If you're a creator on YouTube not getting the views you want, it's...
wono@wono_strategy
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Mar 01, 2025
~6 min read
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If you're a creator on YouTube not getting the views you want, it's not because:
- Your retention is bad
- Your thumbnail is bad
But because you do not understand "attention markets".
It took me 12 years to figure it out, but I'll explain it to you in 5 minutes 👇
- Your retention is bad
- Your thumbnail is bad
But because you do not understand "attention markets".
It took me 12 years to figure it out, but I'll explain it to you in 5 minutes 👇
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1. Attention Basics
Attention is a limited resource. I like to define it like this:
Attention = interest + time
Take you as an example, you clicked "show more" on this thread, meaning I already have your interest, but now I'm also getting your time.
Attention is a limited resource. I like to define it like this:
Attention = interest + time
Take you as an example, you clicked "show more" on this thread, meaning I already have your interest, but now I'm also getting your time.
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As you are reading this, you can't simultaneously give your attention anywhere else (interest + time), it is impossible.
If that were to happen, I'd first have to lose your interest, which would result in losing your time as well.
In other words, I'd lose your attention.
If that were to happen, I'd first have to lose your interest, which would result in losing your time as well.
In other words, I'd lose your attention.
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All good? Great.
Attention is a currency.
If you spend $10 at your local restaurant, that's $10 all nearby restaurants didn't win.
Replace $10 with 10 minutes and you have the attention market.
We call that:
Attention is a currency.
If you spend $10 at your local restaurant, that's $10 all nearby restaurants didn't win.
Replace $10 with 10 minutes and you have the attention market.
We call that:
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2. A zero-sum market
Think of it like a pie, if one slice is bigger, the other slices are smaller.
When one video gets one view (interest), all other videos lose that view.
And when the same video gets watch time (interest + time), all other videos lose that watch time.
Think of it like a pie, if one slice is bigger, the other slices are smaller.
When one video gets one view (interest), all other videos lose that view.
And when the same video gets watch time (interest + time), all other videos lose that watch time.
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Now I want you to understand this:
A zero-sum market is not hard to beat but EXTREMELY HARD to beat consistently.
Why?
Because any gains you make (views) come at the expense of someone else, leading to a highly competitive environment where people fight to survive.
A zero-sum market is not hard to beat but EXTREMELY HARD to beat consistently.
Why?
Because any gains you make (views) come at the expense of someone else, leading to a highly competitive environment where people fight to survive.
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Here are a few examples of zero-sum markets/games:
- Commodities market
- Sports betting
- Gambling
- Trading
- Poker
If you have "played" in one of the above for long enough, you know what I'm talking about when I say:
👉 "it's extremely hard to beat consistently".
- Commodities market
- Sports betting
- Gambling
- Trading
- Poker
If you have "played" in one of the above for long enough, you know what I'm talking about when I say:
👉 "it's extremely hard to beat consistently".
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Have you already won a few sports bets/gamblings/poker games?
Sure, probably.
Were you in profit after 100 bets/gambles/poker games?
Extremely unlikely.
Why? Because they are zero-sum games and also something we call:
Sure, probably.
Were you in profit after 100 bets/gambles/poker games?
Extremely unlikely.
Why? Because they are zero-sum games and also something we call:
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3. The power law
In simple terms, a minority will have a lot, while the majority will have very little.
This is observable in many competitive fields/markets, such as wealth distribution for example.
In simple terms, a minority will have a lot, while the majority will have very little.
This is observable in many competitive fields/markets, such as wealth distribution for example.
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This is even more exacerbated in a zero-sum market where people compete for limited resources (money, attention, power...).
On YouTube, a minority of videos get A LOT of attention while a majority gets very little.
This is why I called it "the attention market".
On YouTube, a minority of videos get A LOT of attention while a majority gets very little.
This is why I called it "the attention market".
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When you understand:
1. Attention is a limited resource
2. It's a zero-sum market
3. The power law
You will also understand that to beat a zero-sum market where many people already have massive leverage, you need something very few people can access (such as your personality).
1. Attention is a limited resource
2. It's a zero-sum market
3. The power law
You will also understand that to beat a zero-sum market where many people already have massive leverage, you need something very few people can access (such as your personality).
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The narrative:
Getting more people to click & making them watch longer = more views is a fairy tale.
Why?
Because that's not how you beat a zero-sum market.
Can most people get better at making thumbnails and titles?
👉 Yes
Can most people get better at storytelling?
👉 Yes
Getting more people to click & making them watch longer = more views is a fairy tale.
Why?
Because that's not how you beat a zero-sum market.
Can most people get better at making thumbnails and titles?
👉 Yes
Can most people get better at storytelling?
👉 Yes
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If everyone has access to a resource in a zero-sum market, it can't be the answer to beat it.
Plain & simple.
It must be something the market doesn't have access to or is hard to achieve for most.
Plain & simple.
It must be something the market doesn't have access to or is hard to achieve for most.
