Johnny Harris: Master Storytelling on YouTube | How I Write

In this episode, I sit down with YouTube storytelling master Johnny Harris to discover how he creates his videos. Johnny Harris has proven he can make pretty much anything go viral, from breakfast and lottery tickets to bread-making and extra virgin olive oil. We look at his entire creative process, breaking down exactly what makes his storytelling so addicting to watch. We cover the complete workflow: writing, drafting, editing, visual composition, and sound design. By the end of this video, you'll walk away with practical tools to become a better visual storyteller yourself. Enjoy! Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/ 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:35 The Video Process 00:09:18 How to Research for a Documentary 00:10:10 The Marketing for a Video 00:13:15 Scripted vs Unscripted Content 00:15:18 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader] 00:16:44 Full Breakdown of Johnny Harris' 4M View Mormon Video 00:45:34 Balancing Personal Passion vs Views 00:50:27 Every Story is a Promise 00:51:47 Highlighting Paradoxes in Human Stories 00:58:56 The "There's More Going On" Approach 01:03:20 Vox vs Independent YouTube 01:04:26 Pillars of YouTube Writing 01:05:27 Dealing with the Details in Complex Stories 01:07:19 The Art of Surprising Viewers 01:11:33 Learning from The Economist 01:18:11 Human Stories 01:21:05 Craftsmanship in the AI Age 01:24:02 How Would Johnny Harris Teach a University Class Johnny Harris https://www.youtube.com/@johnnyharris https://www.patreon.com/johnnyharris https://www.instagram.com/johnny.harris/ I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tyler Cowen, an economist and writer, talks with me about how AI is changing writing and research. He explains a practical approach to using AI tools while maintaining your own voice. He explains the ways he incorporates LLMs into his daily work. We talk about how people will be writing fewer books in the future and how he believes truly human writing will stand out among AI-generated content. Enjoy! Redeem your free week of Lex at https://lex.page/perell 0:00 Intro 1:00 How Tyler Cowen uses AI everyday 6:06 Hallucinations are rapidly declining now 9:28 Writing authentically with AI 11:34 AI for critiquing your work 17:29 Future of decentralized AI networks 20:34 How and why DeepSeek 22:21 How AI changes writing 24:04 Why there will be less books in an AI era 26:34 Video content will rise 28:17 Start Writing with AI [LEX AD] 29:18 AI Writing a personal biography 30:46 How you can tactically learning about AI 37:12 How AI can help you visualize information 38:31 Creating the perfect AI prompt 42:10 AI's impact in the classroom 46:56 Studying The Bible with AI 49:11 Secrets 50:10 Why social networks are more important now 51:48 Mastering AI prompting 53:58 Mentoring young people 54:49 Would you invest 4 years in a PhD 59:59 Perplexity replaces Google 01:01:09 The different AI tools, explained 01:05:43 The potential of large context windows 01:08:11 AI usage inside companies I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv  X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dana Gioia is a poet, former Chairman of the NEA, and one of America's most insightful writers on the craft of poetry and prose. This is the deepest conversation I've ever had about writing. Dana breaks down the writing process from his first drafts to revision, and shares practical wisdom about finding your voice and creating work that lasts. His straightforward approach makes writing less intimidating and more accessible to anyone who loves language. Enjoy! Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/ 0:00 First Drafts 7:52 The Power of Saying No 11:48 Objectivity in Writing 18:05 Learning from Writers 21:29 Daily Writing Routine 28:30 Poetry Analysis: Catullus 29:05 Production vs Consumption 36:07 Opera as Poetic Drama 43:47 Finding Your Voice 46:09 Personal vs Universal Writing 52:17 Breaking into Publishing 57:01 Writing Through Grief 1:05:21 Emotional Directness 1:10:16 Teaching Poetry 1:14:30 Poetry in Education 1:20:48 Unifying Literary Works 1:23:15 Patience in Writing 1:26:17 Improving Your Poetry 1:30:48 The Art of Description 1:34:34 Reading to Write Better 1:38:08 Creating a Masterpiece 1:45:08 Book Writing Process 1:47:45 The Art of Revision 1:48:45 Peer Feedback 1:55:47 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader] 1:57:11 Anatomy of a Poem 2:02:29 Writing with Gratitude 2:08:00 Corporate World Lessons 2:16:40 Writing in Digital Culture 2:24:30 Poetry and Magic 2:28:55 Being a Catholic Writer 2:36:17 Catholic Literary Culture 2:37:40 Biblical Language in Poetry 2:39:51 Commonplace Books 2:45:24 Literary Influences 2:51:38 Cheever on Death 2:53:11 Tarantino vs. Tolkien 2:54:54 Tolstoy vs. Dostoevsky 2:55:47 The Modern Novel 3:01:18 Characters in Opera 3:09:06 Understanding Your Genre Dana Gioia https://danagioia.com I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ward Farnsworth is a law professor and former dean at the University of Texas School of Law who has written popular books about clear thinking, language, and philosophy. His books include Classical English Style and works on rhetoric and legal writing. He’s a genius at making complex ideas simple and useful for everyday life. Enjoy! Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:53 Example 1 (King James Bible) 00:07:09 Example 2 (Winston Churchill) 00:11:45 Example 3 (Winston Churchill) 00:15:19 Example 4 (King James Bible) 00:18:18 Example 5 (Abraham Lincoln) 00:22:57 Example 6 (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.) 