If you spend enough time inside the YouTube matrix, you start to see the code. The formula. The little moments that make the difference between a video that gets politely ignored and one that somehow racks up millions of views seemingly overnight.

Here at Humble&Brag, we don’t just watch YouTube videos—we study them. With actual pens. And actual notebooks. Not because we’re old school (though maybe a little), but because we’re looking for repeatable patterns that help us and our clients build videos that get clicked, get watched, and get remembered.

And lately, we’ve been noticing a few nifty tactics that show up again and again in high-retention videos. Tactics you can build into your scripts in literally seconds. So today, we’re going to break down three of our current favourites—and show you how to use them.

Welcome to some of the fastest and most effective YouTube scriptwriting tips on the internet.

But first, a reminder...

None of these tricks are magic bullets. Good scriptwriting is still about understanding your audience, solving real problems, and structuring content in a way that earns attention minute by minute.

Still, if you’re already doing the hard part (making great content), these tips will help you keep more of your viewers around long enough to see it.

Let’s dive in.

1. Use the Identity-Gap Hook

YouTube viewers are surprisingly easy to offend—in a good way. That’s what makes this tactic so powerful.

It’s called the Identity-Gap Hook, and it’s designed to poke at your viewers’ self-image just enough to keep them watching.

Take this opening line from Simon Squibb:
“If you can’t stay on this video for 5 minutes without clicking off, I’ve got some news for you. You’re probably not going to make it.”

Oof. That one stings.

But that sting creates tension—and tension is the lifeblood of retention. Suddenly, you’re not just watching the video. You’re in it. You’ve been challenged. And now you have to prove the creator wrong.

This is a great example of one of the most effective YouTube scriptwriting techniques we’ve seen lately. It works especially well right after the initial hook, in that crucial 10–60 second window where most creators lose half their audience. Add an Identity-Gap line here, and you might just keep them around long enough to care.

We tested this for a client. Result? A 10% increase in first-minute retention. No fancy graphics. No budget increase. Just better scripting.

2. Introduce the Mega Tip—Early

You’ve probably told your audience to watch to the end of your video for a secret, or a bonus, or a twist. And that’s fine—sort of. But here’s a better idea:

Give away the good stuff at the beginning.

No, really.

Here’s how Kallaway does it. In one of his videos, he tees up a roadmap: “These are the six best ways to improve your hooks immediately.” So far, so normal.

Then comes the twist:
“Tip number one is actually the mega tip; it’s my full three-step formula.”

Now you have to stick around, at least for tip one. And by the time you’ve done that? You’re probably in for the ride.

This approach is a great way to load value early in your script, and one of our favourite best practices for YouTube scriptwriting. It grabs attention, rewards curiosity, and makes people feel like they’re already learning—so they’re more likely to keep watching.

If you want to improve total watch time (a key metric in the YouTube algorithm), front-loading your best tip is a brilliantly effective move. Especially when paired with a strong title and thumbnail.

So the next time you plan a list-style video or tutorial, don’t save the good stuff for last. Lead with it. And frame it as a Mega Tip. Because apparently, our monkey brains love mega tips.

3. Engage Your Audience from Minute One

The third tip flips the classic YouTube scriptwriting logic on its head.

Most creators wait until the very end of the video to ask their audience to do something. Subscribe. Comment. Like. All great asks—but by then, half your viewers are gone.

So here’s a better way: ask them to engage immediately.

Take Alex Hormozi. In one of his blow-up videos (over a million views in under a month), he opens with:
“The first thing that you can do today for next year is actually comment below this video… the thing that you’re actually going to begin doing today.”

Not only is this smart scripting—it’s smart community-building. By prompting viewers to participate from the start, he’s turning passive watchers into active contributors. And if you can get someone to engage early, they’re far more likely to stick around. To feel invested. To become, eventually, a superfan.

We’ve tested this tactic ourselves—challenging viewers to rename the video they’re watching, for example—and it works. Comments go up. Retention goes up. Everyone wins.

If you’re scripting YouTube videos regularly, building in this kind of early engagement should become second nature.

So What’s the Common Thread?

All three of these YouTube scriptwriting tips do the same thing, at different moments in the script. They create friction—positive, productive friction—that pulls the viewer forward.

It might be curiosity (the Identity-Gap Hook), value (the Mega Tip), or participation (the Early Engager). But the goal is the same: keep people watching just a little bit longer.

Because if you can improve your retention rate even slightly, especially in the first minute, it can have a massive compound effect on the success of your video. More watch time means more promotion. More promotion means more views. More views means more data. And more data means better videos in the future.

Scripting Smarter Doesn’t Mean Scripting Harder

Here’s the good news: you don’t need to completely overhaul your workflow to start using these tactics. They’re simple. Quick. And easy to build into whatever scripting process you already have.

A few practical ways to apply them:

• When you finish your next script draft, go back and find a place to drop an Identity-Gap Hook.

• Take your strongest point and bump it to the top of the video—frame it as your Mega Tip.

• Plan your early engagement line before you even hit record.

These aren’t just YouTube scriptwriting techniques—they’re retention multipliers. Think of them as little edits with big outcomes.

One Last Thing

If you’re serious about learning the best practices for YouTube scriptwriting, you’re in good company. At Humble&Brag, this is what we do—every day. We test ideas. Track data. And build channels that actually drive results.

Want more tips like this? Join our free community for YouTube Strategists, Humbleweed. We share swipe files, title breakdowns, retention benchmarks, and more.

Thanks for reading—and here’s to your next big inflection point.