Youtube. If you’re anything like me, you’ve wondered what all the hype is about. Where did all these channels come from, and how are they making these kids rich?
Well, I’ll tell you. Better yet, I’ll show you how you can do the same — regardless of the level you play. Before you say it, don’t worry, it will all be done in a professional, respectable, none KSI way. Trust me.
Last month, I worked alongside a Gaming YouTuber with over 10 million subscribers. For perspective, that’s more people than London and Manchester combined!
Care to guess how much he makes?…ok good guess! But triple it. The craziest part is that you’ve never heard of him. Here’s how he did it.
In 1996, Bill Gates wrote an essay titled ‘Content is King’. And in it, he predicted that most of the money generated on the internet would come from content. He was right. Today, where attention goes, money flows.
Football YouTubers are on the rise too.
Karim Benzema (528,000 subs), Jesse Lingard (440,000 subs) and Ben Foster (1.1M subs) are among many players posting their content to build their audience. Now, wait! I know what you’re thinking. They’re big players. Or, like Ben, retired.
But what if I told you the fastest-growing channel for a current player was a player at Wycombe Wanderers?
Meet Ryan Tafazolli!
Ryan has been doing his thing on YouTube for only a year. He already has 53,000 subscribers, not to mention tonnes of business opportunities.
Once a week, he gives viewers a unique insight into life as a pro, training, diet and behind-the-scenes footage. It’s marketing genius.
Sure, his content is ace, and he’s likeable, but it probably won’t seem that unique to the average player. But believe me, people looove it!
He’s at 2 million views! And you know what that means? Money. Let’s take a look.
PRODUCTS
In case I wasn’t clear, people LOVE this kind of content. Behind the scenes of a professional footballer’s life is like looking up the dress of a ravishing… never mind.
The point is that Ryan is smart, and he isn’t the only one. Crystal Palace u23 player Jadan Raymond is doing numbers on TikTok with behind-the-scenes, day-in-the-life content.
Ryan didn’t stop at videos, by the way. He made fitness and diet plans for viewers to purchase. He then used his content to promote them.
Ever heard of BUILD ONCE, SELL TWICE? Ryan’s 28-Day Stamina Program is the perfect example.
Build something people want once, and let its value and audience compound over time. The business plan is simple.
Great content builds an audience. Let’s take some possible numbers, say a 1% conversion rate. 50,000 people watch a video about how to improve stamina like a pro.
5000 people are motivated enough to click. 500 people are convinced enough to buy the product. £34.99 x 500 = £17,495.
Make content. Get viewers. Sell products to viewers using content. Rinse, then repeat. The more viewers, the bigger the traffic. The better the product, the higher the conversions.
People spend hours consuming your work and then decide whether they like, trust you or find your info useful. So remember, great content comes first.
PARTNERSHIPS
Ryan has built an audience who knows and trusts him. Naturally, big brands want to get involved in that relationship. You know, make it a threesome.
Ryan now has affiliate partnerships with Whoop fitness (worth $10bn) and Hal Robson Kanu’s Turmeric co.
For advertisers, the value is in relationships. It’s hard to value a viewer’s trust in a Youtuber they watch every week. Affiliate sponsorships are an easy way to monetise your YouTube, especially for small channels.
The brand you are promoting will give you a referral or affiliate link that you place in the description of your video or your channel. You get a commission when a subscriber clicks on the link and makes a purchase.
Also, a brand may give you a unique discount code to share with your subscribers. When your audience makes a purchase and uses your code, you get a percentage of the sale as a commission.
Bear in mind that brands will only partner with creators that have an engaged and consistent audience. Once again, content is king.
PLATFORMS
Doom scrolling is a problem, but there are some positives— at least for you. It means your audience on one platform can feed your audience on another.
As Ryan pushes out his videos on YouTube, people find his Instagram. As more people discover his Instagram, more people see his YouTube channel.
And on and on it goes. We call it media stacking.
Here’s how it works:
- Create one great YouTube video.
- Cut up the best clips into videos for TikTok.
- Pull the key image and post it to Instagram and Twitter.
Followers aren’t just vanity or for helping you slide into DMs. An audience can help you start pretty much anything. It’s a cheat code.
“But come on, man, I’m not tryin’ to be a YouTuber”.
I hear you. You’ve got a face for radio. But this isn’t about YouTube. It’s about PLATFORM.
Your club has thousands of fans. Believe it or not, you’re well known. But the key to a platform is BEING KNOWN WELL, which opens the door to opportunities.
So, here’s my challenge for you. Choose one or both.
- Be that guy on Social Media this week, with multiple posts and stories, across platforms. Engage with your team’s pages. I bet you see growth.
Suppose that’s not for you—Mr shy guy. Let’s build your business look.
2. Start a LinkedIn. Add a profile picture and bio. And start by connecting with the people at the top of your club. Target the owners, sponsors and execs.
Your future business will thank you.
