Hey Reader,

If you want to make more videos without each one taking more out of you, you need systems.

That word gets thrown around a lot, and it can sound bigger than it is. So this one covers what a system is, how mine have changed, and the first one I’d build if I were you.

What a system actually is

A system is a specific way to tackle something, the same way every time.

It can be a template, a checklist, or a doc you open before you start. What makes it a system is that it’s written down. You stop thinking through every single step every time. And you still land on something you’re proud of.

A system is also never finished. Every time I use one of mine, I learn something. The things I like, the things I don’t, and the things I want to try next.

Every once in a while, I realize the foundation needs to change. So I take everything I learned and rebuild it from the ground up. That way it sits on a new foundation instead of being held together by band-aids and duct tape.

My scripting system is the best example I have. It’s been through five major versions.

Where mine started

When I started, I wrote every script from scratch. I had no real idea what made a good script. I just did my best to write a hook and explain things in a logical order.

My first video that took off came from studying another video. Shoutout to Craig Unfiltered. Then I studied my own even more, used AI to break it down into something to use for future videos, then tried to use that blueprint again on the next ones.

It didn't work. So I fumbled my way through for a while.

The mistake I'm glad I made

While I was fumbling through it, I was also trying to keep up with weekly videos. And before I caught it, I'd pretty much copy-pasted another creator's script.

It had slightly different word choices, and that's about it.

It was the kind of thing AI could have sharted out in 20 seconds. I spent a day or two on it.

That mistake was eye-opening. I've never done it again, and I'm proud of that.

The one doc

My fix for that mistake was one doc.

Over a year ago, I pulled everything I'd learned into it. What makes a good hook. How to build each section with a setup, some tension, and a payoff. Where to add moments that pull you forward to the next part, and moments that tell you why it matters.

That doc was my first real scripting system. Every video, I worked from it instead of starting from zero or borrowing someone else's script. Probably 60ish videos.

Where it is now

The next version lived in Claude Cowork. Instead of one doc, it had a whole set of them. What I work on, who I'm talking to, how I sound, and examples of my work.

That version still doesn't sound like me. I'm still rebuilding that part, but only when I get a chunk of time to dedicate to it.

The version I'm building now grows with every video. It's a hybrid, lower-overhead way to make videos. It takes the best part of scripting and the best part of unscripted videos.

I'm going live tomorrow and part of it is dedicated to the details of it.

Keep it simple

Start with one.

Think about your last few videos. Find the step you started from zero every single time or a piece of it you're proud of and want to do it like that again. The hook, the thumbnail, the description, whatever it is for you.

Write down how you did it last time. Use that next time. Then fix whatever didn't work and improve it with whatever you want to try next.

That's your first system. It'll change as you go, that's the whole point.

Thanks,
Dave

P.S. Tomorrow at 2pm Eastern I'm going live to walk through my whole content system, from finding ideas to hitting upload, including the new way I've been making videos. It's free, it's on Zoom, and it's my last livestream until at least January. Sign up here and you'll get reminded and the replay if you can't make it.