Sometimes people hit it really big and they get millions of followers and they're able to buy a house. They're going on these brand trips to Bora Bora. Like it can change your whole life. Two in paid me the same amount as an integration on YouTube. She's made like $300,000 a year on Tik Tok with 200,000 followers. brands just aren't spending as much on something people don't talk about is I think half the battle is [Music] having Hello guys. Welcome back to Step byep with me Shelby Church. Today's episode's going to be a no BS guide to becoming an influencer in 2025. I've been doing this as my job since literally I graduated high school. I was making like I think 20 to $30,000 in the first year after high school doing this when I was like taking community college classes and it's just grown from there. And um I mean it varies how much you can make, but I do believe it's easier now more than ever because there's more companies spending money on these platforms than they used to in traditional media. So it's more possible than ever to become an influencer doing so many different kinds of things. I want to talk about ways that you can do it. Kind of like strategies and how I would start from scratch depending on what I do in general, like what you do for work or what kind of lifestyle you have. Um, what approach I would recommend taking. So, I'm not going to get super into the weeds of like here's what camera to use and that kind of thing, but more so the overall strategy of like which platform should you post on? Like how do you actually grow on these platforms? And depending on what your life is and what kind of content do you make, what platform is that going to do the best on? Cuz I've been posting on I mean YouTube for like 15 years, Instagram for I mean over 10, and then Tik Tok is a newer thing. But I've noticed certain types of content do better on different platforms. And also something people don't talk about a lot is these days you can make just as much money, if not more, on short form. I know people making more than their tech job, their 9 to5 job. You know, if you saw the episode with Jenny, I'll link it down below. She I I think she said she's made more on TikTok than her past day job or one of them. Um, but she shared with us she's made like $300,000 a year on Tik Tok one year with I think like 200,000 followers. So, it's totally possible now. It didn't used to be that way with I think Instagram like pre2020. I don't know. You can make some money on Instagram, but I didn't really think of it that seriously as like a good way to. But now, I mean, you can make a full-time living on short form, and it's not nearly as timeconuming as YouTube. Though, I do think YouTube still has like some good reasons to post on there. So, that's what we're going to talk about today. I actually had a different episode I had recorded for this week, but I just felt like the idea wasn't fully fleshed out yet. It was about the overemphasis on romantic relationships in our society and how I think that can cause a stigma if you're single and also just kind of a detriment to people in different ways. But the idea, it's not fully fleshed out yet. I still think there's something there. I filmed the whole thing and then I scrapped it. So, I was like, you know what? No, I need to like meditate on this, think on this more, and do a little more research so I can make a good episode for you guys. So that's why I'm doing this no BS guide because I'm like, "Oh, I could talk about this for like a week straight." Like, I know my [ __ ] when it comes to social media. So, quick overview, you can make money on all these platforms. And so, you need to pick the one that is the best fit for you. And actually, you need to pick two. There's a reason for this. Algorithms change. Platforms could be banned. I mean, Tik Tok was almost banned. more likely that's not really going to actually happen, but the algorithms can change and so it's good to have a backup or your account can get hacked. Things can happen. So for me, my two are YouTube and Instagram. And unless you have a team of people working for you, it's just going to cause burnout if you're trying to consistently post on more than two in my opinion. So the lowest lift is going to be Tik Tok and Instagram, the two short form platforms. strategy would be basically post a lot on Tik Tok and whatever does well on Tik Tok then post it to Instagram, not the other way around and I'll explain later. But if you have a full-time job that is really demanding but you want to start getting in the social media game, that's probably going to be the most realistic route to go because YouTube is more timeconuming. But I wouldn't totally rule it out. Like people still do YouTube and make it work. So, I think picking two platforms is going to be vital to having success and longevity. Um, because also you just don't know what's some stuff might resonate on a different platform more, especially because each platform has the ability to upload a short form cut down. I've had something do really well on Instagram reels or no, I've had something do not well on YouTube shorts, but then really well on Tik Tok and vice versa. So, you might as well post all the short form stuff on every short form platform. Um, but you might have to like re-edit it a little bit for Instagram, which we'll get into. But basically, you want to after I discuss all of these, think about the two that you like the most. Like, what platform are you watching stuff on the most? Or do you feel like you kind of understand the algorithm or do you kind of feel like you can see yourself making that type of content? So, yeah, YouTube and Instagram