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, displaying viewers the movies that possible curiosity them. Out of the blue, Albrechtsen’s 2 million subscribers appeared much less impactful. He’s now producing movies “for the browse function 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.
The whole 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’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 now have 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 companion is good, though it has challenges. We’re equivalent twins, however we now have totally 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 might be laborious to return 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’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 totally different now.
So we’re making an attempt to provide movies round traits 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 neglect you tomorrow for those who’re not feeding into the traits. When you personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that people need to get extra of, they’ll bear 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 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 attention-grabbing when people discover you since you should have left an imprint ultimately.
So the problem is producing memorable content material so viewers can discover you. People could 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 realize it’s tied to good content material, so that they belief it extra.
Bandholz: Have you ever carried out endorsement offers with celebrities?
Albrechtsen: We’ve got a couple of endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply isn’t immediately. They occur via casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, a couple of celebrities — however it’s not on formal contracts. It’s often people 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 and marketing of the product.
A celeb endorsement could possibly be a superb technique, however we aren’t pursuing it due to the value level. We might in all probability pay round 80,000 U.S. {dollars} for a 12 months’s contract with a high-end celeb.
I’d fairly stick to guys who constantly create professional content material inside a particular area of interest and supply worth in a particular space — not simply entertaining by displaying luxurious life.
Bandholz: The place can readers observe you?
Albrechtsen: Try our YouTube channel, @Slikhaar TV, or see us on Fb, Instagram, and TikTok. Our hair care merchandise are at ByVilain.com.
