This 3-sentence intro makes your videos magnetic

Show value, build trust, and keep people watching from the moment your video starts

Imagine spending 10 hours making a video… and viewers leave in 6 seconds.

That’s the reality for many creators on YouTube — but there’s a way to fix it.

Today I’ll show you a simple framework that makes your video feel bold, credible, and useful to your audience — right from the first sentence.

Here’s how it works:

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The 3-Sentence Power Intro

The structure is simple. At the start of your video, make three things clear to the viewer: what your point is, why you’re credible, and how your video benefits them.

Claim, Credibility, and Benefit.

1. Claim
   A bold or intriguing statement about how to solve a problem your audience cares about.

2. Credibility
   A statement showing why people should trust you on this topic.

3. Benefit
   A statement that makes it clear how the viewer benefits / solves a problem thanks to your video.

Ultimately this is about serving your audience. To make this work, you need to know who you’re serving and what they struggle with.

That’s enough theory for now — let’s see this framework in action.

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Leila Hormozi delivering the opening line of the video.

Two months ago, Leila Hormozi¹ released a video on self-confidence. It quickly passed 3 million views, and is now the most-watched video on her channel (by a lot).

Why did it blow up? Partly because of its intro.

This video has a powerful opening, and it uses the same framework we laid out above.

Here’s how she opens:

This is wildly efficient.

Most creators take more than a minute to cover these points, but Hormozi does it in 19 seconds. And she only needs three sentences:

1. Claim

What if I told you that confidence has nothing to do with feeling ready, and everything to do with doing it scared?

2. Credibility

I have built multiple businesses, I've led massive teams, I've been on stages terrified out of my mind, and somehow I'm still standing (laughs).

3. Benefit

So if you've ever wondered how to stay calm in a situation, or how to stop overthinking, or how to build real confidence, here's how.

Again — 19 seconds!

This is one of the most elegant video intros on YouTube. It feels natural, but don’t be fooled — there’s a lot more going on in those sentences than you might think.

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Try it yourself

Try this framework for yourself. It works with a wide range of topics — as long as you’re teaching, guiding or helping people solve a problem.

You can also use this as an exercise to explore new video ideas. (Let me know what you come up with!)

Coming Up

In the next post, we’ll unpack what makes this wording so effective, and see exactly how Leila Hormozi took an unimpressive idea and made it captivating.

If you want to know the techniques behind sentences like this, you’ll want to stick around.

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👋 A quick note if you’re new here:

I’m Peter, and this newsletter is for creators who want to make smarter, more engaging videos — especially if you teach, explain, or share ideas for a living. I write about storytelling, titles and thumbnails, and the subtle art of keeping people watching.

About me: I’m a user experience researcher (alum: Google, Peloton), an information scientist, artist, former teacher, and world traveler. I’m passionate about making effective, beautiful things, and making YouTube less bewildering for video creators.

If you found this useful, you can:

• Subscribe so you don’t miss the rest of the series (and pledge if you feel called to):
  

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• Comment below — I read and reply to every one, and want to hear how this can be more helpful for you.

More soon,
Peter G.

Keep creating.

1. Leila Hormozi is a business executive and creator based in California.