Why Languageless Videos Get 10x More Views — And the Data Behind Removing Voiceovers Entirely

This isn't opinion. It's a pattern so dominant it's almost a rule.

95 out of the top 100 Instagram creators produce languageless content — no voiceover, no text overlays, no spoken words. The content communicates entirely through visuals, action, and sound effects.

The most-viewed YouTube Short in history — 2.1 billion views — follows the same pattern. It's a video of someone running around doing laundry. No words. No music. Just action.

"He has the most viral short on YouTube. It's like 2.1 billion views. No words, no music. Just straight him running around doing laundry."

Zack King, one of the biggest creators across platforms, built an empire on visual illusions — almost entirely without speaking English or any language. His content travels across every country, every culture, every demographic, because there's nothing to translate.

The math behind languageless content is simple. There are approximately 8 billion people on Earth. Roughly 1.5 billion speak English. If your content requires English to understand, you've immediately excluded 80% of the planet.

YouTube and Instagram are global platforms. Their algorithms serve content to whoever is most likely to engage with it, regardless of geography. If your video requires zero language comprehension, it's eligible for distribution to every user on the platform — not just the ones who speak your language.

This is what Mr. Beast discovered when YouTube launched multi-language dubbing. His views 10x'd. Not because the content changed — because the audience pool expanded to include non-English speakers.

The creator behind 38 channels had the same realization after hearing that story: "If language was such a big barrier for views, what if I just removed it entirely?"

He went home, discussed it with a friend, and concluded: "The second best way to communicate thoughts is probably through visual storytelling." The first best way would be telepathy. Visual storytelling is as close as you can get.

The shift was immediate and dramatic. After implementing visual storytelling across his Shorts operation — replacing voiceovers and text-heavy edits with purely visual narratives — the creator hit his first billion-view month.

"That's when I started really implementing visual storytelling for all of my shorts. And that's when I started hitting massive views. That was my first billion view month."

The principle is straightforward: more eligible viewers = more initial impressions = more chances for the algorithm to find pockets of high engagement = more push = more views. It's a compounding effect. Each layer of the distribution funnel gets wider when you remove the language filter.

This doesn't mean the content was simple or low-effort. Visual storytelling requires more deliberate editing — every moment has to communicate meaning without words. But the distribution upside is so large that the extra production effort pays for itself many times over.

There's a real cost to going languageless: RPM drops. English-language content targets higher-RPM demographics (US, UK, Australia). Languageless content gets distributed globally, which means a larger share of views come from lower-RPM regions.

The real numbers from a live operation: English anime commentary channels earn roughly 24¢ RPM on 30 million views/month ($7,200). Languageless channels might earn 7¢ RPM — but on 300 million views ($21,000).

At scale, volume wins. But there's a threshold below which English-language content is actually more profitable — especially if you're only running one or two channels.

"It really just depends on your business model. If you only want to run a couple channels, you can run only English. But doing non-language videos is probably better because you make more money when you get more views."

The sweet spot for many creators: run your primary channels as languageless for maximum views, and keep one or two English-language commentary channels to capture the RPM premium. Diversify across both strategies instead of choosing one.

Removing language doesn't mean removing structure. Your video still needs a hook, a narrative arc, and a payoff. You just have to deliver all three visually.

Start with visual hooks. Instead of text saying "Watch what happens next," show a dramatic before state — an object about to fall, an animal about to do something unexpected, a transformation about to occur. The visual is the hook.

Build narrative through action. Show a sequence of events where each shot naturally follows the previous one. Cause and effect, visually demonstrated, is universally understood. A ball rolls, hits a domino, the domino knocks over a cup — no language needed.

Create emotional payoff through contrast. Show the starting state and the ending state with dramatic difference. Transformation, resolution, and reveals all work without words.

Use sound effects strategically. Languageless doesn't mean silent. Sound effects (impacts, whooshes, dramatic stings) are language-free emotional amplifiers. A dramatic "boom" sound at the payoff moment transcends every language on earth.