2.5 BILLION views in 301 days with Pat Flynn - EP5

🔥 Quick Intro
Pat Flynn shares the real story behind his “Should I Open It?” Shorts series and why video #35 was the turning point after weeks of low views. This episode breaks down persistence, open loops, and why daily reps matter more than chasing viral hacks.

👉 Episode in a Nutshell
Pat explains how he committed to a 60-day Shorts experiment with strict rules: no help, no cross-promotion, and daily uploads. For the first month, most videos sat at 200-500 views. Then video #35 hit 750,000 views and everything changed. He unpacks what he learned about hooks, curiosity, storytelling, and why quantity plus value beats perfection when you’re building momentum.

⏰ Timestamps

• 00:00 - Why video #35 took off
• 00:38 - The 60-day Shorts experiment
• 02:23 - The “Should I Open It?” hook and open loops
• 03:56 - Why curiosity makes people lean in
• 06:14 - Storytelling lessons from movies and books
• 08:34 - Being stuck at 200-500 views
• 10:06 - The breakthrough on day 35
• 11:12 - Patterns that helped performance
• 15:12 - The fishing analogy for content
• 17:07 - Quantity vs quality (with value)

💡 Key Takeaways

• Commit to a fixed experiment window before judging results
• Open loops and curiosity drive retention
• Daily reps dramatically speed up skill improvement
• Patterns matter more than guesses
• Quantity works best when value stays high

🔗 Resources

• Lean Learning (book by Pat Flynn) | https://amzn.to/4pcTBjz
• Save the Cat (book) | https://amzn.to/3YQJBle
• ScreenFlow | https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/
• Smart Passive Income Podcast – Episode 824 | https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/podcasts/spi-824-quality-or-quantity-shorts-update/