WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:00.880 Most 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:09.360 founders are not losing clients because of their knowledge or their product. They're losing them because their brand has no character. 00:00:09.440 --> 00:00:25.185 Funnel based ads don't really work anymore. And if your retention is dropping off a cliff, they don't actually ever get to your funnel. If you are using video to drive sales, social media platforms reward retention now, not reach. You don't have a sales problem. 00:00:25.265 --> 00:00:32.090 You have a character problem. Because people don't keep watching content. Content, they keep watching characters. 00:00:32.090 --> 00:00:46.355 And the creators who win are the ones who understand how to show up as a good character. If you have a business and you're making videos, you are likely watching two types of channels. One channel that tells you how to get people to buy, 00:00:46.675 --> 00:00:50.355 and another channel that tells you how to make content people wanna watch, 00:00:50.595 --> 00:00:57.410 like me. So how about we connect the dots? Let's talk about using narrative content to sell 00:00:57.570 --> 00:00:58.770 without selling. 00:01:01.490 --> 00:01:04.690 We are talking character and dialogue today, 00:01:04.930 --> 00:01:07.010 and character and dialogue 00:01:07.090 --> 00:01:17.065 are my absolute favorite things. So let's get your plan into action. Hi. I'm Darren. I'm a Writers Guild award winning creator, producer, and director 00:01:17.305 --> 00:01:24.010 who is on a mission to help you build a brand that people want to binge. As a founder or entrepreneur, 00:01:24.010 --> 00:01:27.450 you are actually your best content asset right now, 00:01:27.850 --> 00:01:28.490 but 00:01:28.730 --> 00:01:35.130 you likely fall on one side of this line. You like talking about your business and your products, 00:01:35.905 --> 00:01:41.665 but you feel kinda awkward talking about your personal journey, and it feels a little automated. 00:01:41.745 --> 00:01:48.545 Or you can talk about your personal journey, you feel comfortable expressing that, but you feel awkward mentioning your offers. 00:01:48.785 --> 00:01:50.145 So your videos connect, 00:01:50.840 --> 00:01:52.200 but they don't convert. 00:01:52.360 --> 00:01:54.280 Social media has changed. 00:01:54.760 --> 00:02:01.160 Every platform is becoming more TV like, and a lot of brands are taking notice, and they're building series 00:02:01.160 --> 00:02:04.440 because it is no longer about building influence. 00:02:04.520 --> 00:02:06.440 It is about building relationships. 00:02:06.975 --> 00:02:11.215 And that is why you need to build a leading character people trust. 00:02:11.215 --> 00:02:17.615 And there is data that supports this. People trust founders way more than they trust companies. 00:02:17.855 --> 00:02:20.255 But you need to share your narrative effectively. 00:02:20.830 --> 00:02:22.910 Here's the thing most people misunderstand 00:02:22.910 --> 00:02:25.230 about being a good character online, 00:02:25.550 --> 00:02:34.190 and it's something that I misunderstood too until I framed it like a TV character. Good TV characters work because they have recognizable perspectives, 00:02:34.865 --> 00:02:35.745 recognizable 00:02:35.745 --> 00:02:36.545 energy, 00:02:37.025 --> 00:02:38.145 and recognizable 00:02:38.145 --> 00:02:41.985 behavior under pressure. How does that translate for creators? 00:02:41.985 --> 00:02:46.305 A good YouTube character is someone the audience understands quickly. 00:02:46.545 --> 00:02:48.865 They understand what this person believes, 00:02:49.330 --> 00:02:51.410 what role they play in my life, 00:02:51.730 --> 00:02:54.770 and why I should keep listening to them. Sidebar, 00:02:54.770 --> 00:03:01.010 that was actually an moment for me because I'm a reluctant personal brand. I'm a behind the scenes person. 00:03:01.250 --> 00:03:10.445 Maybe you are too. You don't have to be the loudest or most polished personality here on YouTube. The creators who feel the most charismatic 00:03:10.445 --> 00:03:12.205 are the ones whose character 00:03:12.365 --> 00:03:14.045 you understand immediately. 00:03:14.285 --> 00:03:17.085 But now let's talk about dialogue. 