Stop making videos like this

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Hey Beyonder!

Most of us create content like movies. One post. One complete story. Done.

But there's another way. Series storytelling.

Take your story. Break it into pieces. Release it over days or weeks. Each piece ends right when things get interesting.

It's not new. TV shows have done this forever. But creators are using it for short content.

What Makes Series Storytelling Work

You create tension that lasts.

A ‘single post’ tells everything. People watch. They move on. There's no reason to come back.

A ‘series’ leaves questions open. People need to see what happens next.

Characters become familiar.

When you see someone once, they're a stranger. When you see them ten times over two weeks, you start to care what happens to them.

Small commitments build big engagement.

Asking someone to watch one 15-minute video? Hard.

Asking them to watch one 90-second piece? Easy. Then another. Then another.

Before they know it, they've watched 15 minutes. But it didn't feel like work.

The Structure That Hooks People

Here's the pattern I noticed:

Episodes 1-2: Create one big question

Don't explain everything. Show just enough to make people curious. Who is this person? What problem are they facing?

End with something unresolved.

Episodes 3-6: Add complications

Things get worse. Or more confusing. Or more interesting. But don't solve the main problem yet.

Each episode answers one tiny question and creates a new one.

Episodes 7-9: Build to a peak

The tension gets higher. We're close to answers. But not quite there.

Episode 10: Resolve (but hint at more)

Give them the payoff they've been waiting for. But leave a door open for the next series.

The Cliffhanger Rule

Every episode needs to end mid-action.

Not at a natural stopping point. Right when something important is about to happen.

The character is about to reveal a secret. Cut.

They're about to make a decision. Cut.

The truth is about to come out. Cut.

This feels mean. But it works.

How This Changes Your Content

Stop trying to fit everything into one post.

Let's say you want to share how you learned photography. Don't make one long video.

Break it into pieces:

• Episode 1: Show your terrible first photos

• Episode 2: The moment you realized you needed help

• Episode 3: Finding a mentor (end before showing who)

• Episode 4: The mentor's first assignment

• Episode 5: Your first failure with the assignment

• Episode 6: What the mentor said next

• Episode 7-8: The practice and struggle

• Episode 9: Your first good photo

• Episode 10: Where you are now (and what's next)

Each piece is 60-90 seconds. Easy to make. Easy to watch.

Try This Structure This Week

Pick one story you want to tell. Could be:

• How you built something

• How you failed at something

• How you learned something

Now break it into 8 parts.

Each part should:

• Be 60-90 seconds long

• Move the story forward

• End with an unanswered question

Post them over two weeks. Four episodes one week. Four the next.

Watch what happens. Do people come back? Do they comment asking what's next?

The Real Power Here

Series storytelling isn't just about getting views.

It's about building a relationship. When someone follows your story for two weeks, they're not just watching content. They're invested in you.

That's different from scrolling past a single post.

What story could you turn into a series?

Reply and tell me what you're thinking of trying.

Keep telling stories,

Epaphra

P.S. The hardest part? Ending episodes mid-sentence. It feels wrong. But that's exactly why it works.

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