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The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue
Learn the secrets to getting dramatic results on YouTube
Derral Eves has generated over 60 billion views on YouTube and helped 24 channels grow to one million subscribers from zero. In The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue, the owner of the largest YouTube how-to channel provides the secrets to getting the results that every YouTube creator and strategist wants. Eves will reveal what readers can't get anywhere else: the inner workings of the YouTube algorithm that's responsible for determining success on the platform, and how creators can use it to their advantage.
Full of actionable advice and concrete strategies, this book teaches readers how to:
Launch a channel Create life-changing content Drive rapid view and subscriber growth Build a brand and increase engagement Improve searchability Monetize content and audience Replete with case studies and information from successful YouTube creators, The YouTube Formula is perfect for any creator, entrepreneur, social media strategist, and brand manager who hopes to see real commercial results from their work on the platform.
Derral Eves has generated over 60 billion views on YouTube and helped 24 channels grow to one million subscribers from zero. In The YouTube Formula: How Anyone Can Unlock the Algorithm to Drive Views, Build an Audience, and Grow Revenue, the owner of the largest YouTube how-to channel provides the secrets to getting the results that every YouTube creator and strategist wants. Eves will reveal what readers can't get anywhere else: the inner workings of the YouTube algorithm that's responsible for determining success on the platform, and how creators can use it to their advantage.
Full of actionable advice and concrete strategies, this book teaches readers how to:
Launch a channel Create life-changing content Drive rapid view and subscriber growth Build a brand and increase engagement Improve searchability Monetize content and audience Replete with case studies and information from successful YouTube creators, The YouTube Formula is perfect for any creator, entrepreneur, social media strategist, and brand manager who hopes to see real commercial results from their work on the platform.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published April 26, 2022
610 people are currently reading
1398 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
December 10, 2021
Fluff. That's the whole book, just fluff. You can literally skip the first 40% and not miss A SINGLE thing. Then you can simply jump through the action steps summary at the end of each chapter, which you can actually get for free. Most of the time the action steps are self-explanatory and you get why you need to do them, but if you don't, you can then turn back and review the chapter. It will still be 90% fluff, but maybe you will find that the 10% substance is worth it. I didn't.
The only reason I don't give this a 1 star, is because it can be valuable to someone new to the analytics side. And it can be a good way to shift your perspective.
To be more concrete, there is one huge criticism Derral never addresses - all his examples are inapplicable. They either involve a high budget or a skill set that most people reading this book will not have. You won't find much practical advice here, neither actual, real world, current day examples of how to build a successful channel.
Also, I've checked some of the channels he works with and yes, he can drive views to a video or two, but they never translate to actual engagement. Derral's strategies fall more on the entertainment side of things and if you are looking to build an educational channel, this book isn't for you. Not that you cannot do it, but your priorities should be different. I have actually studied educational channels who do it well. Neither of the strategies they use are present in this book. Well, not in detail anyway. And all the other stuff, while technically applicable, can be found elsewhere and cannot be called "a youtube formula", as it is more like an overview.
Come on, seriously, is it really groundbreaking to learn that you should "keep the viewer engaged and watching longer"? As if anyone is actively trying to put their viewers to sleep.
The only reason I don't give this a 1 star, is because it can be valuable to someone new to the analytics side. And it can be a good way to shift your perspective.
To be more concrete, there is one huge criticism Derral never addresses - all his examples are inapplicable. They either involve a high budget or a skill set that most people reading this book will not have. You won't find much practical advice here, neither actual, real world, current day examples of how to build a successful channel.
Also, I've checked some of the channels he works with and yes, he can drive views to a video or two, but they never translate to actual engagement. Derral's strategies fall more on the entertainment side of things and if you are looking to build an educational channel, this book isn't for you. Not that you cannot do it, but your priorities should be different. I have actually studied educational channels who do it well. Neither of the strategies they use are present in this book. Well, not in detail anyway. And all the other stuff, while technically applicable, can be found elsewhere and cannot be called "a youtube formula", as it is more like an overview.
