How He Makes $1M/Year Without Going Viral (Genius Strategy)

Summary

Jay Hail's YouTube channel, with under 400 subscribers, has remarkably generated over a million dollars in a year. This video explores his secret to client generation without virality, featuring a simple video format and a 'mirror strategy' that converts a few views into significant revenue. Jay's approach involves leveraging paid ads for visibility and warming up leads with targeted videos, resulting in a 50% conversion rate. His success emphasizes the power of video marketing, even without mass viewership, and the potential for higher pricing when offering a unique service.

Takeaways

• 📈 Jay's small YouTube channel with under 400 subscribers and an average of 255 views per video generated over a million dollars in revenue by focusing on a specific strategy.
• 🔍 Initially, Jay faced challenges with traditional marketing methods like Google AdWords, which saw a decrease in effectiveness and an increase in cost per lead.
• 📹 Jay's success on YouTube started when he observed others generating clients through video content and realized the potential of using video to showcase his expertise.
• 🎥 He found that video content was more effective in warming up leads compared to cold traffic from paid ads, leading to higher conversion rates.
• 📊 Jay's strategy involved using paid ads to attract viewers and then directing them to his videos to create a connection and understanding of his services before sales calls.
• 📚 Jay created various types of videos, including sales pitches, 'how-to' videos, and long-form podcast-style videos that shared client stories and insights.
• 🎙️ The podcast-style videos were particularly effective as they warmed up clients, making them more likely to convert during sales calls.
• 🔑 Jay's 'mirror strategy' involved sending potential clients videos that reflected their specific needs or situations, increasing the relevance and appeal of his offerings.
• 📈 The implementation of video content and the mirror strategy led to a significant increase in Jay's conversion rates, from 17-21% to around 50%.
• 💰 By focusing on fewer, higher-quality clients and leveraging video content, Jay was able to more than double his revenue and increase his prices.
• 🌐 Jay's experience shows that going viral is not necessary for YouTube to be a successful client generation tool for a business.

Q & A

How did Jay Hail's YouTube channel contribute to his local business's revenue?

Jay Hail's YouTube channel helped his local business generate over a million dollars in a year, despite having under 400 subscribers and an average of 255 views per video, by using a unique video strategy to attract and convert clients.

What challenges did Jay face when trying to fill his gym with clients before using YouTube?

Initially, Jay relied on Google AdWords and local search, but over time, the cost per lead increased significantly, and the close rate dropped from 60% to below 20%, making paid ads less effective and expensive.

What was Jay's initial approach to YouTube, and what did he learn from it?

Jay started with creating sales-type videos but realized that viewers preferred content that was educational and informative, showing not just 'how' but also 'why' behind the actions.

How did Jay's video strategy evolve to increase close rates?

Jay shifted to long-form podcast-style videos, where he had conversations about his services, which helped warm up potential clients and make them more likely to convert.

What is the 'mirror strategy' Jay uses to turn a few views into significant revenue?

The 'mirror strategy' involves sending potential clients specific videos related to their issues or demographics before a sales call, which helps in personalizing the approach and increasing the conversion rate.

How did Jay's approach to video content change after realizing the effectiveness of the 'why' behind actions?

Jay started focusing on creating content that not only showed how to perform certain actions, like lifting weights, but also explained the reasoning behind these actions to give viewers a deeper understanding.

What was the impact of implementing the video strategy on Jay's sales calls?

After implementing the video strategy, Jay noticed that sales calls became shorter and more efficient, as potential clients already had a clear understanding of his services, leading to higher conversion rates.

How did Jay's business model change after adopting the video strategy?

With the video strategy, Jay was able to serve fewer clients but at a higher price point, resulting in more than doubled revenue without the need to go viral or have a large subscriber base.

What is the significance of the long-form podcast-style videos in Jay's strategy?

The long-form podcast-style videos are significant because they provide a platform for Jay to share client stories and results, which helps in building trust and credibility with potential clients.

How does Jay ensure that his video content stands out from other gyms?

Jay ensures his content stands out by focusing on unique, educational content that addresses specific client needs and problems, making his gym seem different and more valuable compared to others.

What is Jay's advice for businesses looking to use YouTube as their main client generator?

Jay advises businesses to focus on creating content that resonates with their specific audience and solves their problems, rather than trying to compete with influencers or reach millions of viewers.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Small Channel, Big Impact

Jay Hail's YouTube channel, despite having under 400 subscribers and an average of 255 views per video, has remarkably generated over a million dollars in a year. The video discusses Jay's strategy for client generation without virality, his simple video format, and his 'mirror strategy' for converting a small number of views into significant revenue. Jay's initial challenges with filling his gym with clients and the shift from traditional advertising to YouTube are highlighted, showcasing his journey from using Google AdWords to embracing video content to attract and warm up potential clients.

