This is the story of MrBeast. And how he went from zero views in North Carolina… To 100M+ subs and $100M brand deals—all by mastering one skill: Understanding why people watch. Bookmark this if you’re a creator trying to grow in 2025. Let’s go back. 👇 Phase 1: The Broke Kid with a Webcam Jimmy wasn’t some tech prodigy or insider. He was a teenager filming videos in his room on a $100 mic. He tried everything: Let’s Plays Minecraft clips Random experiments And none of it worked. But instead of quitting—he asked: Why aren’t people watching? That one question changed everything. Phase 2: The Obsession Era MrBeast started tracking everything. He made spreadsheets. He studied click-through rates. He watched his own drop-off graphs like a hawk. He’d rewatch every second of his own videos and ask: “Would I still be watching here?” If the answer was no, he’d cut it. He did this for years. Most of the early growth came not from better gear… But from getting ruthlessly good at: Hooks Thumbnails Viewer retention Testing one idea ten different ways He didn’t just post. He optimized. Phase 3: The Blueprint Any Creator Can Steal If you’re not growing on social, it’s not because you’re not good. It’s because you’re not watching your audience closely enough. Here’s how to fix that: ✅ Write the hook before the content. Start with a scroll-stopping line. MrBeast would brainstorm 50 thumbnails and titles before filming a video. ✅ Cut the fluff. Every second should earn its place. People don’t have short attention spans—they have short tolerance for boring content. ✅ Track performance weekly. CTR, watch time, drop-off. If you’re not looking at numbers, you’re just guessing. ✅ Double down on the winners. Every creator has one video or post format that just works. Repeat it. Refine it. Dominate with it. MrBeast didn’t win because of luck. He won because of relentless iteration. And you can do the exact same thing—no budget required. 📌 Bookmark this. You’re one obsession away from breaking through. What’s one part of your content you know you need to improve right now? 👇

Comment off exits are the new norm.

Out shooting ads for a trailer hitch manufacturer today. Fun stuff 😃

Some founders will tell you to take risks 4 times a week and never mention a single risk they’ve taken. That’s the stuff I actually want to hear. What did you bet on? What did it cost? What happened when you realized it wasn’t working? When I’m planning content for a business, those details give us something to work with. A decision you’re still second-guessing could be more interesting than another polished post about trusting your gut. You don’t need to share your bank balance or put a client on blast. But give people something they couldn’t have written without ever running your business.

I like the idea behind X’s Original Content Rewards. Watching someone copy a post, outrun the person who wrote it, and get paid for the privilege gets old. But I’m curious how X plans to judge originality at scale. Two people share the same news story. One rewrites the headline. The other explains why it matters, connects it to something they’ve experienced, and spots what everyone else missed. Same source. Very different contribution. X’s rules say that kind of commentary counts. That's good. The hard part is applying that consistently across millions of posts. Working in content, you learn pretty quickly that a fresh coat of paint can hide a recycled idea. And a familiar topic can lead to a genuinely useful conversation. I’m rooting for this to work. I’d just like to know how they’ll tell the difference.

Happy Labor Day!

I’ve said this so many times. Almost every single reward program crypto or otherwise is still a walled garden. We need programs that give the freedom of purchasing and earning back to the consumer.

RIP Dolly. 😢

I’m a sucker for a fast food collab. Harry Potter donuts secured.

Woke up with a bad case of acute laryngitis. Can’t stop laughing at how funny i sound. (Not helping lol) Voice is almost completely gone now. Send chai tea.

I just completed the longest continuous drive for a film shoot I have ever done. 22 hours drive to location. 30 hours on location. 27 hours drive back home. It was worth it. Can you guess the city?

Bullish on things like this. Might need me a new seal.

GM. I told bacon if he gets 50 happy birthdays on X he could have a pup-cup from Starbucks. You wouldn’t stand between a dog and his birthday pupcup would you? 😏

I could go for a trip to Santa Fe.