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 characteristic, exhibiting viewers the movies that probably curiosity them. Immediately, Albrechtsen’s 2 million subscribers appeared much less impactful. He’s now producing movies “for the browse characteristic greater than for the subscribers.”
Albrecthsen is predicated 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 and marketing.
Your complete audio of our dialog is embedded beneath. 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’ve got 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, reminiscent of waxes, pre-stylers, shampoos, and equipment.
Having a brother as a enterprise accomplice is good, though it has challenges. We’re equivalent twins, however we’ve completely different personalities. I’m extra into the artistic, 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 will be arduous to come back by.
Albrechtsen: It has been turbulent on YouTube. We are able to thank the browse characteristic for the turbulence. It’s getting smarter, utilizing synthetic intelligence to assist viewers uncover their distinctive pursuits.
We’ve got 2 million subscribers, however we don’t have 2 million viewers. We’ve got 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 making an attempt to supply movies round traits for the browse characteristic 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 overlook you tomorrow should you’re not feeding into the traits. In the event you personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that people wish to get extra of, they may keep 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 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 should have left an imprint not directly.
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 need to use it in an advert in a while.
Then, in the event that they watched your content material a few instances within the browse characteristic, they may reply to a business 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 performed endorsement offers with celebrities?
Albrechtsen: We’ve got just a few endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply shouldn’t be immediately. They occur by means of casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, just a few celebrities — nevertheless it’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 need to use his title within the advertising and marketing of the product.
A star endorsement might be a great 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 somewhat keep on with guys who constantly create professional content material inside a selected area of interest and supply worth in a selected space — not simply entertaining by exhibiting luxurious existence.
Bandholz: The place can readers comply with you?
Albrechtsen: Try our YouTube channel, @Slikhaar TV, or see us on Fb, Instagram, and TikTok. Our hair care merchandise are at ByVilain.com.
