Hey guys,
It’s Callum.
How are things?
I spoke to a YouTuber with 4 Million Subs and as usual…
I’m going to let you know his complete playbook for free.
He’s called Calfreezy.
You might know him for his funny videos.
Assume he’s a bit silly:
But he’s actually one of the smartest creators operating today.
He’s built a network of 15 smash hit Podcasts by partnering with Creators.
Collectively they’ve bagged over 1 Billion views.
The ‘Fella’s Studios’ is valued at £15 Million.
How did he do it?
It’s actually pretty simple:
His studio brings the production. The creators bring their personalities + audiences.
They split the revenue 70 / 30 in favour of the creator.
These Creators could be successful in their own right.
But the real secret sauce is in The Fella’s production.
Social First Podcasts
They engineer the talking points to perform on social media
Reactions to viral clips
Reactive news
Segments reading hilarious listener stories
These are ‘social first’ podcasts.
They’re not hoping the hosts are going to talk about something funny.
They engineer viral topics into the episodes.
Thumb Stopping Sets
Everything is filmed on visually striking sets.
Backdrops that make watching on YouTube really enjoyable.
Backdrops that will stop the scroll on social media.
This is all part of their promotion strategy.
Social Distribution
Short form video from the podcasts is distributed across TikTok and Instagram.
It creates a virtuous flywheel:
So that’s the Podcast empire covered.
How does he think about YouTube?
He has a 4 part strategy for 2024:
1. “YouTube is beginning to reward authenticity,” says Callum
Don’t go chasing the algorithm.
You’ll slowly die inside.
Find a middle ground between the content YouTube wants to see – and the content you enjoy making.
We’re now seeing a reaction to the ‘hyper-optimised’ Mr Beast style videos on the platform.
Sam Sulek is a great example:
He’s raking in millions of views and millions of subscribers but isn’t following any YouTube best practices.
No editing, no thumbnails.
What’s going on?
He’s down to earth
He’s not trying to ‘sell’ you anything
He’s building a relationship with his viewers
Audiences are craving this authenticity.
2. Collaborations = growth
Want to boost your YouTube channel?
Team up with other creators.
Callum’s friendship with the Sidemen and other creators has been key to his growth.
Viewers might come to collaborations for your guest.
But if the content is good they’ll stick around for you.
It makes longevity on YouTube easier too.
You’re not alone.
You have friendly competition to fuel your ambitions.
“I look at the Sidemen and their numbers, that gives me motivation,” says Callum.
3. Kill your darlings
So, you’ve got a great idea for your content.
Now what?
A YouTube episode is only as good as its thumbnail and title.
If you’re missing one piece, the entire thing will flop.
“We’ll think about an idea but if we can’t marry it up with a really good title and a thumbnail to accompany that, we have to park it off,” says Callum.
Sometimes we let bad formats slip through and it’s obvious:
4. Leave your ego at the door
What’s the key to The Sidemen’s success?
Egos.
Or should I say, lack of.
The Sidemen aren’t competing for the biggest slice.
“Everything is just split evenly” says Callum.
It’s a team effort and everyone is invested in the success.
“That has been such an important lesson to me,” adds Callum.
Ok, that’s a wrap!
Hope you got some value.
Let me know if you did?
Want a little more?
Catch the full episode on my YouTube channel:
Hope you have a great end to your week.
Callum