00:03:17.325 --> 00:03:18.685 I want you to imagine this. 00:03:19.450 --> 00:03:21.290 You walk into a party, 00:03:21.530 --> 00:03:25.050 there are lots of people all in various conversations, 00:03:25.690 --> 00:03:28.330 and you stand in the doorway, 00:03:28.570 --> 00:03:30.570 and you say, hey, everybody. 00:03:31.575 --> 00:03:33.095 You have this problem, 00:03:33.255 --> 00:03:35.095 and I'm gonna help you because 00:03:35.335 --> 00:03:36.455 I've been there. 00:03:36.775 --> 00:03:41.655 Here's my story. And most of the people are gonna be like, can you get them escorted out, please? 00:03:42.375 --> 00:03:50.700 And you're like, but here's my personal story. It will help you. And they're like, dude, I don't even know you. I do not care about your story. 00:03:51.260 --> 00:03:53.900 That is what you might be trying to do on YouTube, 00:03:53.980 --> 00:03:59.175 trying to give a monologue in the doorway of a party. It feels like an interruption. 00:03:59.255 --> 00:04:00.855 It feels like an ad, 00:04:01.175 --> 00:04:06.455 and we're over ads. We're building scenes now. We're building shows. Now imagine this. 00:04:06.695 --> 00:04:08.295 You walk into a party, 00:04:08.455 --> 00:04:09.495 and you walk around, 00:04:10.190 --> 00:04:13.950 and you find out that Katie has just gotten divorced. 00:04:14.190 --> 00:04:23.470 Maybe you're talking to Katie and she's like, my head is in a fog. I just got divorced and I'm having trouble even holding this conversation. 00:04:23.790 --> 00:04:25.150 And now you're like, Katie, 00:04:25.835 --> 00:04:26.715 hello? 00:04:26.795 --> 00:04:33.755 I went through the exact same thing during my divorce. That is exactly how I felt. And you know what I did? 00:04:34.475 --> 00:04:36.315 And now Katie's leaning in. 00:04:36.875 --> 00:04:37.275 Why? 00:04:38.090 --> 00:04:40.170 Because we're in a scene now. 00:04:40.490 --> 00:04:48.650 You took the time to hear Katie's problem. And then when you told your story, you told it for Katie specifically. 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:50.730 And she's like, okay. 00:04:51.050 --> 00:04:52.570 This person is my vibe. 00:04:53.065 --> 00:04:54.825 This person is my person. 00:04:54.985 --> 00:04:59.545 And then you kept the conversation going after the party. You built a relationship. 00:05:00.265 --> 00:05:04.745 This is what you wanna do with your videos. But here is the snag in our plan. 00:05:05.610 --> 00:05:06.730 Unfortunately, 00:05:07.450 --> 00:05:24.625 you're not in a room with Katie, and this is the biggest challenge that my clients have. You are making videos hoping that she's going to see it. You are betting on an algorithm matching you. It's like you signed up for a matchmaking service, and you can't even have a conversation with the matchmaker. 00:05:24.785 --> 00:05:27.905 So you can't see Katie when you hit record. 00:05:28.065 --> 00:05:33.185 So you now have to imagine her. I am a director, and when I direct scripted projects, 00:05:34.040 --> 00:05:38.840 actors have to deal with this problem all the time when it comes to their close-up. A lot of times, 00:05:39.320 --> 00:05:41.000 they're acting against nobody. 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:52.305 Or maybe the actor in the scene, the other actor in the scene, the one that's off camera, is only giving half energy because they're not on camera. So then the actor that is on camera 00:05:52.465 --> 00:05:56.865 has to imagine the right energy. Sometimes they have to imagine the person entirely. 00:05:57.345 --> 00:05:59.025 And then I, as the director, 00:05:59.590 --> 00:06:03.750 have to help guide them. Not only do you need to build your character, 00:06:03.910 --> 00:06:06.630 you need to build your viewers character. 00:06:06.950 --> 00:06:07.750 For you, 00:06:08.630 --> 00:06:21.535 that is where YouTube studio data helps. AI research can help. Simply going on YouTube and searching to see what other videos people are watching can help. Reading comments can help because you actually learn 00:06:22.175 --> 00:06:28.815 what Katie is feeling before you start giving a monologue she doesn't want. And then you wonder why she's not clicking and she's not buying. 00:06:29.830 --> 00:06:31.590 She has no idea 00:06:31.990 --> 00:06:37.910 why she would trust what you're saying. Just like an actor has no idea how to play off an imaginary person 00:06:38.230 --> 00:06:39.750 if they haven't prepared. 