The audience actually wants to know whatās going to happen next - they just donāt want to know that they know.
Hey {{first_name}}
Hot Ones is one of the most successful shows on YouTube - obviously.Ā
And while everyone talks about the wings, the big names, and Sean Evansā savant level research... I want to talk about something else. That is - sauce number 8.
Da Bomb.
Apart from Sean himself, it must be the most consistent thing about the show. Itās always there - Itās never nice - and you bet its going to lead to some tears.
Itās not the hottest, and Itās not the final sauce. But it is the one we all watch for.
So where am I going with this?
Look, Da Bomb isnāt just a sauce - itās a device.
Itās a built-in beat that guarantees a moment.
A ritual.
A reaction.
And thatās the bit more of us should be stealing.
Iām going to call it - your secret sauce. (See what i did there?)

YouTube is full of Secret Sauces. Hereās a few:
Beard Meets Food - Surely not?!
Iāve seen this guy eat close to 10LBs of meat, bread and cheese and STILL ask the waiter for a dessert menu. He almost always gets the sweetest, most calorific thing he can, and proceeds to devour that too. The reactions from the crowd and the restaurant staff are always worth sticking around for.Ā
Secret Sauce = Those 6 magic words āHave you got a dessert menu?ā
Johnny Harris - A nerd like obsession with cartography
Itās beyond a trope now. Johnny Harris LOVES a map. A lot of his videos start with the simple ālook at this mapā. Itās endearing, and solidifies him as a person of authority (At least in things related to geography).
Even when he doesnāt mention maps, his audience absolutely does.. The people crave a map!
Secret Sauce = Look at this map
Huge If True - Making science look sexy
A world class info graphic. Without a doubt, if its Cleo Abrams video, there will be an info graphic, and you sure as hell know itās gonna slap. Heck, iād watch a supercut of JUST the sick graphics.
Secret Sauce = Show me something interesting, in a way Iāve never seen it.
I know it seems a little abstract, but trust me, every successful creator has their own.
So... Whatās Your Secret Sauce?

Itās that recurring beat that only you can deliver.Ā
The bit your audience knows is coming.
The thing they stick around for.
Or the bit they skip ahead to.
Thatās what gives a brand, channel, and creator, shape.
Itās the stuff that builds rituals.
Thatās what makes formats repeatable, and addictive.
It doesnāt need to be dramatic. It just needs to be deliberate.
If youāve already got a Secret Sauce - send it to me.
Or if you need help finding one, I'd love to chat and help you figure it out!Ā
I want to help make your content better, and write about it in a future edition. So if you need a hand, let me know
Because your content might be good...
But building rituals is what keeps your audience coming back.