00:26:40 Classical English Rhetoric 00:27:40 Example 7 (Abraham Lincoln) 00:29:59 Example 8 (Abraham Lincoln) 00:31:48 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader] 00:33:15 Example 9 (Winston Churchill) 00:35:53 Example 10 (Lloyd Bentsen) 00:38:34 Example 11 (JFK) 00:42:00 Example 12 (Abraham Lincoln) 00:43:40 Example 13 (Henry Fielding - Tom Jones) 00:45:32 Example 14 (King James Bible) 00:47:42 The 3 Techniques, explained 00:52:24 Practical advice for everyone 00:56:08 The ideal writing curriculum WARD FARNSWORTH http://wardfarnsworth.com/ I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. FOLLOW ME YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex Hormozi has written two killer business books that have sold more than 1M copies. His writing has gotten him to 9M followers across social media. This is the first interview where he breaks down his writing system. Get 60 days free Readwise Reader at https://readwise.io/davidperell/ I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ TIMESTAMPS 00:00:00 Intro 00:00:20 Hormozi’s cave 00:05:35 Discovery process 00:12:32 Fix problems using MECE 00:13:43 Marketing “$100M Leads” 00:20:55 Writing for YouTube vs Books 00:27:13 The pain is the pitch 00:31:37 Break down the world into frameworks 00:34:09 10x more effort = 1000x results 00:38:24 Understanding the table of contents 00:49:27 The only app I use to read articles [Readwise Reader] 00:50:53 How to think about your audience 00:54:22 The #1 creator mistake 00:57:58 The business of Hormozi’s books 01:02:04 The love for writing as a kid 01:04:34 Hormozi’s ideal university writing class ALEX HORMOZI https://www.youtube.com/@AlexHormozi https://www.instagram.com/hormozi/ https://x.com/alexhormozi/ https://acquisition.com FOLLOW ME YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, I share my very favorite clips from world-class experts I interviewed last year. Their combined 171 years of writing experience is tightly packed into this 90-minute video. Enjoy! I also made a website that helps you learn from the best writing of all-time: https://writingexamples.com/ Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you know the difference between a banger journal entry and the foundation of a memoir? If you’ve ever asked yourself this question, then this conversation is for you.Tucker is a memoir guru, having sold 5 million copies of his own memoir (“I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell”) and millions more of ghostwritten memoirs (for names like Tiffany Haddish and David Goggins). All of Tucker’s expertise can be dwindled down to three words: tell the truth. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.In this episode, you’ll learn everything it takes to write a bestselling memoir: how to tell a great story, how to infuse your work with humor, how to turn your suffering into art, and how to make sure you’re ready to write a memoir in the first place. Most importantly, you’ll learn how to tell the unencumbered truth — the right way. Website: https://www.tuckermax.com/ Twitter: @TuckerMax Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Overstory, one of the most praised novels of the decade. His writing absolutely explodes with life. But perhaps Richard’s most impressive skill is his character development. And we’re not talking about the stodgy character arc you learned in English class. Richard shares 40+ years and 14 novels worth of insight on how to write characters that readers can’t get out of their head.  This episode is a deep dive into the psychoanalytical complexities of character: drama and tension, thinking and feeling, motivation and suspense. Plus, we dive into the three different types of character-driven drama: People against People, People against Themselves, and People against the Environment.  In a nutshell, this episode is a novel-writing masterclass that you don’t want to miss.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://www.richardpowers.net/ Books: https://www.richardpowers.net/category/novel/ New Novel “Playground”: https://a.co/d/g9nzmbO WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the final class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know him as the CEO of OpenAI — but did you know that Sam Altman is an avid writer?  As one of today’s most successful entrepreneurs, Sam champions the tremendous value of writing: how it clarifies your thinking, expands your ideas, and levels-up your life in every sense, both personally and professionally. Plus, he has a love for the creative. (Have you ever met someone who can recite Percy Bysshe Shelley poems from memory? Well, Sam can.)  In this episode, we discuss how Sam uses ChatGPT in his daily life; how LLMs are changing the future of writing; what it means to be a novelist in the age of technology; and Sam’s best-learned writing lessons from Paul Graham. If you want to learn how the king of ChatGPT writes, this episode is for you.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://openai.com/ Blog: https://blog.samaltman.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/sama WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the final class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.school/how-i-write/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert went from being “a drunk, failed screenwriter” to writing seven bestsellers with millions of copies sold. Entrepreneurs, politicians, and hip-hop artists like 50 Cent all love his work. His secret ingredient? Storytelling. In Robert’s eyes, story is a form of seduction. So, welcome to 76-minutes of seductive storytelling advice. You’ll learn how to write stories that have timeless resonance, swapping cute and clever for crisp and clear. You’ll dive deep into style, themes, research, and revision. And you’ll hear all the nitty-gritty details that make a story sell.  And his books have flown off the shelves. 48 Laws of Power has sold millions of copies, and is as popular today as it was when it came out 25 years ago.  If you want behind-the-scenes storytelling advice from a seasoned bestselling author, this episode is for you.  SPEAKER LINKS:  Website: https://powerseductionandwar.com/ Twitter: https://x.com/RobertGreene Book: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robert-Greene/author/B001IGV3IS YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/RobertGreeneOfficial WRITE OF PASSAGE:  Want to learn more about the next class for Write of Passage? Click here: https://writeofpassage.com/ PODCAST LINKS:  Website: https://writeofpassage.com/how-i-write YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel/videos Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices