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 characteristic, exhibiting viewers the movies that doubtless curiosity them. Abruptly, 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 just lately mentioned Slikhaar TV, By Vilain (his line of hair merchandise), and the influence of AI on video advertising and marketing.

The 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 now we have By Vilain, the place we develop and promote hair merchandise for males, resembling waxes, pre-stylers, shampoos, and equipment.

Having a brother as a enterprise associate is sweet, though it has challenges. We’re equivalent twins, however now we have totally different personalities. I’m extra into the inventive, imaginative and prescient area. 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 return by.

Albrechtsen: It has been turbulent on YouTube. We will 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 totally different now.

So we’re attempting to supply movies round tendencies for the browse characteristic 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 if you happen to’re not feeding into the tendencies. Should you personalize content material and construct your self as somebody that folk 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 middle. A man approached me and stated, “Are you that dude that at all times pops up in my feed?” It’s tremendous fascinating 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 in a while.

Then, in the event that they watched your content material a few occasions within the browse characteristic, they might 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, in order that they belief it extra.

Bandholz: Have you ever finished endorsement offers with celebrities?

Albrechtsen: We’ve got a number of endorsements. But when the query is, “Have we paid for endorsements?” the reply just isn’t straight. They occur by casual networks — some soccer (soccer) gamers, a number of 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 should use his title within the advertising and marketing of the product.

A star endorsement could possibly be an excellent 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 12 months’s contract with a high-end movie star.

I’d quite persist with guys who persistently create professional content material inside a particular area of interest and supply worth in a particular space — not simply entertaining by exhibiting luxurious life.

Bandholz: The place can readers comply with you?

Albrechtsen: Take a look at our YouTube channel, @Slikhaar TV, or see us on Fb, Instagram, and TikTok. Our hair care merchandise are at ByVilain.com.