Come on, seriously, is it really groundbreaking to learn that you should "keep the viewer engaged and watching longer"? As if anyone is actively trying to put their viewers to sleep.
February 23, 2023
I was expecting more from the book, the book provides good hints on the topics you want to pay attention to but sadly doesn't provide actionable points or recommendations. In many cases the author will just go on and on telling his success stories and how he revived a channel from death to millions of views without walking through the steps he took with the reader. I feel the book is missing a lot of stuff that Derral could have added considering his amazing career and knowledge. The book was so repetitive, going over the same story many times. He deserves a guinness record for how many times he mentioned "Squatty Potty" in the book :)
Also, if you watched his videos, don't bother with the book, nothing new there.
Also, if you watched his videos, don't bother with the book, nothing new there.
July 28, 2022
What I learned from this book: that I should probably give up (after 6+ years of trying) the Youtubing effort. Yeah. Pretty sure there's no way I can become "successful". Thanks anyway Derral. I did gather a few helpful tidbits from the book, but most of it was ego pumping stories that I couldn't figure out how to relate to my humble effort in a weird niche. It really would be interesting to see what he could do for my channel. But that would take thousands and thousands of dollars, which I would only have if I'd figured this out already!
September 9, 2024
The book begins with Mr. Beast endorsing the author as someone who understands YouTube unlike anyone else. That is a huge compliment, and given how closely the two have worked together, it certainly makes sense. Derral sure seems to be one of the top names in YouTube marketing (I wish he'd narrated the book himself, would've packed an extra punch) and he has a lot of experience working on everything from singular ad campaigns to consulting successful channels to producing the largest crowdfunded show on TV. Since we've established the guy knows what he's doing, I had high hopes for this book.
We start with the case study of YouTube, the platform itself. It's widely known it started as a dating website and later adjusted its business plan and branding following how the audience was responding to it. In a nutshell, this is the philosophy that Derral asks us to ingrain. Read the data, follow the audience, and adjust accordingly.
Going forward, there's undeniably a lot of useful info in this book - mostly in the final third (I mean it is the bit that's called "The YouTube Formula") - hell I'd say even skipping the first 2/3 wouldn't be much of a loss as it is mostly just the author talking about himself or the platform. It's mostly just basics, and even the bits about himself, like the pooping unicorn ad or the TV show, he will go on to repeat in the final 3rd anyway.
Most of what Derral said in the "YouTube Formula" section was something I've already been following and putting work on, even the bit about creating user personas that I actually got from a UXUI course. If you have watched enough interviews of other top creators, even outside your own niche, and tried to internalize what you can from their strategies, you will most likely know most things this book has to say. But still, it was a good exercise to have it reinforced while learning a couple of extra things.
Derral states and restates the importance of the thumbnail/title and while I do think about it a lot, I'm going to be way more proactive with them after this read. I already write my title/concept way before I begin writing the video, and from now on I'll work on the thumbnails first too. Derral talks about the blink rule, the importance of contrast, the power of faces, and the different kinds of "thumbnail templates" you can have like 3 panels, face-and-object, face-and-face, etc. with text to reinforce the image if needed. This all IMO was the strongest part of the book.
There's other stuff about retention and storytelling, and about having something to keep engaging the viewer every couple of seconds, about staying to the point, respecting the viewer's time, having a strong intro, etc. - but this is all something I've overanalyzed a ton and continue to do so anyway, so it just felt like a refresher. Another thing he keeps emphasizing is listening to the data, but also not misinterpreting it. The 50% (in which third do u lose half your audience) and 30% rules were sweet and simple and I'll use them to read my retention from now on. He states that mixing "human feedback" from like-minded YouTube friends with "data feedback" from analytics is the perfect mix to keep improving, which I agree with. I just wish he'd been more explicit. He takes certain examples of successful clients he's had but instead of considering them as a detailed case study with a specific story, he makes it so generalized that it comes across as either just boastful fluff or the author holding back his knowledge.
