• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 1, 2023

YouTube superstar creator Alan Chikin Chow offered a masterclass in producing a successful YouTube “short” video to ad executives attending the platform’s newfront presentation in New York City this morning.

And he broke the fourth wall, actually incorporating them into it the “rewatch value” component of it.

“First is the hook,” Chow explained -- the first of the three main components of a successful YouTube short.

“You have three-to-five seconds to get your audience’s attention before they make a decision to stay or swipe,” he explained, adding: “So your hook must be visually engaging and compelling."

The second component is “watch time,” which Chow described as the “king on YouTube shorts,” noting: “The longer you can retain an audience’s attention, the better your video will perform.”

The last component, he said, is “rewatch value,” because online long-form YouTube videos and shorts play on a loop until you scroll away.

Chow then proceeded to turn the masterclass into one of his YouTube shorts, which average 1 million views daily, and he incorporated the IAB NewFronts audience into it -- turning his camera around to capture the studio audience and transforming the attendees into his “rewatch value.”

"For this, we needed your help. We need a great button ending to end the video like this super good-looking newfronts audience," he concluded.

You can see the vertical YouTube short version here, but the image below is the one taken during the YouTube NewFronts presentation