What if you could get your hands on the biggest YouTube creator, Jimmy Donaldson a.k.a. MrBeast‘s secret to getting those huge numbers? Jimmy himself is out here to help you out. The top YouTuber in the U.S. has co-founded a new analytics platform called ViewStats, which is now available in beta. Similar to tools like Social Blade, ViewStats uses the YouTube API to unveil detailed stats about channels that both creators and their fans can see.

The data that informs MrBeast’s decisions can now be yours to analyse through ViewStats. Donaldson co-founded the new analytics platform alongside Chucky Appleby, a content creator and businessman who works at MrBeast HQ in North Carolina. ViewStats is differentiating itself with this star power. Celebrity-backed startups aren’t always as big of a slam dunk as they may seem, but in this case, star power should not be underestimated.

Also Read: 10 Times MrBeast Shocked With His Extraordinary Wealth!

Like Social Blade, ViewStats displays basic information like subscriber numbers, estimated monthly ad revenue, projected growth, video views and how those figures fluctuate over a given period of time. The entire experience is presented through a simple layout that prioritizes clarity and ease of use. ViewStats is also available as a Chrome extension. Appleby said that the platform will add more tools in the future, including thumbnail analytics tools.

The Beast

MrBeast didn’t become one of the highest-earning creators of all time by accident. He is meticulous about every last detail of his videos. Jimmy is the most-subscribed creator on YouTube by taking an analytical approach to his big-budget videos. It’s worth taking notes of the man’s detail-oriented personality and his ability to maximize every second of his viewer’s attention.

When MrBeast hosted a panel about understanding the YouTube algorithm, the seats filled up so quickly, that VidCon probably could’ve assigned him a room twice the size and it would still overflow. Any creator, no matter their genre, wanted to hear what the king of the algorithm had to say.

ViewStats MrBeast Jimmy Donaldson Chucky Appleby analytics platform YouTube

ViewStats is a separate company from MrBeast, LLC and is funded by both Jimmy and Chucky with their own money. Appleby has a clear goal in mind for the new platform – he wants it to become so valuable that YouTube creators check it every single day. In terms of monetisation, it’s not clear yet how the platform plans to monetize. They could take a page of Social Blade’s book who monetizes by paywalling certain more-advanced analytics.

Know Chucky

Chucky Appleby has spent the past decade running YouTube channels, including some notable gaming hubs. In 2019, he moved to Greenville, North Carolina to work alongside Donaldson at the MrBeast HQ. Chucky and Jimmy indulged In regular “mastermind calls,” where they shared data wonkiness and worked out strategies they could use to improve videos through statistical analysis.

Equipped with those findings, Appleby helped Donaldson create thumbnails and “the best videos ever” — first for his main channel and then for his gaming and reaction hubs. As he continued to analyze videos alongside Donaldson, Appleby looked to share his findings with the YouTube masses.

“We realized that we should create a data site to help people understand their analytics, to make it easier to make better video ideas,” said Chucky. “[Jimmy and I] are obsessed with content. And our approach was to say, ‘We are only going to add features that we know actually affect the performance of a YouTube video.’”

Chucky Appleby MrBeast ViewStats Jimmy Donaldson YouTubers

ViewStats USP

One of the platform’s most interesting features is a page that shows the results of A/B tests involving a video’s thumbnails. Users can see which types of thumbnails performed the best, view any title changes, see rankings of each channel’s best-performing videos, and break down view counts among long-form and short-form uploads. Thanks to Chuck’s interest in thumbnail design, it shaped his approach to ViewStats.

Appleby’s witnessed firsthand how analyzing small details to make incremental increases in clicks and retention can “make a difference” and add up to a lot of views. So he made sure to emphasize them and make them easy to analyze within ViewStats. On the design side of things, Appleby is looking to build a platform that entices creators to explore — just as a well-engineered thumbnail convinces viewers to click on a video.

“Your title and your thumbnail are like a combination. And if you package that combination correctly, you might incentivize a click” said Chucky. MrBeast recently A/B tested to see if his videos perform better with a thumbnail where his mouth is open or a thumbnail where it’s not open (apparently, closed-mouth thumbnails win). So, if he thinks certain metrics are a must-have for an analytics platform, they’re probably important.

The subscription-free and ad-free nature of ViewStats will increase its accessibility, too. However Chucky Appleby mentioned that ViewStats might launch a paid subscription tier, and he didn’t rule out the possibility of in-platform ads in the future. Ultimately, Appleby thinks that creators who choose to ignore ViewStats will be “at a disadvantage,” while those who rely on the platform will find ways to “enhance and optimize their content.” 

ViewStats definitely seems like a noteworthy kit to have in your pocket if you’re a YouTube creator. You don’t want to miss out on this. Try out the beta version now and let us know how it benefits you in the comments below!