I’ve been obsessed with YouTube strategy for over 10 years.
I’ve worked on 1000s of videos, generated 10+ billion views for channels.
Here’s some semi-controversial things I believe about content creation:
Red Bull has one of the best YouTube channels as far as brands go and could teach you a thing or two.
They've always been great at marketing but I really like their content as it feels organic to the platform.
Here's a few things I think they're doing well 👇
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Extreme Video Ideas: Red Bull leans into their brand's adventurous spirit and huge marketing budget to produce videos that only they could create.
This is a huge advantage with videos like:
1. F1 Drivers Race TINY Jet Boats! (Daniel vs Yuki)
2. I Jumped From Space (World Record Supersonic Freefall)
The ideas are so outlandish and to many potential viewers, they could easily think it’s clickbait due to how out of this world they are (literally in the case of the freefall video!).
But because Red Bull is known for outlandish stunts, their name gives assurance to viewers that the promise of the video is likely to be as extraordinary as it sounds.
They've been doing this for decades now so this long track record of doing impossible stunts makes them perfect for this style of content on YouTube.
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Thumbnail Strategy & Design: Red Bull's thumbnails are very reminiscent of challenge videos from YouTubers like Airrack, Mr. Beast, and The Sidemen.
Their thumbnails lean into captured 'caught in the act' moments that feel very real, almost as if they were a single frame from the video:
This style I believe really resonates with YouTube viewers as they feel believable, especially when they see Red Bull's channel name, making the chances of you clicking way higher.
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Strong Hooks: The video ‘F1 Drivers Race HUGE Mega Trucks! (Max Verstappen vs Yuki Tsunoda)’ is a prime example that Red Bull understands YouTube and knows how to create engaging hooks from the get-go.
As soon as you click on this thumbnail there’s a flurry of fast edits, with Max Verstappen's great first line:
“I’m going to race F1's shortest driver in these huge mega trucks.”
Before zooming out to show the sheer scale of these machines next to Max and the very short Yuki.
The edit immediately then cuts to their reactions as they see these trucks jumping over ramps and crashing down onto cars for the first time.
This kind of hook immediately delivers on the promise of the title and thumbnail and is so similar to the style of hook we’d see in a Mr. Beast video.
See for yourself: https://t.co/QEfTtt6GXO
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Leveraging Star Power: Using their Formula 1 drivers like Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull taps into the social status of internationally recognized sport stars, something a lot of competitor energy drink brands like Monster can't do.
It's a great strategy that attracts fans of F1, the drivers, and extreme vehicle fans helping to broaden the channel's appeal even further.
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There’s a lot that big corporations could learn from Red Bull’s strategy towards YouTube.
Which companies do you think are perfect for the world of YouTube but just haven’t reached their potential yet?