einstein believed that our ability to identify problems was in direct proportion to the quality of the solutions we generate. He said, “If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and five minutes thinking about solutions.” I believed Einstein's words, but I really trusted my dad.
I was determined to figure out what I was supposed to do by focusing on my problem, which was this: I needed more clients. I took the next morning to internalize what my dad had said and identified the problems that were keeping me from diversifying my income. I made a list of the problems associated with having only one client. I thought of every problem I might encounter that next week, month, and year if I continued on the path I was on. When I combed through my list, the solution presented itself to me. I had a list of businesses and all of their