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[@jackneel] Attention Expert: “16 Seconds Made Me $250,000!” How to Design VIRAL Videos That Print Millions

· 8 min read
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@jackneel - "Attention Expert: “16 Seconds Made Me $250,000!” How to Design VIRAL Videos That Print Millions"

Link: https://youtu.be/y-bIGsXejXE

Short Summary​

Adley Kinsman, a viral video expert, shares her strategies for achieving massive views and monetizing content, emphasizing emotional connection, curiosity, and a focus on serving the audience. She advocates for a volume-based approach using a repeatable system, highlighting the importance of testing and adapting content based on performance data, particularly on Facebook which she identifies as the most lucrative platform. Ultimately, she stresses the value of authenticity and solving problems for others, both for personal fulfillment and business success.

Key Quotes​

Here are 4 valuable quotes extracted from the transcript:

  1. "I think personal brand is going to be more valuable than Bitcoin by 2030 because Bitcoin may 100x, but your personal brand can 1,000x." - Highlights the potential exponential growth of a well-cultivated personal brand compared to other investments.

  2. "When it comes to crafting a hook, sensory overload is a very real thing where a confused brain will scroll. But a curious one will stick around. And sometimes that's a very thin line between what the heck is going on, I'm out of here, and what the heck is going on, I have to see where this goes. And if you can learn to master the ladder, that's where good creators cross the bridge into becoming the best creators in the world." - Emphasizes the critical balance between intriguing curiosity and overwhelming confusion in content creation, offering a key insight for creators.

  3. "That video I know is down at least a quarter of a million dollars and it took us maybe 45 minutes to make. And these are assets like music royalties. Like we get paid royalties all the time from all of these viral videos in circulation, right? And they can eb and flow. We can have videos from two years pop out of nowhere and make an extra seven grand or 30 grand. they really are assets as long as they stay in circulation..." - Illustrates the enduring financial potential of viral content, highlighting the long-term value and asset-like qualities of successful videos.

  4. "If you want to be in business in 2025 and beyond, not just in business, but you want a good healthy business, if you want a business that is visible in 2025 and beyond, you have to start acting more like a content creator and less like a company. That is how brands are going to survive." - Strongly emphasizes the necessity of brands adopting a content creator mindset to remain relevant and visible in the future market landscape.

Detailed Summary​

Okay, here is a detailed summary of the YouTube video transcript in bullet points, focusing on key topics, arguments, and information discussed:

Key Topics:

  • Virality and Content Creation: Understanding how to create content that goes viral and attracts attention.
  • Algorithms and Platforms: Mastering algorithms on various social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube).
  • Monetization: Strategies for turning attention into revenue, including ad revenue, brand deals, and product sales.
  • Brand Building: Building a personal brand and leveraging it for business success.
  • Testing and Data Analysis: The importance of testing content, analyzing data (retention rates, engagement), and using that data to improve performance.
  • Content Strategy: Top of funnel content vs Niche content
  • Page Health: Optimizing accounts for a good standing/reach with different platforms
  • Content creation for niche & general audience

Adley Kinsman's Key Arguments and Information:

  • Personal Brand over Bitcoin: Personal brand is increasingly valuable and can provide exponential returns compared to traditional investments.

  • The Importance of the First 3-6 Seconds: Critical for capturing attention and driving watch time.

  • Two Non-Negotiables for a Hook:

    • Evoking Emotion: The hook must make the audience feel something immediately.
    • Creating a Curiosity Gap: The hook should raise a question or create a reason for viewers to keep watching.

  • Curiosity Gap:

    • Sensory overload leads to viewers scrolling past.
    • Striking a balance between intrigue and clarity is key.
    • A good hook raises multiple questions while maintaining clarity about the video's subject.

  • Avoid giving the payoff upfront: Doing so reduces watch time and ultimately content value.

  • Competing for Attention: Creators are competing not only with others in their niche but with all content on all platforms, plus real-world distractions.