05:02

🎥 The Power of Video Content

This paragraph delves into Jay's realization of the power of video content in client acquisition. Initially, he faced difficulties with low conversion rates from paid ads and a lack of organic traffic. Jay's innovative approach involved using paid ads for visibility and directing potential clients to his videos to familiarize them with his business. The paragraph outlines the types of videos Jay created, including sales videos, educational 'how-to' videos, and eventually long-form podcast-style videos that resonated best with his audience and significantly improved his close rates.

10:03

📈 The Mirror Strategy and Its Success

Jay's 'mirror strategy' is the focus of this paragraph, detailing how he leverages his existing YouTube video library to directly email leads as a primer for sales conversations. The strategy involves tailoring video content to the specific needs and demographics of potential clients, sent between the application and sales call process. This approach has dramatically increased Jay's conversion rates from 17-21% to around 50%. The paragraph also discusses the impact of video on his business model, allowing him to raise prices and deliver a better product to fewer clients, ultimately increasing revenue without the need for virality.

🚀 Beyond Virality: Targeted Content for Business Growth

The final paragraph reflects on the importance of targeted content over virality for business growth. Jay acknowledges the temptation to compete with major YouTube influencers but emphasizes the profitability of focusing on his specific audience's needs. He shares his success with organic clients finding him through YouTube and provides an invitation to learn his YouTube marketing playbook, offering a repeatable method to build a business to over $600,000 a year.

Keywords

💡YouTube channel

A YouTube channel is a platform where content creators can upload, manage, and share videos with the public. In the context of the video, Jay Hail's YouTube channel, despite having under 400 subscribers, played a pivotal role in generating over a million dollars for his local business, showcasing the power of targeted video content in client acquisition.

💡Client generation

Client generation refers to the process of attracting and acquiring new clients for a business. The video's theme revolves around Jay's strategy of using his YouTube channel to generate clients without needing to go viral, emphasizing the importance of targeted content and viewer engagement.

💡Average views

Average views indicate the typical number of times a video is watched. The script mentions that Jay's videos have an average of 255 views per video, which might seem low but still contributes significantly to his business's revenue, highlighting the effectiveness of his video strategy.

💡Revenue

Revenue is the income generated from business activities. The video discusses how Jay's YouTube channel, with its specific video format and strategy, helped his local business make over a million dollars in a year, illustrating the direct correlation between his content and financial success.

💡Video format

Video format refers to the style and structure of a video. Jay swears by a simple yet effective video format that includes explaining 'how' and 'why' behind his services, which helps in increasing his close rates and establishing trust with potential clients.

💡Paid ads

Paid ads are a form of online advertising where businesses pay to have their content promoted. In the script, Jay initially used Google AdWords to attract clients, but as costs rose and close rates dropped, he pivoted to using YouTube as a more cost-effective client acquisition strategy.

💡Close rate

Close rate is the percentage of potential clients who are successfully converted into paying customers. Jay's close rate was initially high with local search but dropped with paid ads. His YouTube strategy helped increase this rate significantly, as it warmed up leads before sales calls.

💡Conversion rates

Conversion rates measure the effectiveness of a marketing strategy in turning leads into customers. The video details how Jay's implementation of video content increased his conversion rates from 17-21% to about 50%, demonstrating the power of video in the sales process.

💡Podcast-style videos

Podcast-style videos are a format where the content is presented in a conversational manner, often resembling a podcast. Jay found that this format was most effective for warming up leads, as it allowed for storytelling and personal connection, which is crucial for building trust with potential clients.

💡Mirror strategy

The mirror strategy, as used by Jay, involves sending potential clients videos that reflect their specific needs or situations, increasing the likelihood of a connection and conversion. This personalized approach is highlighted in the video as a key factor in Jay's success with his YouTube channel.

💡Sales calls

Sales calls are direct communication attempts to sell a product or service. The video script mentions that Jay's sales calls became more efficient and shorter after implementing his video strategy, as clients were already informed and convinced, leading to higher conversion rates.

Highlights

Jay's YouTube channel with under 400 subscribers generated over a million dollars in a year.

Achieved high revenue with an average of 255 views per video.

Jay discovered a method to generate clients without going viral.

Used a simple video format that increased close rates.

Implemented a 'mirror strategy' to convert views into revenue.

Faced challenges with traditional marketing like Google AdWords becoming less effective.

Close rate dropped from 60% to 20% with paid ads.

Lead cost increased from $5 to $40 over several years.