for me. Each platform is different. I want to start with Tik Tok because I think Tik Tok is the best potential for going viral. It's the easiest to grow on and there's a lot of money being spent on it by brands. Actually, more brands, I would say, spend money on Tik Tok than YouTube now. And that is because they can do the paid ads. So, they will pay a Tik Tocker to make a little video and then they will boost it. They'll do this on Instagram, too. And you can't really do that as easily on YouTube. We have to do a whole other cut down with Tik Tok. Something people don't talk about is I think half the battle is having a really cool lifestyle or a strong personality. Tik Tok isn't as much the place for the filmmakery type. And it's honestly not even as much the place for someone who just is very aesthetics driven and making really beautiful content, but it's more for people who have a cool lifestyle and really show their personality. like they're down to earth, they're raw, they're real if you're okay with like putting yourself online with no makeup and just talking off the cuff about things like Tik Tok is a good platform. One formula I see you do really well and again it's like I don't really hear people like pinpointing this and talking about this is basically the combo of having a really cool aesthetic life and aspirational life. You know, think Wishbone Kitchen. She's a Tik Tok creator who got big as a private chef in the Hamptons. It's kind of like a dreamy life. It actually looks pretty grueling, like the day in the lives. They're long days, but it's beautiful. She's like picking fresh vegetables out of the garden and making these stunning meals in a gorgeous home. It's very just dreamy and you're like, "Wow, what if I quit everything and did that life?" That kind of thing does well on TikTok, but with the realness of what it's actually like. So she would show us like her being tired at the end of the day or she would have more just like raw videos talking about it. So if it's just aesthetics, it's a little hollow for Tik Tok. You got to have the realness too, I think. And there's a reason that this works so well. I like to call it a stickick. Like what is your stick on Tik Tok? The private chef in the Hamptons, that's a great shtick. And it works because Tik Tok, you will go viral. I've gone viral on Tik Toks. I've had videos get like a few million views, but because I don't have a strong stick, I don't get a lot of followers from that. And that's why if you want to become a real like influencer on TikTok, like a real like presence and personality, you got to have that shtick, which is either going to be this unique or cool lifestyle. It can be something a little different, too. Like there's that girl who runs and interviews people. We won't get into the drama of her interviewing the press secretary, but that was weird. But um there's that like there can be things that aren't your whole lifestyle that are still a stick. Um but the the ones that are like the whole lifestyle I think are a bit stronger cuz people are like, "Oh wow, that person has a cool life and I kind of want that." Whereas the running one, anyone could kind of like copy that and do it. So you kind of got to think about what's unique. Like your stick could be you built a tiny house and live in it. Your stick could be you own a flower shop. unique lifestyles, you know, things that people are like, "Wow, what if I did that?" Um, so I mean, honestly, if you're really serious about TikTok, make your lifestyle cool. I mean, these are the things people won't tell you, but it actually will do more for you than editing it for longer. Like, if you just have an interesting life, what also can work is you just have a fun personality. Like, I think um that girl Hie Kate, she doesn't stick to like she doesn't really I think have a stick, but she has like a good personality. just like fun funny funny content that can work too and like I don't know I don't feel like I have a super strong like funny personality for Tik Tok really so and I also don't have a stick but Tik Tok is not my main thing cuz I know kind of my lane and that I'm like I don't know unless I like up and moved and had some cool lifestyle like that I don't take Tik Tok as seriously because I don't I'll go viral on it but then I won't get a bunch of followers and I know that's why. So, if you are really serious about wanting to grow on Tik Tok, I mean, the no BS answer is you got to be like that guy who quit his job and is sailing around the world, okay? He got 25 million views doing that. That's like the real thing, the real tea people are going to tell you is make your lifestyle cooler. Like, that's what it is. And then be down to earth and like real and humble and like fun and not um not too clean girl aesthetic. For example, if you're like too polished and perfect, you're not going to be relatable. So, you kind of need to like look polished and perfect, but act relatable and normal and down to earth. That combo does really well on TikTok. So, that's kind of what I've seen work. And, you know, we've seen people if they get like 200,000 followers, like my friend Jenny, and making 300,000 in a year, it's possible for her. It definitely helps that she's in the personal finance realm. Like, those companies have more money to spend. And I mean, you might not make as much if you're in like fashion cuz those companies, they don't have as high of a profit margin, but you could. Um, I mean, there's really get creative. There's so many different things. Like, what do you want to do in your life? Is there a side hustle you can start doing that would be like a coolt stick? You may not need to