Skyrocket Your Watch Time on YouTube with These 4 SERIOUSLY GOOD Storytelling Formats!
Here’s the truth: SEO may get people to START WATCHING your videos. But there is only one way to get people to KEEP WATCHING. And it aint SEO. Today we’re talking about the metric you need to double down on and the ONLY THING that will get you there. It’s gonna be a good one.
SEO and YouTube is a love story that rivals the greatest sagas. It is beautiful and awful simultaneously. But there is a new enchantress on the scene who is pulling some sorcery over YouTube. Her name is STORY. And you can game SEO - we’ve proven that - but you can’t game story. She’s got some magic that keeps audiences entranced. She boosts your watch time and whispers spells to the algorithm to make it do whatever she wants, making SEO a little petty but whatever, karma, good luck, babe.
In this video, I’m going to break down how STORY can bring her magic to your channel and what you need to be thinking about if you want your audience to stay invested in your videos. And look, you want to stick around to the end of this video because I will lay out several sure-fire story threads that consistently work on this platform so you can create content that keeps your audience obsessed, skyrockets your watch time, and tells the algorithm, dude, I’m so ready for the big time.
Now you’re thinking, Wait one minute, Daryn, we’re talking about YouTube here, right? The search engine. The how to’s. The SEO optimized word scramble of video titles. The platform that destroyed web series in favor of people talking into their camera on the street like crazy lunatics. That platform? Are you trying to tell me story matters this much? Well, 2025 YouTube is different from the YouTube of the past where subscribers and views were the driver and we were saturated with that I’m so desperate to be famous I will do anything vibes. And there are a few reasons for that.
But first I need to unload a little bit. Guys, I have watched so many videos here on YouTube and if I see one more person say “If you make good content, the algorithm will reward you,” I will actually lose my mind. That’s not actually true. The algorithm is not a critic. It doesn’t have taste. It’s not a tastemaker. It’s not a human. The algorithm has no idea if your content is good. It’s programmed to detect “good content” by certain data points and there is one particular data point that is critical with the current algorithm and I’m going to talk about that in a moment. I cannot tell you the number of people I know making the most good content on YouTube but no one is watching for an array of reasons so the algorithm thinks it’s bad. When it’s brilliant.
The algorithm doesn’t know if your content is good, but people do. So how do you get the people to tell the algorithm it’s good?
WATCH TIME.
That’s the metric that matters. It’s not how many viewers you have that matters here on YouTube, oh no, honey. But do your viewers keep watching? It does not matter if you have a small audience, you want that audience to keep watching. That is how you tell the algorithm it should help you grow. And of course, you could literally tell your audience – please watch my videos all the way through. And heads up, do that. Text your friends, family. Tell them to watch the whole video but you need more than that.
In my last video I talked about some content strategies you can use to hook viewers in the first 30 seconds. If you missed it, don’t go anywhere. You can check it out after.
But there is a difference between your hook — what you are using to get people to START WATCHING and your story thread — what you are doing to get people to KEEP WATCHING.
SEO and some editing techniques may still be the best ways to get attention here on YouTube but the only way to keep people watching is STORY. I feel like I’ve said that about 90 times. I’m gonna say it again.
The only way to keep people watching is a GOOD STORY.
But that is not the end of the story. That is only the beginning of how to craft a good story for YouTube because YouTube is kind of a jerk. It’s basically dating three different people – your phone, your computer, and TV, because YouTube is now the #1 TV streaming service. Like pick one. Or don’t. Do you, YouTube. But they are all totally different ways of watching videos with totally different viewer expectations, and you’re like, dude, what do you even want from me? How on earth do you tell a good story on this insane platform?
You need to think like a TV showrunner because that is what you are. And a good TV show has two main things – a COMPELLING LEADING CHARACTER AND A CORE CONFLICT. A conflict that has the audience emotionally invested in the leading character and what will happen so they watch a 30 minute or 60 minute episode to follow that. In fact, they hopefully binge a whole season because the leading character and core conflict are so addicting. But YouTube is not known for scripted - don’t even go there, Daryn. I think that’s about to change but we’ll save that for another video because I don’t need to go off today. YouTube is a platform of thought leadership and educational content primarily so how do we bring a TV storytelling approach into SEO optimized thought leadership content?
So as promised, I’m going to lay out some story frameworks you can apply to build a compelling story thread across your channel that allows new viewers to find your videos via SEO, then hooks them with STORY, and keeps them watching and watching. And the algorithm is like, this chick is good.
Follow My Journey / Life Transition
In this story thread, we meet a creator who reveals they are making a life transition. Intriguing. And they have decided to share their journey– oh really?-- and how you can do it too– can I? This works because it allows the creator to post topic-related videos for search but it’s also personal so the viewer empathizes and also maybe relates, and there is ongoing tension – will they succeed? What will they do next? Can you do it too? This story thread also tends to be a little less produced and less edited so if you are not an editor, this may be the style for you. Have you made a life transition that you are willing to share?
Battling an Antagonist
In this story thread, we meet a creator who may no longer be in a life transition although they typically have some back story that lets you know they have some juicy goods to share. But there is another antagonist– perhaps some big industry challenge that you are consistently tackling – like layoffs or AI or living with a chronic condition. Maybe they battle imposter syndrome or perfectionism or productivity. Usually, these creators are people who question things, maybe they even question their own authority. So there is an ongoing tension. A relatable tension. Can you identify an antagonist that you will be trying to defeat?
Solving a Mystery or Curiosity
This one can be vprettyery cool. We meet a creator who is trying to crack some kind of mystery and it doesn’t have to be crime. Is there some mystery in your industry you can be trying to crack? This creator is very curious about something or others. Curious about how they do things. Curious about why they do things. Curious about who they are. Their channel is not entirely about the creator’s story – although we do get to know them – but about the topic they are curious about. These tend to be more produced and require more editing – like in-depth analyses or maybe a podcast or talk show format. Is there something you’re genuinely curious about that you would be ready to delve into deeply?
I’m on A Mission
This is the last variation I’m going to go into. We meet a creator who we can tell is passionate from the start. In this story thread, the creator reveals they are on a mission to do something – a mission to make a difference, a mission to turn a hobby into a business, a mission to never go back to the corporate world, a mission to change people’s minds about AI, a mission to show people life doesn’t end with retirement, a mission to make it in a new country. There is inherent tension that subscribers will want to follow and also passion. You may also be able to put demos and trainings in this bucket, if your approach has some mission. Like helping creators over 40 have the tools to be successful on YouTube.. Is there a mission that is close to your heart?
So there you go. If you pick one of those four story threads, not only will viewers find your videos but they will keep watching. If you want to dig deeper into content strategy, click on the video YouTube is recommending for you. Until then, I will see you soon.