Turned to YouTube after seeing others generate clients through video.

Started with sales videos but pivoted to educational content.

Jay's videos now focus on the 'why' behind fitness advice.

Adopted a long-form podcast style for videos to warm up leads.

Trainer's awkwardness on camera led to conversational video format.

Shorts with people wearing headphones had better traction.

Jay's videos are personalized based on lead's application.

Conversion rates increased to 50% with video integration.

Revenue increased to 90-100K a month with fewer clients.

Raised prices due to unique video marketing approach.

Organic YouTube finds lead to clients without needing to go viral.

Jay offers a YouTube marketing playbook for business growth.

Transcripts

Jay hail's Small YouTube channel helped

his local business make over a million

dollars in the past year alone but how

does a Channel with under 400

subscribers and an average count of 255

views per video bring in that kind of

money I sat down with Jay to get to the

bottom of it and in this video you're

going to discover Jay's secret to easy

client generation without going viral

the incredibly simple video format he

swears by and I even convinced him to

share his proven mirror strategy that he

uses to turn just a handful of views

into Big Time Revenue but like all

success stories this one started with

some pretty big challenges so Jay what

did it look like for you when you were

trying to fill your gym with clients

before you got started on YouTube I been

running gyms now for about 13 14 years

when I started my first business and

even the second business you know you

could put a website up and people would

search and find that website at the

beginning we were doing like Google

AdWords as well which you know we'd say

hey search for personal trainers in the

area and then they'd find us over the

last I don't know seven years or so

that's changed quite a bit and what was

your close rate when you actually got

those people on the phone local search

was pretty good it was probably about

60% or so it's just that there'd be very

few people you know it would be a couple

of people a week at most when we started

doing paid ads that close rate dropped

to like 20% or below because you're you

know they were sort of cold traffic as

the paid ad started to get more and more

expensive it went from like $5 a lead to

like $40 a lead over the course of

several years unfortunately that's a

super common story paid ads have been

steadily rising to the point where

they're pretty much out of reach for the

average small business Jay knew

something had to change so what made you

decide to give YouTube a try I just

started to see people that I knew that

were generating clients from

video like either Instagram short videos

or YouTube videos and I started to also

realize Wes that I was buying stuff from

People based on video because I'd watch

their videos and they'd be like oh they

seem like they know what they're doing

and I would buy you know two three

$5,000 courses just based on watching

People's videos without a call at all

and so it sort of clicked you know it

took me a little while and it clicked

it's like o maybe I should be one of

those people like if it works on me it

can work for me right

yeah exactly exactly so in those early

days Jay found that the consult calls

that he took with referrals and people

who found him through search were way

easier to close than the ones he got

from Paid ads but his problem was volume

he couldn't really get consistent

referrals in organic search traffic to

his website and on the phone enough to

run a sustainable business that's when

he had a pretty brilliant idea we get

people's attention via paid ads so that

gets us the most eyeballs and then what

I try to do is send them through to

watch our videos to kind of warm them up

so that when we do get on a sales call

with them they have a clear idea of what

we do why we do it what we stand for and

whether this is going to be a good fit

for them in other words Jay figured that

he could get the volume he needed from

Paid ads then use video to warm them up

so they were just as likely to convert

as his referral and search traffic but

how did he actually put these videos in

front of them before we get to the exact

funnel he created including his proven

mirror strategy let's look at the types

of videos that Jay's used including the

video format that's been working the

best at increasing his close rates so

the first thing we did was create a

video that just kind of explained what

it's like to be a member here you know

and how we're different and it's it was

kind of a sales video like a commercial

but the problem with videos like that is

people don't want to watch commercials

you know what do want is to learn

something that they can use and maybe

even pick up on what you can do for them

along the way so picking up on that Jay

pivoted to more General here's how to do

a deadlift type videos but to be honest

those were a dime a dozen on YouTube but

when we started sitting down and

actually having conversations about what

we do and why we do it for example like

why we think that most people undereat

on protein we found that there was a lot

less people doing that kind of stuff and

that type of video that didn't just show

the how but the why behind it those

really hit home and gave people a little

glimpse into what it would be like to

work with them so I stocked your channel

a little bit before this and it looks

like you're doing a lot of these you

know long form podcast Style videos yeah

so the podcast the long form is the

thing that warms people up the best for

actually working with us so how did that

format come about and why do you think

it's working so well there's a couple

reasons number one is we were having all

these great stories of people getting

results that I just wanted to share and

it wasn't good enough to just do like a

testimonial video I wanted to like dig

in cu the clients they don't always know

how to sort of frame the stuff so I

would dig in and ask the questions and

frame it for them not to mention Jay