have to like rearrange your whole life, but if there's something that sounds exciting to you to start doing, this could be your excuse to go for it. The thing with Tik Tok, once you have yourtick figured out and you want to go viral, you need to make content with a good hook. Okay, so for example, I made a Tik Tok that I also ended up posting on Instagram reels and it was about this tennis court in Italy. And there's so many ways you can approach making this kind of thing. I could be like, "Wow, look at this cool tennis court I found in Italy." And just make it like a cool aesthetic. But instead, I went with a hook that was, "You'll never believe how much it costs to play at this tennis court." or I think it was like I was shocked how much it cost to play at this tennis court in Italy. You will be shocked when you learn how much it costs to play at this tennis court on the Amalfi Coast. And then I go into give some context of most of the courts are at these hotels that are a couple thousand a month or not a month, a couple thousand a night to play at. What the ones you see on Instagram cost as much. This one I booked online. It's familyowned. It's like a private little court and it was I reveal at the end $40 to play at and like I reveal the location but I wait till the end and so that hook is why it did well cuz people watch till the end and watch time is everything on these platforms. So when people say the algorithm when they're trying to make something that's good for the algorithm what they're talking about is watch time. That is what the algorithms care about is like how long is someone engaging with your content? How long are they watching it? If it's like a photo set on Instagram, are they swiping through all the photos? Because the platforms know that, are they reading a long caption? Like, if they're not, that's why it doesn't get pushed out to more people or if people aren't liking it. But really with reals and like short videos and long videos, it's about the watch time. So, and really kind of like if people are commenting too can help. So, having a hook is really going to help you go viral. Like once you have your stick, just think of ideas of how you can make content that has a hook that'll keep people watching till the end. That's kind of the key to making content that's going to go viral. At least that's what I focus on. It does help to be intentional about it. Think about it before you make the content. What is the hook going to be? And don't make it something super clickbaity. Like you need to have the payoff. The reason it worked for that one is I revealed the cost in the end and it was like a shockingly good deal. If it was like not that good of a deal or just something like expensive, it wouldn't I don't know. I think people would be like, "Okay, whatever." Like that's not that great. But I mean, there's so many ways that you can do a hook. You can use Chat GPD to help you. Also, people don't want to admit this, but Tik Tok is a good platform if you're just really gorgeous. Like, if you're a beautiful person, girl or guy. Um, that's probably like the best platform because people just watch you like brush your hair basically. Not much you can really do about it. Like you can definitely work on your style and looking better, but some people are just like naturally stunning looking and Tik Tok they can do well on there and let's just be real about that. Like it's going to be easier than even YouTube because you'll just get people interested in you because you're really like beautiful. It's the whole pretty privilege thing. So yeah, if you happen to be like really really beautiful, just start posting anything honestly cuz that is your stick. I know it's kind of weird to say that, but honestly, I think that's a thing. Okay, so that's Tik Tok. Honestly, can be a great one because there's lots of brands spending money and it's relatively low lift. Like, you don't need to quit your job to do it. You can do it at the same time. And that's the cool thing. Like, you could own a coffee shop in Malibu and make the Tik Toks on the side about that. You can do whatever you want with your life and make the Tik Toks about that and you have the time for it. Whereas with YouTube, it's so timeconuming, it's kind of hard to do that. Quick break to thank Ziotics for sponsoring today's episode. If you guys haven't heard of Zebiotics, it's really cool. It's a pre-alcohol probiotic drink, and it's actually the world's first genetically engineered probiotic. It was invented by some PhD scientists to help with those rough mornings after drinking. You know, we've all been there. How it works, when you drink, alcohol gets converted into an unwanted byproduct in your gut. And it's that byproduct, actually, not dehydration. a lot of the time. That's usually to blame for not feeling your best the next day. Ziotics is designed to produce an enzyme that breaks that byproduct down, which is what helps you feel more like yourself the next day. So, this is how I use it. I drink it as like a pre-alcohol drink and it's my first drink of the night. I feel like that's going to get you the best results. Then, just pace yourself. You know, as you're drinking, still hydrate, still get a good night's sleep. I think that's still important to get like good sleep. And then the next day, I can be up early editing, playing tennis, whatever I've got planned. So, it can make a big difference. And I mean, spring is here, so that means weddings, weekend trips, don't forget your Ziotics. If you want to try it, you can go to zbiotics.com/shelby to get 15% off your first order when you use the code shelby at checkout. They even offer a 100% money