In 2009 Rasmus Albrechtsen started providing males’s hairstyling tutorials on YouTube. He known 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, displaying viewers the movies that doubtless 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.
All the 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. Now we 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, resembling waxes, pre-stylers, shampoos, and equipment.
Having a brother as a enterprise accomplice is sweet, though it has challenges. We’re similar twins, however we’ve totally different personalities. I’m extra into the artistic, imaginative and prescient area. Emil is extra into executing and operations. He’s additionally our CEO. We complement one another fairly nicely.
Bandholz: Natural YouTube views might be arduous to return by.
Albrechtsen: It has been turbulent on YouTube. We are able to thank the browse function for the turbulence. It’s getting smarter, utilizing synthetic intelligence to assist viewers uncover their distinctive pursuits.
Now we have 2 million subscribers, however we don’t have 2 million viewers. Now we have 2 million individuals who, as soon as in 14 years, selected to push the subscribe button. Their lives could also be totally different now.
So we’re making an attempt to supply movies round tendencies for the browse function greater than for the subscribers.
Bandholz: Much 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 overlook you tomorrow when you’re not feeding into the tendencies. Should you personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that folk need to get extra of, they may bear in mind you and return to your channel since you moved them not directly.
To face out, it’s principally a brainwashing course of. You entertain them, however they don’t bear in mind you. To be memorable, you retain at it.
I had an expertise in my health heart. A man approached me and mentioned, “Are you that dude that at all times pops up in my feed?” It’s tremendous fascinating when people discover you since you should have left an imprint not directly.
So the problem is producing memorable content material so viewers can discover you. Of us 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 afterward.
Then, in the event that they watched your content material a few instances within the browse function, they might reply to a industrial together 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 finished endorsement offers with celebrities?
Albrechtsen: Now we have a couple of endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply isn’t instantly. They occur by way of casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, a couple of celebrities — nevertheless it’s not on formal contracts. It’s often 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 title within the advertising of the product.
A star endorsement could possibly be technique, however we’re not pursuing it due to the value level. We might in all probability pay round 80,000 U.S. {dollars} for a yr’s contract with a high-end superstar.
I’d reasonably persist with guys who persistently create knowledgeable content material inside a selected area of interest and supply worth in a selected space — not simply entertaining by displaying luxurious existence.
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.