"We looked at Matt's AVD on underperforming and well-performing videos, looking for patterns, and hypothesized why viewers were disengaged. We noticed a few patterns and were able to test these hypotheses in the upcoming videos, implementing strategies we thought would work... The APV went from 55% to 78%. The views SKYROCKETED"
What patterns? What hypothesis? What strategies? It would be an understatement to call the above paragraph "vague" and there are a bunch of those. Overall, I still think this is a useful handbook. I can see myself coming back to the good bits every now and then. I just wish he'd stuck to his own advice and respected the reader's time.
Rating: 2.5/5
We start with the case study of YouTube, the platform itself. It's widely known it started as a dating website and later adjusted its business plan and branding following how the audience was responding to it. In a nutshell, this is the philosophy that Derral asks us to ingrain. Read the data, follow the audience, and adjust accordingly.
Going forward, there's undeniably a lot of useful info in this book - mostly in the final third (I mean it is the bit that's called "The YouTube Formula") - hell I'd say even skipping the first 2/3 wouldn't be much of a loss as it is mostly just the author talking about himself or the platform. It's mostly just basics, and even the bits about himself, like the pooping unicorn ad or the TV show, he will go on to repeat in the final 3rd anyway.
Most of what Derral said in the "YouTube Formula" section was something I've already been following and putting work on, even the bit about creating user personas that I actually got from a UXUI course. If you have watched enough interviews of other top creators, even outside your own niche, and tried to internalize what you can from their strategies, you will most likely know most things this book has to say. But still, it was a good exercise to have it reinforced while learning a couple of extra things.
Derral states and restates the importance of the thumbnail/title and while I do think about it a lot, I'm going to be way more proactive with them after this read. I already write my title/concept way before I begin writing the video, and from now on I'll work on the thumbnails first too. Derral talks about the blink rule, the importance of contrast, the power of faces, and the different kinds of "thumbnail templates" you can have like 3 panels, face-and-object, face-and-face, etc. with text to reinforce the image if needed. This all IMO was the strongest part of the book.
There's other stuff about retention and storytelling, and about having something to keep engaging the viewer every couple of seconds, about staying to the point, respecting the viewer's time, having a strong intro, etc. - but this is all something I've overanalyzed a ton and continue to do so anyway, so it just felt like a refresher. Another thing he keeps emphasizing is listening to the data, but also not misinterpreting it. The 50% (in which third do u lose half your audience) and 30% rules were sweet and simple and I'll use them to read my retention from now on. He states that mixing "human feedback" from like-minded YouTube friends with "data feedback" from analytics is the perfect mix to keep improving, which I agree with. I just wish he'd been more explicit. He takes certain examples of successful clients he's had but instead of considering them as a detailed case study with a specific story, he makes it so generalized that it comes across as either just boastful fluff or the author holding back his knowledge.
"We looked at Matt's AVD on underperforming and well-performing videos, looking for patterns, and hypothesized why viewers were disengaged. We noticed a few patterns and were able to test these hypotheses in the upcoming videos, implementing strategies we thought would work... The APV went from 55% to 78%. The views SKYROCKETED"
What patterns? What hypothesis? What strategies? It would be an understatement to call the above paragraph "vague" and there are a bunch of those. Overall, I still think this is a useful handbook. I can see myself coming back to the good bits every now and then. I just wish he'd stuck to his own advice and respected the reader's time.
Rating: 2.5/5
May 1, 2021
There are great nuggets of knowledge to be had in this book but most of the examples are limited to the author’s personal friends and clients, and which are used repetitively when the same lessons could be given with more wide-ranging examples. While I can appreciate he is writing from his experience, this doesn’t celebrate the diversity that exists in the YouTube ecosystem. I love a pooping unicorn in moderation but I feel I got overly pooped on.
September 3, 2021
I thought this book sucked to be completely honest. If you have no idea of anything related to YouTube I guess it would be useful but most of the content of this book should already be known by anyone who's done more than 15 minutes of research into how to create a successful YouTube channel.
It's also much longer than it should be with irrelevant anecdotes and stories spliced in that just makes the book a chore to go through. The author explains his 'pooping unicorn' advert and the story behind it multiple times in way more detail than you actually need, repeating himself again and again.