back guarantee. So, there's nothing to lose. If you're watching the video, here's what it looks like. Here's one that I have. You don't have to drink like this huge drink. It's like literally the size of like a little shot, which I think is nice. It's like convenient. You can throw it in your bag, take it with you. So, yeah. Thanks to Ziotics for sponsoring this episode. Now, let's get back into the episode. Before we get into the next part, I want to thank HelloFresh for sponsoring this episode. If you've never tried it, HelloFresh is a meal kit delivery service. I've tried a bunch of them throughout the years. They basically send you all the pre-portioned ingredients so you can skip the grocery run and you don't end up with a bunch of extra ingredients. I've tried a bunch of their recipes and they're genuinely so good and I've learned a lot from them. Actually, one that stands out is the pasta prima vera. I feel like that's perfect for spring. It's like light and delicious. But they've also got meals like chicken dijon and pecan crusted trout, which sounds so good. I need to try that one. And then they also have over a hundred seasonal sides and snacks to choose from. And okay, this is a new thing that they're doing. It's called their readymade meals. You can order meals that are ready in just 3 minutes. So for those days where you don't have a lot of time to cook, you can order some of those. So, if you want to feel great with meals that fit your spring schedule and make this season even more delicious, you can go to hellofresh.com/shelby10fm now to get 10 free meals with a free item for life. One per box with active subscription. Free meals applied as discount on first box. New subscribers only varies by plan. That's hellofresh.com/shelby10fm now to get 10 free meals and a free item for life. Okay, so let's talk about Instagram next because still a great platform for people to make money on. Still a lot of brands spending money on there. I think maybe a little less than Tik Tok. I'm not sure. It probably depends on the brand. But I'll tell you guys, I just did a deal with a company. Two Instagram reels paid me the same amount as an integration on YouTube. And guess what? Takes way less time than Instagram reels. Way less time. It's so much easier. It's unbelievable that I can make the same amount for making these two reels as a whole YouTube video. So, that's just some info for you. I actually have even gotten paid for one reel the same amount cuz it was a brand that I won't say what it was, but you know, it was the type of company that has more money they can spend on things and they licensed the content a lot more and had more exclusivity, so that's why they paid even more. Um, but yeah, it took me like a few hours to make versus a whole YouTube video which will take me like a week sometimes longer. So that's why Instagram can be a good one. But who's Instagram a good fit for? I feel like it's really for the people who are good at curating. Curating is a skill and and really people who are aesthetics driven. And people can, you know, get [ __ ] for this because it might be deemed as like superficial, but honestly, curation is hard to do. Putting together really good outfits, really good like tablescapes, maybe curating beautiful visual shots on a vacation, it's hard to do and it's easier said than done. It's like fun to watch and so people make it look easy, but I mean it takes a lot of time for people honestly. Like it sounds like it doesn't, but if someone is putting together really good outfits that people actually want to buy, like that is kind of hard to do. So, it's good for that kind of person though who loves to do that and maybe doesn't want to be as raw and real. Cuz on Instagram, you don't have to be. It doesn't do as well. If you just love making beautiful content, like putting together really nice outfits or again like maybe home interiors, that kind of thing, and finding great music to go along with it, that's going to do well on Instagram. Like Instagram reels is really like the bread and butter of growing on Instagram, but photos can work, too. So yeah, if you like styling things, it can be styling anything. Clothing, your home, whatever. I don't know. You can make anything look cool. Think about what you see on Instagram reels. It is normally more polished than Tik Tok. So, the more polished stuff is going to do well. I think people go on there more. Like, at least what I see, it's more aspirational. It is more like I just save places I want to go or like things I want to recreate and outfit inspo. Like I do go to Instagram more for inspiration for things than Tik Tok. go more for the relatability and like the story and it's fun. So, I mean that's your thing. Like if you don't if you're really good at that and you enjoy it, I would say Instagram's going to be your thing. And the strategy is reals. Photos don't do that well. If you just post one photo, Instagram's not going to share it. A carousel maybe, you know, post the carousel and usually you need to add whatever new features Instagram has added. So like for example, when they added that you could add a song with a photo set, add the song. They want people using the new features. So use the new features always because they're gonna like boost that a little extra usually because they want other people to know that feature is a thing. But reals, what works well on reals, I mean you can still use a hook. A lot of ways people do this is they will almost put some like text that is a hook for a long caption. They'll be like why I stopped eating cheese or something random example. and then it'll be a really long caption and it'll be a