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If better packaging can only lead to success, then why do most startup products fail?
Aren't they made by marketing experts?
If better storytelling can only lead to success, then why do most movies fail?
Aren't they made by storytelling experts?
Aren't they made by marketing experts?
If better storytelling can only lead to success, then why do most movies fail?
Aren't they made by storytelling experts?
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Some are built for years and end up being complete failures.
Do you think a nice thumbnail/title & good storytelling on which you worked a few weeks at best, will help you get more views when it couldn't help professional marketers & storytellers after years of polishing?
Do you think a nice thumbnail/title & good storytelling on which you worked a few weeks at best, will help you get more views when it couldn't help professional marketers & storytellers after years of polishing?
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It won't.
They are definitely great tools for building an audience, that's undeniable.
But get more views? Fairy tale.
To beat a zero-sum market, the solution has to be counter-intuitive AND hard to pull consistently.
And that solution is:
They are definitely great tools for building an audience, that's undeniable.
But get more views? Fairy tale.
To beat a zero-sum market, the solution has to be counter-intuitive AND hard to pull consistently.
And that solution is:
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4. Be remarkable, not average
Now we have something:
- Counter-Intuitive
👉 You must not think like 99%
- Hard to pull
👉 Ideas can't be rushed and are hard to execute
- Constantly changing
👉 It can only be remarkable once, after that it becomes average
Now we have something:
- Counter-Intuitive
👉 You must not think like 99%
- Hard to pull
👉 Ideas can't be rushed and are hard to execute
- Constantly changing
👉 It can only be remarkable once, after that it becomes average
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"But wono, @MrBeast said this".
Yes he did, and to me he's wrong.
He has a great intuition for remarkability and is right about many things.
But on this specifically, he is wrong (mostly because of the survivorship bias).
Yes he did, and to me he's wrong.
He has a great intuition for remarkability and is right about many things.
But on this specifically, he is wrong (mostly because of the survivorship bias).
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@MrBeast did something remarkable to beat the market at first to get attention (counting to 100 000).
This was hard and counter-intuitive, 99% of the market didn't think of it.
He then did it again by donating $10k to a homeless person, again risky & counter-intuitive.
This was hard and counter-intuitive, 99% of the market didn't think of it.
He then did it again by donating $10k to a homeless person, again risky & counter-intuitive.
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After finding a gap in the market he then built leverage to beat it on a consistent level.
Same for @Dream:
Before his channel, the Minecraft market was mostly PVP soup/time-lapses.
He came up with something remarkable and snowballed from there.
Same for @Dream:
Before his channel, the Minecraft market was mostly PVP soup/time-lapses.
He came up with something remarkable and snowballed from there.
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So if you still have doubts:
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From my long experience as a creator on youtube (12 years, 1500+ videos) in different attention markets, I have observed that:
Youtube cares way more about "attention clusters" (remarkable)
than pure metrics (CTR/AVD/Retention graph).
Youtube cares way more about "attention clusters" (remarkable)
than pure metrics (CTR/AVD/Retention graph).
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I'm also lucky to have experience with other zero-sum markets and various other projects involving market dynamics & economic concepts.
This allowed me to experiment with them and see how they played out on YouTube.
This allowed me to experiment with them and see how they played out on YouTube.
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The narrative:
"get more clicks and make people watch more" = more views will only work:
- If the idea is remarkable enough to get more views
- Or if there is already an established audience.
Outside of that, won't work.
"get more clicks and make people watch more" = more views will only work:
- If the idea is remarkable enough to get more views
- Or if there is already an established audience.
Outside of that, won't work.
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Thumbnail/Title 👉 tools to make something remarkable, more remarkable.
Storytelling/retention 👉 tool to build an audience
None of these tools will make something not remarkable, remarkable.
Just like a tool can fix a car, but can't be the car.
Storytelling/retention 👉 tool to build an audience
None of these tools will make something not remarkable, remarkable.
Just like a tool can fix a car, but can't be the car.
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Remember that YouTube wants you to believe this narrative because it's in their own interest.
People watching longer will be more beneficial at scale for them than it will be to you.
YouTube would be way less sexy if they promoted it as a zero-sum market very hard to beat.
People watching longer will be more beneficial at scale for them than it will be to you.
YouTube would be way less sexy if they promoted it as a zero-sum market very hard to beat.
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TL;DR:
1. Attention is a limited resource
2. It's a zero-sum market
3. The power law applies
4. To beat the attention market you must stand out by being remarkable, not average
5. Remarkable today, average tomorrow
1. Attention is a limited resource
2. It's a zero-sum market
3. The power law applies
4. To beat the attention market you must stand out by being remarkable, not average
5. Remarkable today, average tomorrow
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That's it for this thread!
We just scratched the surface of attention markets with the basics, but hopefully, this gives you a better idea of it as I mention that notion often! 🫡
We just scratched the surface of attention markets with the basics, but hopefully, this gives you a better idea of it as I mention that notion often! 🫡