There's also a big focus on telling the stories of successufl Youtube channels or clients of the author to highlight the point that there is a lot of opportunity on Youtube. But this should be obvious to anyone starting a Youtube channel, we know there is big opportunity and we know you can become successful on there, we don't need to hear about how a tongue cleaner made a viral ad and became super profitable over and over. You're preaching to the choir, we're starting a Youtube channel because we are aware of the opportunities the platform provides.
I went in with high expectations but the content of this book is not what I expected. You could easily condense it down into a book that is 1/4 of the size containing only useful and pertinent information to building an audience instead of going over how successful and awesome you've made your clients.
If you're a business/marketing agency who wants to be on Youtube but knows nothing about Youtube this book would be useful. If you're someone who wants to start a Youtube channel and knows nothing about the platform this would be useful.
If you're someone with a Youtube channel or a basic understanding of the platform you can easily learn everything taught in this book from subreddits like /r/Youtubers or /r/Newtubers or learn from youtube videos.
It's also much longer than it should be with irrelevant anecdotes and stories spliced in that just makes the book a chore to go through. The author explains his 'pooping unicorn' advert and the story behind it multiple times in way more detail than you actually need, repeating himself again and again.
There's also a big focus on telling the stories of successufl Youtube channels or clients of the author to highlight the point that there is a lot of opportunity on Youtube. But this should be obvious to anyone starting a Youtube channel, we know there is big opportunity and we know you can become successful on there, we don't need to hear about how a tongue cleaner made a viral ad and became super profitable over and over. You're preaching to the choir, we're starting a Youtube channel because we are aware of the opportunities the platform provides.
I went in with high expectations but the content of this book is not what I expected. You could easily condense it down into a book that is 1/4 of the size containing only useful and pertinent information to building an audience instead of going over how successful and awesome you've made your clients.
If you're a business/marketing agency who wants to be on Youtube but knows nothing about Youtube this book would be useful. If you're someone who wants to start a Youtube channel and knows nothing about the platform this would be useful.
If you're someone with a Youtube channel or a basic understanding of the platform you can easily learn everything taught in this book from subreddits like /r/Youtubers or /r/Newtubers or learn from youtube videos.
July 26, 2021
Heavy on tossing out concepts, painfully light on any useful detail...
This book is terrible. I was highly looking forward to it, but save yourself the trouble and just watch Derral's YouTube channel (on 2x because he takes forever to get to his points). There's more useful information there. Or better yet, watch one of the other "how to do youtube" channels like channel makers or film booth.
This book is filled with repetitive anecdotes about his friends and clients and packed with ideas about things you should do while managing to explain almost none of those ideas in depth or articulating what you need to do to accomplish those things.
If you're a brand new youtuber, coming into contact with some of these ideas could be worth your time, but if you've been researching "how to do" youtube for any length of time, this is just a regurgitation of everything you've already heard.
This book is terrible. I was highly looking forward to it, but save yourself the trouble and just watch Derral's YouTube channel (on 2x because he takes forever to get to his points). There's more useful information there. Or better yet, watch one of the other "how to do youtube" channels like channel makers or film booth.
This book is filled with repetitive anecdotes about his friends and clients and packed with ideas about things you should do while managing to explain almost none of those ideas in depth or articulating what you need to do to accomplish those things.
If you're a brand new youtuber, coming into contact with some of these ideas could be worth your time, but if you've been researching "how to do" youtube for any length of time, this is just a regurgitation of everything you've already heard.
March 3, 2021
Excellent.
A greatly motivating book that digs into the analysis required to guide and build a YouTube channel.
The book also would benefit anyone in general marketing roles - as the principles work in tandem.
A greatly motivating book that digs into the analysis required to guide and build a YouTube channel.
The book also would benefit anyone in general marketing roles - as the principles work in tandem.
May 11, 2025
I learned a lot from this book, there are some valuable insights about YouTube that you won’t easily find elsewhere.
However, the writing was weak, and the book was filled with unnecessary fluff. It could have been much shorter without losing any of the core ideas.
However, the writing was weak, and the book was filled with unnecessary fluff. It could have been much shorter without losing any of the core ideas.