short reel that's not that long so it replays so the watch time is good. That kind of thing does well. So if you don't want to make a whole crazy reel, you just have one little clip and you want to kind of write that can do really well. I don't think you need to have as much of a stick or like crazy lifestyle or anything. It can just be that you curate really cool outfits. It could just be that and like people don't have to know as much about you. Like they might just follow for that because I follow people for that or I follow people for just like travel inspiration kind of thing. Um I think longevity wise it's better if you have a whole lifestyle that people are interested in, but on Instagram you don't really have to have that. Okay. So, one strategy on Instagram that works really well is if you're picking two platforms and Tik Tok and Instagram are your platforms, just post whatever does the best on Tik Tok to Instagram because you're probably going to be posting on Tik Tok more. Let's say you post like five to 10 Tik Toks a week. Whatever Tik Toks do the best, take the top two or three, post those to Instagram because chances are they are going to do good on in going to do well. They're going to do well on Instagram, too. And that's kind of what I try and do. Like if it doesn't do well on Tik Tok, I just feel like it's not going to do well on Instagram. But the opposite is not true. Like if you have something that did really well on Instagram reels, it might not do well on Tik Tok because it's not like it's too polished. Like I posted a reel when I went to this Lululemon tennis event and it got like 800,000 views on Instagram reels cuz it was just perfect for Instagram. Like cool aesthetic, like really good song I think. And it was just like kind of dreamy and cool and people were sharing it a lot. But I posted on TikTok, it got 30,000 views because it's like that just doesn't do well. Like what would do well is more a voice over talking about it and maybe if it had not been an influencer event talking about like how people can go or the real tea on it or something like that. I think with Instagram too, it's like you want to plan out your feed rather than having a lifestyle shtick. You want to have like a cohesive looking feed and have kind of similar content the way that it looks. And you know, these days people like things that's a little more candid and real feeling but still polished. It's funny. It's like not too posed like not like the whole millennial like how we used to have photo shoots and like pose a lot. It's still not candid but it looks candid. I'll see if I can add some examples of what I mean. But that really does well on Instagram now cuz people don't want to feel like they're following something super fake. Even though these things largely are kind of fake, like most of the photo shoots are pre-planned, but you don't want it to feel like that. You don't want it to feel like you just went and took photos one day for Instagram. The feeling is that you're just living your life and taking photos, even if that's not the case. Cuz a lot of times it's not with like fashion bloggers and stuff, but it looks like it is. Does that make sense? It's like it needs to look like it's just your actual life, not too planned out and performative, but actually a lot of it still is pretty performative. So, it's sort of funny how that has evolved. But overall, Instagram can be really great if you're into fashion, if you travel a lot, if you're just good at making nice aesthetic content and you don't really want to pull back the curtain and share a lot about your life, Instagram can be a good one for that. But also you can share a little bit more. Um, and what I would say is if you are posting the same content on Tik Tok and Instagram, I would just make it a little more polished for Instagram. I don't, and I know a lot of people don't post the exact same thing on Instagram and Tik Tok. So, if I make a cut down of something like if I make a short form video for Tik Tok, I'm going to make it a little tiny. I'm going to re-edit it to be a little more polished for Instagram. And that's what I think a lot of people do as well. I don't know. I mean, you could post a little more raw and real on there. Some people do, but I think that works. Another thing is finding trending audio. That's not the most popular thing yet. So, if you find a song that it says trending, but there aren't that many reels that have been made about it yet, like less than 5,000 reels made with that song, that's good because people aren't sick of that song yet. Because if it's the number one trending thing, like after a while I'm like, "Oh my god." Like you could say for hours telling all the bluebirds, you know that song. I know. I just kind of jumped into that and you guys were probably like, "What are you talking about?" That like I just skip cuz I get sick of these songs and I'm like, "Ah, no. Can't listen to it again." So, um, it's better, I think, to find stuff that people haven't used as much. And then also, other people might use the audio of yours and it'll kind of boost yours more. So, yeah, Instagram can be good. And like all these platforms, I'm not getting too much into like the actual strategy of like how much you'll make, but this is more of just overall strategy of uh how to grow on it because the money will come. like if you can grow a following, you can get a manager or an agent or whatever. Um, and there's a ton of videos about how much to charge. I don't know, that could be a whole separate episode, I feel like. Um, but yeah, I don't think I'll get too much into that. I feel like if you have good engagement, it's so different