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 probably curiosity them. Immediately, 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 just lately mentioned Slikhaar TV, By Vilain (his line of hair merchandise), and the affect 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. We’ve 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 have now By Vilain, the place we develop and promote hair merchandise for males, corresponding to waxes, pre-stylers, shampoos, and equipment.
Having a brother as a enterprise associate is sweet, though it has challenges. We’re similar twins, however we have now 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 effectively.
Bandholz: Natural YouTube views might be laborious to come back 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 2 million subscribers, however we don’t have 2 million viewers. We’ve 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 developments for the browse function 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 in the event you’re not feeding into the developments. In the event you personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that folk wish to get extra of, they are going to bear in mind you and return to your channel since you moved them not directly.
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 middle. A man approached me and stated, “Are you that dude that all the time pops up in my feed?” It’s tremendous attention-grabbing when people discover you since you will need to have left an imprint not directly.
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 utilize it in an advert afterward.
Then, in the event that they watched your content material a few occasions within the browse function, they may 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, so that they belief it extra.
Bandholz: Have you ever performed endorsement offers with celebrities?
Albrechtsen: We’ve just a few endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply is just not instantly. They occur via casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, just a few celebrities — but it surely’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 utilize his title within the advertising of the product.
A celeb endorsement could possibly be a superb technique, however we’re not pursuing it due to the value level. We’d in all probability pay round 80,000 U.S. {dollars} for a 12 months’s contract with a high-end superstar.
I’d fairly stick to guys who constantly create knowledgeable 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.
