A great discovery with Cleo Abram 🌌🔭
meet the muons: the universe's little spies.
YT short of the week #001
👋 Hello friend
Here is the breakdown of a great YouTube short so you can improve your storytelling game and champion life forever.
Today: Cleo Abram
The former VOX explainer queen had an incredible 2023, thanks to *HUGE if true.
Her channel exploded with a mix of long-form tech videos and, you guessed it, a simple but consistent YouTube Shorts strat 📼👩🔬.
Watch the short; I'll meet you right after.
8.7M views / 562K likes / 5.6K comments
🍱 Now, let's break it down:
Story beat 1 - Introduction of the Discovery
0:00–0:09
Archaeologists just discovered something new inside the largest pyramid in Egypt.'The most important discovery in the 21st century!'And they did it without actually doing any digging."
Why it works:
1- Cleo opens with two curiosity loops:
What did they discover?
How did they do it without any digging?
Story beat 2: Introduction of the Technology
0:10 - 0:13
"They used something called cosmic ray muon radiography. Here's how that works and what they discovered."
Why it works:
Cleo closes one curiosity loop, telling you “how” they achieved the great discovery.
BUT! She opens a new loop because now we must know, “What is muon technology?”
She reminds you that she will tell you everything about it.
Story beat 3: The Explanation
0:14–0:23
“Okay, it's kind of like they took an enormous X-ray of the pyramid but instead of using X-rays, they used muons. Muons are really cool, they're created when cosmic rays from space crash into Earth's atmosphere."
Why it works:
Cleo delivers with an easy-to-understand analogy.
She visually represents how muons work.
Story beat 4: The Process
0:24–0:35
"They're constantly hitting the Earth's surface and can pass through almost anything, like rocks, buildings, or pyramids. By placing detectors inside and around the pyramid, scientists were able to track how many muons passed through the Great Pyramid and how many were absorbed."
Why it works:
Here come the vegetables. Facts are fun, depending on when.
Once we're past the hook, introduction, and explanation, we are likely to stay and be open to more complex information. We're invested.
Beat 5: The Outcome
0:36 - 0:40
“Which allowed researchers to see a hidden corridor that hadn't been discovered without the researchers ever needing to touch anything."
Why it works:
Solves one of the opening loops (how they did it without digging) Highlighting the non-invasive nature of the technology and its effectiveness.
This is the nut of the story. Muons are cool, but why should I care?
Beat 6: The Importance
0:41 – 0:46
"This is a big deal not just because we discovered something awesome inside the Great Pyramid but also because we're using muons in a different way."
Why it works:
reaffirms why this short is worth your time and why we should be excited about this scientific breakthrough.
new curiosity loop: “How else are we using muons?"
Beat 7: Relatability & conclusion
0:47 - 0:58
“We've usually used them to study the cosmos but now we're using them to study things that are a lot closer to home like the inside of a volcano to prepare for eruption or the inside of a shipping container the screen for hazardous materials.”
Why it works:
the tie-down. Why does this matter to the viewer?
all loops closed.
I walk away educated and excited about a new tech I didn't know about.
CTA
0:58–0:60
“If you like this kind of optimistic tech stories follow for more."
Why it works:
Shorts drive a lot of traffic (8.7M views and counting!), so you better tell them what you'd like them to do 🙂
And finally!
Story structure summary:
1- Hook / Introduction of the discovery
2- Introduction of the technology (replace "technology" with anything relevant to your niche, like "product", "service", or "technique")
3- Explanation of the technology
4- The process
5- The outcome
6- The importance
7- Relatability & conclusion
8- Call to action
🍋 Easy peasy.
Use this structure when you want to educate your audience on a particular topic and establish authority within your niche.
Meaning: You know what's up.
And that's it for now, friends.
I'm glad you're here.
Consider sharing with a friend if you get any value from this breakdown.
See you next week ❤️
PS: I have a YouTube channel; have a look :)
Matias Ruiz-Tagle
Founder of Atomic Stories