Things I Wish I Knew
Best for: Advice, school, creators, travel
The hook
- On screen
- Things I wish I knew before starting YouTube
The first 3 seconds
- 0.0sCaption: “Things I wish I knew before starting YouTube”, over the first clip.
- 1.0sTip 1 appears as a short line.
- 3.0sTip 2. The viewer is already thinking about saving it.
Why it works
It promises hard-earned advice. Viewers save it so they don't make the same mistakes.
What you need
- 5–7 real tips you learned the hard way
- A short clip for each tip
- A caption with your topic
Step by step
Plan
- List your tips and keep only the specific, surprising ones.
- Put a strong tip first and the best one last.
Film
- Film a 2–3 second clip for each tip that shows the topic.
- No talking needed. The text does the work.
Edit
- One tip per clip, 2–3 seconds each, as a short line on screen.
- End by asking what they'd add.
Use it in your niche
- SchoolThings I wish I knew before starting secondary school
- TravelThings I wish I knew before my first trip alone
- GymThings I wish I knew before my first month at the gym
Pro tips
- Specific tips (“Buy a second-hand mic first”) get saved. General ones (“Be consistent”) get skipped.
- Leave each tip up long enough to read twice.
Avoid
- Tips everyone already knows.
- Too much text per clip. One short line each.
