Mutual Curiosity — My YouTube Strategy

"Hey! Did you know…"

Those words are pretty common in my limited repertoire of conversation starters. Having gained much general knowledge about the world through years of documentary binge watching, I yearn to share what I was curious about to engage people with intrigue.

So, when it was time to produce my very own YouTube video series to start to join the ranks of the many science communicators and storytellers that I had grown up watching, I recalled what naturally struck me ever since I was a child.

1. To be authentic, find a topic of natural curiosity

I am not an actor, but I know I have a slew of things that I am personally curious about and would climb down the internet rabbit hole to learn more about. I also know that my enthusiasm in sharing what I find will manifest itself in my tone and body language so long as I am speaking on a topic that I am naturally curious in - because why else would I want to share it?

Sure, this method does not help much in terms of subject consistency, but I have always preferred consistency in quality of delivery rather than subject matter. Perhaps I would even take pride in succeeding in telling a myriad of stories to my audience, with the key constant being my approach to the storytelling process.

2. Seed the question that few asked but many will wonder

Imagine a storytelling session where each audience member also has a chance to go out on stage to tell a story - any story. The only goal is to engage the audience. That is how I view the YouTube platform. But in the world's largest platform with an unfathomable stream of new content competing for attention, why would I still yearn for the stage?

Well, just like how one would be immensely satisfied in turning a crowd of disengaged audience members into intrigued listeners, so too is the challenge to stand out on YouTube - having to craft an eye catching thumbnail to arrest the audience's glance, and a title in the form of a question, one that few have asked but many will wonder about when asked.

For instance, I had always asked myself why monkey bars were no longer present in the playgrounds of Singapore. It is a quick and easy topic to research on, and fortunately, simply asking the question is good enough to get audiences, especially those of my generation, to wonder about the answer. And with that, I had generated demand for an answer that my video provides.

I believe this works because people are naturally curious and that we are more similar than we are different. If I had asked this question before, it is likely that more than a few others would have asked the same, and even more would wonder about it once the question is seeded in them. The only thing left to do is to frame the story.

3. Do it how you would do it

The topics that I ultimately choose for my YouTube videos are based on publicly available information. That means that anyone with an internet connection, time on their hands and a willingness to do the work can get the same information that I rely on to justify the contents of the story. But to do justice to them? That is where the storyteller's mark is made.

YouTubers that I admire each have their own signature flair. Tom Scott is a brilliant individual who can recite a 10min script in 1 take with a style and cadence that can best be described as Tom Scott. Destin from SmarterEveryDay used to work in the US Military as a Weapons Specialist and is an engineer at heart, giving him an edge when presenting about topics and interviewing people in this field. Mark Rober is an engineer from NASA! The personalities behind YouTube channels like CGP Grey and LEMMiNO efficiently use graphics to explain big-picture concepts with finely-tuned scripts.

While their resumes trump mine in almost every way, perhaps the Documentary Storytelling skills that I am constantly improving on will give me an edge of my own - the orchestral mix of story, visuals and audio that results in a seamless transfer of knowledge that is a lucid dream. How do I know that I do it better? The only way is to try and keep trying. Personally, I would know the answer, and so will you if you are on a similar path.

4. The longevity proposition

This final factor does not dictate what ideas finally get chosen to be produced into a video, but fundamentally steers my decision making in terms of the resources I put into these videos.

While I do see my YouTube endeavour as an important facet in making my career a viable one, it is necessary to ensure that these projects engage me at the core of my curiosity. Why else would I pour so much effort into them? This belief allows me to resist the allure of more profitable projects which may push my momentum further in the short term, as I know that this feeling of a ship sailing in water would be a deadly illusion, because in reality, it is quicksand.

To do this for the long haul is to ensure that myself and everyone involved, feels genuine satisfaction in the work we collectively put in. And to affirm this is simple, just start the thought process again at point 1.