June 9, 2025
Lot's of good information!
April 1, 2021
This is an insight-filled book on the inner workings of YouTube. Derral Eves, the author, has done meticulous research for this book and has been in the trenches since the dawn of YouTube, and he knows its guts inside-out. He is also a consultant who has helped many people get massive YouTube success. He goes deep into the history of YouTube (it started as a dating website!), and tracks the platform's ups and downs in the first part of the book. Later on, in Part 3, he provides practical tips and hints to help you make better YouTube videos and how to grow your channel. Every aspect of the video - title, thumbnail, content, description is dissected in detail. Oh, and he gives you a very good guided tour of YouTube analytics. I feel there is a dearth of good books on YouTube and how to succeed on it, and this book fills that void pretty well. Highly recommended for those serious about getting on YouTube for their success.
August 3, 2021
I've been making YouTube videos (not just casually) for over ten years and now do this full time. I have taken Derall's very helpful Channel Jumpstart course and attended many conferences on the topic and this book still taught me so much. It felt like a refresher, an inspiration and a tutorial all rolled into one. I feel a renewed sense of commitment to my work and my head is overflowing with ideas for making things better now that I have finished reading this. Speaking of which, I'll end this review now because I need to go write more things down from the book and make more plans!
In short, get the book, read it slowly and follow up. You won't regret it.
In short, get the book, read it slowly and follow up. You won't regret it.
January 13, 2022
Ideas and writing structure needs to be tightened up. I skipped most of the stories and just tried to find objective/actionable data. Could have easily been condensed down into a few pages. Very little technical or specific instruction.
April 22, 2021
Probably the best book for aspiring content creators.
February 11, 2025
The single best book I have ever read about YouTube, hands-down. It's incredibly informative and easy to understand. YouTube is not about luck - and I'm glad someone finally pointed this out.
August 21, 2022
The majority of this book's content can be summarized as "Copy what you see successful YouTubers doing, and you too will also probably be successful. No, I won't go into details. Just spend some time figuring it out for yourself." There is a useful overview of YouTube's algorithms and environment, but there is little actionable advice for people who are not already on YouTube to easily figure out the best way to get going on it.
You will hear the author proclaim many times that you should just start making videos, because eventually your 100th video will be better than your first. He does not bother to define for you the ways in which you will improve or the goals you should be striving for. Most of the advice here could be generically reframed for learning literally anything. "Just start playing the guitar. Eventually, you'll be better at this than when you started. Copy what you see good guitarists doing. You can do it! I believe in you!"
You will hear the author proclaim many times that you should just start making videos, because eventually your 100th video will be better than your first. He does not bother to define for you the ways in which you will improve or the goals you should be striving for. Most of the advice here could be generically reframed for learning literally anything. "Just start playing the guitar. Eventually, you'll be better at this than when you started. Copy what you see good guitarists doing. You can do it! I believe in you!"
July 11, 2023
Es ist übersichtlich, leidet aber etwas an zu vielen Anekdoten. Immerhin habe ich den Eindruck, dass der Autor lediglich so begeistert von seiner Arbeit ist, dass diese Anekdoten eher Akte des Überschwangs sind.
Wenn man das Buch liest, ist man gut gerüstet, um die Reise auf YouTube zu beginnen. Oder, wie in meinem Fall: Den eigenen Kanal professioneller aufsetzen.
Wenn man das Buch liest, ist man gut gerüstet, um die Reise auf YouTube zu beginnen. Oder, wie in meinem Fall: Den eigenen Kanal professioneller aufsetzen.
February 8, 2023
Das Kapitel darüber, wie der Youtube-Algorithmus funktioniert, war meiner Meinung noch das interessanteste, die anderen waren für mich nicht relevant. Stellenweise streut der Autor auch noch zu viele Anekdoten in seinen Text rein, die mit dem Inhalt nur bedingt etwas zu tun haben.
July 6, 2021
Very good book with in-depth information to build a successful YouTube channel. Worth reading if you are an aspiring YouTuber.