based on the engagement and the um the exclusivity or the usage rights, but I mean there's people with a 100,000 followers getting like 10,000 for a post, but then there's also people only getting 2,000 for a post cuz maybe their engagement isn't very good. So, it really varies, but you can, you know, get thousands of dollars for different posts. And when you want to actually make money on these platforms, there are these marketplaces you can sign up for. So, and one is like hashtagpaid. There's different ones that'll connect you with brands that are looking for influencers. So, those are good to be on if you don't have like an agent or manager. You can still get brand deals with that one for sure. And just have your email in your profile. If you don't have that, they're not going to be able to reach out to you. You have to do that. All right. So, let's talk about YouTube. But the one that I like the most, I really resonate with the most, but I don't think is like the most realistic for everyone because it's so timeconuming. You can do it in a way that's less timeconuming. You don't have to get a bunch of B-roll and edit things like crazy. You can just yap for Sorry, I'm moving around so much, but I'm like I need to get a better chair for podcasting because I get uncomfortable. Like my leg starts to fall asleep. But anyway, with YouTube, you can just yap for 20 minutes like this. I watch certain channels like that. So, YouTube is really more for the creator type than the influencer type or somebody who is into film making and really enjoys the whole process of editing. YouTube's a little different because you have to think of a thumbnail and title and even that alone is time consuming. Like it will take me sometimes an hour to make a thumbnail and you can make a whole Tik Tok in that time or like a couple Tik Toks. So just the thumbnail alone and title strategy, it just takes more time with YouTube. Um the pros of YouTube though are I think you have more of a connection with your audience. The engagement is better. Like you get more comments and there's just more of a connection. So there's more longevity there because people really know more about you. So there's value in that. Like building a real community, it's more possible on YouTube. You can do it on the other platforms, but I just think YouTube lends itself to that more because people are just simply watching for longer. They're getting to know you better. I think the thing with YouTube is to grow, it takes a long time. It is, I think, harder to go viral and you can't make as much content as quickly. So while with Tik Tok you can post every day like realistically you could and really start to see some traction in a month or two on YouTube you know posting once a week is still even kind of difficult. So it can take like 6 months to a year to really see some good traction and so it's like harder to grow in that way and you have to like love it more and be more obsessed with that process. The thing with YouTube too overall is AdSense money isn't that good. Like I'll make more from an Instagram brand deal than an entire month of AdSense. The return on time investment isn't as much there. I feel like for the amount of time you put in, you can make more probably if you're big on a short form platform. Revenue is nice, but you can get that revenue on TikTok, too, if you make videos that are over a minute long. Brands just aren't spending as much on YouTube. brand deals on YouTube. I feel like they don't spend as much money, but I think that YouTube is a good one if you just like making videos about different things. For example, I don't stick to anyone's stick. I don't really make videos about my lifestyle as much as different things that I find interesting. So, if that's the thing that's fun to you, like you like documenting what other people are doing, YouTube is a great one for that because you don't have to have a stick. And if you package it well and make an interesting video with good watch time, it can do well. Even if you have a relatively low amount of followers. So, how do you really grow on YouTube? I feel like you have to make videos about things that you're actually genuinely interested in and make them so good. What I've realized is it doesn't matter. You don't have to post once a week anymore. You can post once a month a really good video and that is a better strategy. Like make a video so good that you're obsessed with it and you'll send it to all your friends. You're like, "Watch my new video." Like you want to be like is so excited to show it to people. That's how you know you have a good video. And then obviously spend some time packaging it like the thumbnail and the title and looking at kind of what works. But um you know getting people interested. What I mean by that is don't give everything away in the title. I like to leave some intrigue, some reason to click. You know, I'm not just going to say, for example, I did a video about concrete houses. It wasn't just like house tour of a concrete house. It was why this company is building thousands of concrete houses. Like why? It's going to answer the question of why. And you might be wondering like why are they doing that? It's not just a house tour. It's really like answering a question. I feel like a lot of good YouTube videos do that. They like introduce you to something that you might not have known about and then they answer the question. So yeah, it's like kind of a similar to having a hook, but you can dive deeper into a topic. That's another reason I like YouTube is you can just go so much deeper into something and it doesn't feel as fluff clickbait stuff. Like if you're just making short form content, it can feel like you're just having to like capture attention all the time. Whereas YouTube, you got to play that game a little bit. like you got to capture the attention, but then you can really take your time and be thoughtful in how you make the video and you don't have to always be like thinking about capturing the attention if that makes sense. So, it's a little more fulfilling. I think making YouTube videos to me feels more fulfilling and more just like my thing. Um, but it is timeconuming. Like it really does take a long time and it's harder to do if you have a full-time job. But you don't have to do as much crazy B-roll. And honestly, these days, you can start with an iPhone. And like I watch videos, I would say a good um like I watch videos where people only shoot with an iPhone. A good example of that is Taylor Bell. I was shocked when she told me I recorded a podcast episode with her, but then the audio was messed up, so I never uploaded it. But maybe I'll record with her again if she's down in the future. But she told me that she records only with her iPhone. And I didn't even realize that because I was like, "The quality is good. The microphone sounds good. everything. The the content is interesting. So, I didn't even notice she wasn't using a DSLR. Like, you don't necessarily need to use a big expensive camera. You can just use your phone. And that's proof of that because if the idea is interesting and the video is fun to watch and there's like it's answering a question or it's telling a story, then you don't need to do that. So, yeah. I feel like that's a new strategy though overall with YouTube is only uploading videos when they're going to do really really well for a couple reasons. One, I've realized if you're uploading for a arbitrary deadline, like I was uploading once a week, every week or sometimes I'd miss a week, but like that's the cadence I would put myself on. and it would cause me to make content I wasn't super proud of because I had to rush it and like cut corners and I would want to go back and maybe get more footage, but I just didn't have time. And I wasn't always that excited when I was done with the video. I'd be posting it and I sometimes I wouldn't even read the comments and that's how you know like you don't give a [ __ ] You were like just uploading to upload something for the algorithm basically. But now I really try and only upload when I have a video I'm like oh I can't wait to read the comments. Like I'm so excited about this one. like I know it's good and I know it's like a cool topic. If you're just phoning it in and uploading the kind of like mediocre videos, they aren't going to do as well. They're going to, you know, for me, they'll get like 30 to 50,000 views, which is okay. And if that's what you're averaging, brands are going to pay a certain amount based on the last like 10 video view count average. But if I'm only posting videos I think are amazing. And let's say they end up getting 200,000 views average. Now you can charge brands four times as much. It's actually a better use of time. It is. It's like if your average view count is higher and your engagement is higher and like the quality is better, you're and it pays off because you get more views, you're going to be able to charge more. you'll make more money even though you're uploading less basically. And the risk is sometimes you might spend a lot of time on a video and it still doesn't do that well. That can still happen, but more likely it won't if you're if you really are like this is a great video. If you just can't help yourself but make YouTube videos and long form videos, then that's the one for you basically. But I do think all these platforms are so different. I really like YouTube, but it is tough too because posting Instagram content is completely different. I have to completely reshoot it. I'll post I'll film a YouTube video and then I have to film the whole thing vertically on an iPhone. So, that is kind of a benefit to doing only short form is you can re-edit it a little bit, but you don't have to completely reshoot it. So, there's pros and cons to each. And if you're making Tik Toks, post them on YouTube shorts, too. Why not? Like, there's really no reason not to. But, I think if you're going to post on Instagram, I would re-edit it a bit to what you notice does well on the platform. And if you need more inspiration, study what's doing well. Like you need to be like watching these platforms that you're making content for to get ideas and see what does well or what just I don't know. It'll help you think of creative ideas how you could put your own spin on it. So these are just some things to think about if you're wanting to become an influencer. It is crazy how people end up I mean changing the their whole entire lives by starting to post. Sometimes people hit it really big and they get millions of followers and they're able to buy a house and they're going on these brand trips to Bora Bora like it can change your whole life and it it's so amazing actually like that this is a possibility. It did not exist 20 years ago you know anyone it could make it big but there are some strategies and like these things that I feel like people don't talk about like making your life interesting. So I hope that you guys enjoyed this video and I hope that it was helpful. Um, I know not everyone wants to be an influencer. You don't have to be. It's definitely saturated, but there's room. If you have like value to share, you'll always want to be giving value in some way. That's like a key part, I think. So, yeah. That's it for this episode, and I'll see you guys in the next one. I