Neil and Eric break down why “storyteller” is suddenly the hottest corporate job title, from a Wall Street Journal trend to LinkedIn listings doubling in a year and Vanta paying up to $274,000 for a Head of Storytelling. They unpack why storytelling matters more in an AI-heavy marketing world, how to create tension using “but” beats, and why MrBeast-style narrative hooks keep viewers glued. Then they shift to YouTube strategy data: ideal video length by niche, tighter titles, and what thumbnails really do. singlegrain.com

Key takeaways:

-Storytelling is the AI-era differentiator.

-Tension beats “and then” every time.

-YouTube winners optimize length, titles, and thumbnails.

Chapters:

(00:00) Corporate storytellers surge

(01:19) Emotional roller coaster writing

(02:19) MrBeast storytelling formula

(03:20) “But” creates tension

(06:47) Enterprise sales de-risking

(10:00) Viral YouTube data study

(12:13) Best video length ranges

(13:39) Titles, faces, thumbnail text

(16:01) Closing thoughts