Squid Game’s INSANE Numbers (& why it matters for YouTubers)
Why YouTubers should consume as much content as they create
Dear Creator Nation,
For those of you living under a rock, or perhaps simply enjoying life outside of your computer screen, two massive players in completely separate industries emerged in the digital content ecosystem over this past year: Squid Game & Mr. Beast. The former was a global sensation and the most popular Netflix show of all time that reached ⅔ of American households within a few months of airing. The latter, as you all know, is a cringey teenager turned internet star who continuously dominates the YouTube scene. When the two players united, the internet blew up.
One trend that we’re noticing in the creator economy is the repurposing of content. In other words, taking a piece of content and adapting, curating, or extending it to reach a new audience. An obvious example of this is Mr. Beast En Español, a channel Mr Beast created to reach his Spanish-speaking audience. This was, unsurprisingly, the fastest channel ever to hit 10M subscribers.
As the show Squid Game trickled into your living room, Squid Game content overwhelmed the internet. On YouTube alone, 131,000 Squid Game videos generated over 17 billion views and 533 million engagements, far more than Game of Thrones content. Thus, it should come as no surprise that in the year YouTube passes Netflix as the largest streaming giant in the world, Squid Game’s YouTube success out-viraled the show itself 👇
One video in particular, which we highlighted on the second edition of Creator’s Toolbox, changed the game forever:
Mr. Beast’s 26 minute reenactment of Squid Game received far more views than the show itself. I even contributed to this trend, first watching the YouTube version before diving into the Netflix show. Mr. Beast leveraged his creativity and adept understanding of internet culture to create content that was relevant for millions of people.
These numbers are large, perhaps too large for most creators to wrap their heads around. And we know Squid Game is an old topic by today’s standards, yet Mr. Beast’s success illustrates a lesson far beyond repurposing popular Netflix content, something that any YouTuber can learn from, regardless of their size. It’s a less than should not be understated:
YouTube Success = Culture Recognition
Recognizing what’s hot, trending, or relevant is absolutely crucial for YouTubers to stay alive in today’s competitive market. Meet Kevin, for example, is a financial commentator who is consistently giving his takes on the latest stocks, crypto, and side-hustle trends.
😴 TL;DR
You don’t have to be on top of every new thing, but it helps to stay informed on what is becoming popular online. You are a content creator after all. Here are a few practical tips on how to do this:
→ Consume as much, if not more content than you create
→ Examine growing YouTubers. What types of content are they producing?
→ Consume content on platforms other than YouTube, like Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitch
→ Seek out feedback from your audience (using the Community tab or other tools). What do people want to see?
→ Most of all, keep an open mind. You never know what might be your newest hit.
🎥 Video of the Week
A little throwback for ya. This is absolute gold 🥇
😝 Youtuber: Saturday Night Live
👀 Views: 12.3M
👍 Likes: 287k
💬 Comments: 11.3k
🔔 Subscribers: 12.6M
📋 Content for Creators:
How MrBeast "Stole" Squid Game — The Colin and Samir Show
Social Media Sellout: The Increasing Role of Product Promotion on YouTube (research article)
Why You Should Take Your YouTube Broadcasts Live by Jason R. Rich
🎬 Action Steps:
Follow us https://twitter.com/amagrowth
Think this would help a YouTuber or creator you know? Forward it to them!
Have a great rest of the week creators!
Sent with 💜,