00:06:39.830 --> 00:06:42.790 So you wanna find that opening line of dialogue 00:06:42.935 --> 00:06:54.535 that Katie is going to respond to. I love writing dialogue. I love figuring out the right dialogue for different characters. When you're writing a scene, if you want two characters to stay in a conversation, 00:06:55.110 --> 00:06:59.270 you need to write the dialogue so that they wanna stay in the conversation. 00:06:59.670 --> 00:07:15.935 Otherwise, it's not gonna make sense when you're watching it. You're gonna be like, why didn't that person just walk away? So how do I know what words Katie uses so that I can speak her language and use them in my dialogue? I have to look into it. I have to do searches on YouTube to see what videos 00:07:16.015 --> 00:07:18.495 recently divorced moms are clicking on. 00:07:18.975 --> 00:07:27.050 I look at the comments on my channel. I look at the comments on other people's channel, and I see what words they're using to describe how they're feeling. 00:07:27.370 --> 00:07:34.250 Maybe I go to Reddit. Maybe I go to school. Maybe I go to Facebook or other communities that I'm in, and I ask around. 00:07:34.810 --> 00:07:37.050 Maybe I even use a tool like vidIQ 00:07:37.050 --> 00:07:38.250 or spotter studio, 00:07:38.875 --> 00:07:40.955 or you work with someone like me. 00:07:41.195 --> 00:07:48.635 You wanna give your viewer a character name just like I gave Katie a name. List out the relevant demographics. 00:07:48.955 --> 00:07:58.940 Maybe that is gender, maybe that's age range, Maybe that's what they do for work. What stage of life they're in. Then I wanna list out their emotional landscape. 00:07:59.340 --> 00:08:03.260 What matters to them? What they're secretly frustrated by? 00:08:03.420 --> 00:08:06.220 And then I wanna figure out my role in their story. 00:08:06.825 --> 00:08:23.680 How can I help them? Why would Katie choose me as her guide? You put that together, and you have a character profile for your ideal viewer. So then when I make a video, I am no longer shouting in the doorway of a party or talking to no one. I turn on the camera. 00:08:24.080 --> 00:08:26.560 I can clearly see Katie in my head. 00:08:26.880 --> 00:08:28.960 And now I'm sitting in my chair, 00:08:29.600 --> 00:08:31.280 and I'm talking to the camera, 00:08:31.520 --> 00:08:34.560 building a relationship with someone that 00:08:34.640 --> 00:08:44.755 I feel like I can actually help. And because I know who she is, I can actually give my unique perspective. I'm not just lifting off features and testimonials 00:08:44.755 --> 00:08:45.795 and facts. 00:08:46.035 --> 00:08:52.270 I am a person who has lived a life. I'm telling stories from my actual experiences 00:08:52.270 --> 00:09:04.990 that actually mean something to her, just like I told you that I direct actors who have a similar problem that you have. I'm not just telling stories that I think someone might like into an empty camera. 00:09:06.245 --> 00:09:21.365 I have actually heard your comments about what you're struggling with and what other people are not helping you with, and I'm using my personal and unique experiences to speak to them. Now Katie knows what role I serve in her life, and it also feels authentic. 00:09:21.790 --> 00:09:30.030 And now I've built a brand that my target customer trusts, and you can do the same. And that is the power of character and dialogue, 00:09:30.190 --> 00:09:36.990 and that is your first step. But how do we make it so she remembers me? That's what we're gonna break down in the next episode. 00:09:37.465 --> 00:09:39.785 So this is a good time to subscribe. 00:09:39.945 --> 00:09:41.385 And incidentally, 00:09:41.385 --> 00:09:57.910 if you want help figuring out who your Katie is and building a narrative around her, I have put details on how to work with me in the video description so you can check that out. But in the meantime, a great character without a world is not an experience, and YouTube is actually about building experiences. 00:09:58.150 --> 00:10:08.835 That is what brand lore solves, and I actually walk through how to build that world in the video that is popping up on the screen right now. Until next time, keep creating and keep thinking like a showrunner.