wanted to feature more than just himself

in his videos after all clients wouldn't

just be working with him but his

trainers were pretty nervous about being

on camera and their awkwardness showed

and I just found it was a lot easier to

have a conversation than for them to

like stare at the camera and say you

know here's how much protein you should

eat and so we we started having the

conversation and it just kind of flowed

a lot easier then the third reason once

I started playing around with shorts I

found that we would get more traction on

a short where somebody was wearing a

headphone and talking into a mic than we

would if somebody was like talking

straight to the camera so Jay had

stumbled on the video format that worked

best for him his his team and his

clients but remember he's not getting a

ton of views on YouTube so how the heck

do numbers like these translate into

numbers like these that's where Jay's

mirror strategy comes in they'll click

apply now and it will ask them to fill

out an application at the end of the

application we'll ask them to book a

call the calls are usually a day or two

in the future right between the time

they apply and the time they get the

call one of our team members will look

at their application and say Hey you

remind us of this person so if we have

for example a mom who's in her mid-40s

then we'll send her a video that talks

about like how to handle menopause right

or if I have a a man who's in his

mid-30s I'm going to send him a video

about like what to do if you feel like

you're too late in life I know that if I

have a male that is like me he's going

to want to see me on the video I know

that if I have a female who's like one

of our coaches they're going to want to

see her in the video so I try to send

the videos to them that are specific to

the problem that they have so we always

try to send them something so then we

will have the sales call and we make

them an offer and if they don't sign up

then we give them 24 hours to take

advantage of a discount that we give

them on the call and during those 24

hours we will send them usually one to

three more videos of people like them

that are getting the results that they

want to get so rather than just relying

on YouTube as the top of funnel way of

being found Jay skirted around the

system by drawing on his library of

videos that he already has on YouTube

and then emailing them directly to his

leads as a primer for the sales

conversation and what did that do to

your close rates our sales calls used to

be 45 minutes and sometimes longer where

we' do a bunch of you know objection

handling or whatever now we've actually

flipped it as we started to implement

more video we realized that we would

spend the 45 minutes and people would

tell us at the end like yeah I was going

to sign up no matter what you said it

was like oh okay maybe maybe we don't

need to spend all of this time and so

the more we've kind of done this the

more likely that people are to show up

and the more likely they are to sign up

and so what we're doing in the 15-minute

call is now just filtering people that

maybe got there by mistake and then

we're just talking about logistics and

details in terms of our conversion rates

when we started doing paid ads and

tracking the conversion rates we were

somewhere around 17 to 21% of the people

who showed up for the call we put video

and all this stuff in place and our

conversion rate went up to about 50%

we've got a waiting list out now you

know about four to six weeks in advance

and we're doing a lot less sales calls

than we used to we actually have less

clients than we did back when we were

doing 40 Grand a month we have probably

20 30% less clients but they're getting

better results and you know we're we're

just we're able to deliver a better

product now I don't even think we've

really scratched the surface of what's

possible with video but we're more in

the sort of 90 to 100K a month range so

if you're concentrating on fewer clients

but you've more than doubled your

Revenue it sounds like you've been able

to like raise your prices by quite a bit

absolutely what was interesting is

before we started doing all of this we

were just like every other gym once we

started doing more video people stopped

comparing us to other gyms like we were

not the same because nobody else is

doing anything like this and because

it's so different we're able to charge

more and do something that is seen as

completely different and if you had

people in your local area finding you

organically through YouTube who ended up

then becoming clients yeah absolutely in

fact when you fill out the application

says where did you find us and it's

probably once a month or so people will

say that they found us via YouTube and

if they find our video then they'll go

down the rabbit hole of watching our

videos and then they'll reach out and

call us it just goes to show you that

you don't have to reach millions of

people to make YouTube work for your

business right do you ever still get

caught up in trying to go viral I

struggle a little bit with this idea

that my videos should compete with you

know the Andrew huberman's of the world

right like all of the YouTube sort of

influencers I think like oh man you know

I want to have a million followers but

the truth is I will be more profitable

as a business if I just focus on the

people that are in front of me and

solving their problems so answering

questions specifically about how to lift

weights as a menopausal woman is going

to resonate with my audience more than

trying to be this sort of bodybuilding

you know YouTube influencer and and

accessing millions of people but that's

just one way of getting clients through

YouTube so if you want to make YouTube

your main client generator so you don't

even have to do any other type of

marketing at all I want to share my

entire YouTube marketing Playbook with

you this is the exact way that I've

built my business to over $600,000 a

year and it's 100% repeatable too so

click right here to see how I did it so

you can just steal the blueprint it

works click here and I'll see you there