YouTube Strategy for Creators: Thumbnails, Retention & What Actually Gets Clicks | NCMS 2026

Love Thy Nerd

Denver Moore (YouTube strategist, formerly with JStu, now signed with Mr. Beast's team) and Justin "JStu" Stewart (14 years on YouTube, 12M+ subscribers, 3B+ views) brought one of the most practically dense sessions of NCMS 2026. If you make any kind of content for ministry or nerd culture, this is required watching. Part 1 covers the fundamentals of what actually makes people click, watch, and come back on YouTube, broken down for creators at every level. Topics covered: - Why your hook must…