  • Creating Sharable Content:

    • Focus on how the content makes people feel and how they want others to feel.
    • Design comment sections in reverse, knowing what kind of interaction is desired.
    • Consider why someone would share the video (align with beliefs, entertain themselves and others).
    • Acknowledge whether videos are optimized for Repost vs Shares

  • 90% Retention in the First 6 Seconds: Aiming for this benchmark puts content in the top 1% algorithmically.

  • Avoid hyper-specific Avatar/Niche targeting in the Hook: Aim for broader appeal in the initial seconds to attract a wider audience.

  • Brian Mark Case Study: Broadening his storytelling and showcasing a more well-rounded personality resulted in significant revenue growth.

  • Liver King Example: His success stems from being a spectacle, living the carnivore diet in an extreme and captivating way.

  • Testing Hooks with $5 Dark Posts: Used to test multiple variations of videos on Facebook to analyze retention and engagement before posting.

  • Trial Reels: Now a more accessible method for testing variations and optimizing retention graphs.

  • Reposting Content: As of the podcast date, duplicates of banger/highly successful content is still viable if testing different hooks; however, this can negatively effect page health.

  • Page Health:

    • Essential for content visibility. Flagged or suppressed pages will struggle regardless of content quality.
    • Multi-channel strategy is increasingly important due to platform volatility.
    • Past performance impacts future reach and serves content to more people on similar topics.
    • Brand awareness is more effective on the top of funnel than product advertisement

  • Content Syndication and Distribution: Adley distributes content across multiple platforms beyond mainstream social media (e.g., Microsoft's MSN).

  • Facebook's Potential: Often overlooked but offers significant monetization opportunities, especially for short videos.

  • ATM Video Example: A simple ATM-breaking video earned at least a quarter-million dollars due to high RPMs/CPMs and music royalties. The value was also affected by different endings in the video.

  • Recycling Content: Repurposing old videos, re-editing, and testing different lengths are effective strategies.

  • Snapchat: Snapchat Shows has revenue potential, but not as sole attention.

  • Fastest platform for monetization and to go viral: Facebook, slept on platform

  • 5-6-30 Method: Experimenting with five content types, six videos in each category, posted daily for 30 days to gather data and identify successful areas.

  • 10-Videos-a-Day Strategy: In the early stages, prioritizing high volume of relatable content to gain traction on Facebook.

  • Cheap Viral Offer: When starting out, have a low-cost offer to engage the large audience when a video goes viral.

  • Reverse Engineer Success: Find the top content in your niche, analyze why it works, and adapt it to your own style.

  • Prioritize Value Before Selling: Building trust and audience engagement is essential before promoting products.

  • AI and Content Creation: AIs are being trained to study patterns of viral videos and recreate proven formulas

  • Overcome Cringe by making more attempts: The more videos created, the less fear

  • Be authentic: To get a breakthrough in the industry, find what's missing from others in a way that's authentic to you

  • Create content that doesn't resemble previous content: To continue keeping people engaged

  • AI-Powered Content Grading: Developing AI to analyze content and predict its virality potential.

  • The Importance of Visuals: Emphasizing the need for AI to consider visual elements, not just scripts.

  • Creativity as a Skill: Creativity can be developed through practice, study, and embracing action.

  • Creativity inside of a container: By focusing a limited subset of opportunities, creativity is optimized

  • Burning Questions/Hannes T-Shirts Podcast Example: Combining a proven podcast format (Hot Ones) with a creative twist (a sauna and Hannes t-shirts) to create a unique and monetizable show.

  • "Always Be" (Step 5 of the Billion Dollar Formula): Doing tactics to encourage engagement from those who wouldn't normally

  • Adley's record deal: Was bankrupting as a result of signing away name rights

  • Testimonials of success: Adley uses personal stories and experiences to relate to the audience, demonstrate her thought process, and show how other influencers can achieve success

  • Most Viral niche: Relationships & couples

  • Four ways to sell a product to audience: status increase, time compress, money saved, fear play

  • Mr. Beast Known more for content than advertising

  • Good marketing is hiring someone that can make you better: Can better manage zones of genius and weaknesses

Actionable advice:

  • Create lots of content to get your content flywheel rolling
  • Find success for your life by being a service to others

These bullet points provide a comprehensive overview of the video's content, highlighting the key takeaways and insights shared by Adley Kinsman.