February 21, 2023
Really helpful book for YouTubers. I thought I already did a lot of research in the last few months but I discovered so much more. Only 4 stars because it was mostly geared towards brands.
January 15, 2022
This book started with the foreword from one, Mr.Beast. That's really interesting.
Acquiring billions of views for Youtube channels, the author is a recognized youtuber that about to share how to master the formula of Youtube.
Acquiring billions of views for Youtube channels, the author is a recognized youtuber that about to share how to master the formula of Youtube.
May 27, 2025
Good from historical perspective, outdated information for 2025
May 26, 2025
I am now Mr beast.
June 10, 2021
Great reading,
Clear and easy to understand, and has lot of information to help a new youtubers to grow. The author has provided real life examples and has all the knowledge to making a content to branding yourself. This book has all the topic which every new youtubers needs to know. It can be very helpful for the beginners.
Clear and easy to understand, and has lot of information to help a new youtubers to grow. The author has provided real life examples and has all the knowledge to making a content to branding yourself. This book has all the topic which every new youtubers needs to know. It can be very helpful for the beginners.
April 2, 2024
This book is still relevant 2 years after it was published. I really don’t get the bad reviews. This is a book you don’t just read and put to the side. You read it, then come back to it and try out what it says you should do. After having taken quite a long break, I recently started posting to my channel again, making a complete pivot. I will implement these strategies and come back in the future to tell you whether they worked.
As of writing this review, I have 2K subscribers which took me a long time to get to.
As of writing this review, I have 2K subscribers which took me a long time to get to.
May 27, 2021
Veteran YouTuber spills the metrics you need to hit to be seen on YT. It's the latest book but it can quickly become outdated so read it while it's still current. It details the things algorithms look for: thumbnails (he loves these), video content, video quality, title, captions, engagement, getting subscribers, and how to read your analytics. These are not hacks but proven tactics he has used on his page and with his clients like Mr Beast (who endorses his book with a Foreword). If you're serious about growing on YT, you need to read this.
September 3, 2021
I want to improve my Youtube channel so I read the Youtube formula. And I was not disappointed.
There is so much to like in the Youtube formula. Derral talks about how to research a niche that you want to get into on Youtube. He tells how to learn from your analytics and more. There is so much to learn from the Youtube Formula.
One thing that the Youtube formula made me think about was thumbnails. I thought if I found the right keywords then I would get more views on my videos. In the book Derral talks about how to make custom thumb nails that people want want to click on.
So what am I getting at here. Oh, yes. Sure I could have good keywords but, if my thumbnail does not look interesting enough to click on then no one will watch my video.
I also learned about mrbeast who is a yourube creater I had never heard before reading the book.
The youtube formula did not disappoint me. I am glad I read it.
There is so much to like in the Youtube formula. Derral talks about how to research a niche that you want to get into on Youtube. He tells how to learn from your analytics and more. There is so much to learn from the Youtube Formula.
One thing that the Youtube formula made me think about was thumbnails. I thought if I found the right keywords then I would get more views on my videos. In the book Derral talks about how to make custom thumb nails that people want want to click on.
So what am I getting at here. Oh, yes. Sure I could have good keywords but, if my thumbnail does not look interesting enough to click on then no one will watch my video.
I also learned about mrbeast who is a yourube creater I had never heard before reading the book.
The youtube formula did not disappoint me. I am glad I read it.
July 25, 2025
Cracking book. It deserves 4.5 stars to be honest. It is a really well written and inspiring introduction into the power of YouTube. Having read some of the comments I can totally understand why this would frustrate more seasoned creators who crave more practical advice.
As a newbie, this was the perfect level and that examples and stories were helpful to add weight to the formulae outlined.
Great read, very thought provoking and inspiring introduction into.
As a newbie, this was the perfect level and that examples and stories were helpful to add weight to the formulae outlined.
Great read, very thought provoking and inspiring introduction into.
April 4, 2021
Lots of great actionable advice that he repeatedly mentioned. Hard to forget! I would strongly recommend if you want to improve (or make a career out of) your YouTube channel.
September 15, 2021
I loved the book, if you want to boost your youtube channel You have to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews