In 2009 Rasmus Albrechtsen started providing males’s hairstyling tutorials on YouTube. He referred to as his channel “Slikhaar TV,” as in “slick hair.” The channel scaled to over 2 million subscribers.
Then got here YouTube’s synthetic intelligence-driven browse function, exhibiting viewers the movies that possible curiosity them. All of the sudden, Albrechtsen’s 2 million subscribers appeared much less impactful. He’s now producing movies “for the browse function greater than for the subscribers.”
Albrecthsen relies in Denmark, the place I’m vacationing. He and I lately mentioned Slikhaar TV, By Vilain (his line of hair merchandise), and the influence of AI on video advertising.
Your complete audio of our dialog is embedded under. The transcript is edited for readability and size.
Eric Bandholz: What do you do?
Rasmus Vilain Albrechtsen: I co-founded two companies with my twin brother, Emil. We now have Slikhaar TV, which is a YouTube channel with over 2 million subscribers providing males’s hairstyling tutorials and recommendation. We launched it in 2009.
Then we’ve By Vilain, the place we develop and promote hair merchandise for males, corresponding to waxes, pre-stylers, shampoos, and equipment.
Having a brother as a enterprise associate is good, though it has challenges. We’re similar twins, however we’ve completely different personalities. I’m extra into the inventive, imaginative and prescient house. Emil is extra into executing and operations. He’s additionally our CEO. We complement one another fairly properly.
Bandholz: Natural YouTube views could be arduous to come back by.
Albrechtsen: It has been turbulent on YouTube. We will thank the browse function for the turbulence. It’s getting smarter, utilizing synthetic intelligence to assist viewers uncover their distinctive pursuits.
We now have 2 million subscribers, however we don’t have 2 million viewers. We now have 2 million individuals who, as soon as in 14 years, selected to push the subscribe button. Their lives could also be completely different now.
So we’re attempting to provide movies round traits for the browse function greater than for the subscribers.
Bandholz: Just like the TikTok mannequin, proper? The variety of subscribers doesn’t have an effect on how a video performs.
Albrechtsen: Sure. TikTok is excessive in some methods as a result of viewers will neglect you tomorrow for those who’re not feeding into the traits. If you happen to personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that folk need to get extra of, they may keep in mind you and return to your channel since you moved them ultimately.
To face out, it’s mainly a brainwashing course of. You entertain them, however they don’t keep in mind you. To be memorable, you retain at it.
I had an expertise in my health middle. A man approached me and mentioned, “Are you that dude that all the time pops up in my feed?” It’s tremendous fascinating when people discover you since you will need to have left an imprint ultimately.
So the problem is producing memorable content material so viewers can discover you. People might browse 100 movies an hour, 10 to twenty seconds every. In case your content material makes an imprint, you should use it in an advert in a while.
Then, in the event that they watched your content material a few occasions within the browse function, they might reply to a business along with your product. They don’t know the place they noticed it, however they understand it’s tied to good content material, in order that they belief it extra.
Bandholz: Have you ever accomplished endorsement offers with celebrities?
Albrechtsen: We now have just a few endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply just isn’t straight. They occur by means of casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, just a few celebrities — but it surely’s not on formal contracts. It’s normally of us who use our merchandise. So it’s not a typical endorsement the place you pay Cristiano Ronaldo a few million {dollars}, and he’ll point out you, and you should use his identify within the advertising of the product.
A celeb endorsement might be an excellent technique, however we’re not pursuing it due to the value level. We’d most likely pay round 80,000 U.S. {dollars} for a yr’s contract with a high-end celeb.
I’d slightly follow guys who persistently create professional content material inside a selected area of interest and supply worth in a selected space — not simply entertaining by exhibiting luxurious life.
Bandholz: The place can readers comply with you?
Albrechtsen: Take a look at our YouTube channel, @Slikhaar TV, or see us on Fb, Instagram, and TikTok. Our hair care merchandise are at ByVilain.com.