MKBHD Clubhouse — growing a video brand
Podcasts · Marketing, Media
Clubhouse Conversation
Background
Started in 2009 in high school. Was doing research to find a laptop that he could spend all his allowance savings on. Found things in the laptop that he hasn’t found in his research, and then set up a channel
Process for putting together a video
Started off super simple (turn on laptop and record a screen). Now is much more involved. Smartphone reviews are now the bread and butter of the channel
- Pre production: get the device, review, do research
- Production: script that includes all the things he noticed and puts it down on camera
Surprised by how many people are interested in tech. Content resonates very broadly
Quality of videos
Now has a motion graphic artist and a cinematographer
Team may spend 8 hours of creative work for just the first 7 seconds
Craftsmanship and high production value is super important now. Just screenshot videos won’t get the same response now as they used to 12 years ago
A crazy intro that captivates the essence of the video is super important now
High end gear does have payoff. It’s expensive, and the value is intangible. You just want to do your best
Relationship with tech giants and objectivity
Need to be brutally honest so that your audience still trusts you
Retro tech
Lessons learnt were collaboration. Having empathy for the older people in his audience
Business model
Octopus analogy. You need to have a diversified revenue stream. You also need to be good at 7-8 different things. Being a scriptwriter, video grapher, tax consultant, marketing guru, and more
Career choices
No one inflection point. Eventually realised he was spending more and more time + spending more and more revenue
Influencer marketing
Brand’s are reaching out to creators because they are the best way to reach a niche audience
A big part of being an influencer is saying no. You only say yes to people that allow you to be interesting and creative
What should most companies be doing on YouTube?
You generally need to have a good personality attached to it. Sometimes, it can be two personalities. But it needs to have a human who is consistent — only way to tolerate a marketing message
Will there be an MKBHD phone?
It makes sense, but has to find the best partners for this
What’s the 20-30 year future for crypto? (Answered by Brian Armstrong of Coinbase)
The crypto economy is a complement to the traditional economy. People can be making a living totally on the crypto economy. It can eventually be a Sizeable part of the GDP
Has crypto broken through to mainstream consumer awareness? If not, when will it?
No. Most people won’t come into crypto unless it can do things outside of pure investing
When the Internet first started, it was super slow and clunky. Eventually, more infra was built
Team building as a creator
There’s a great team behind production. The goal is more AND better. Those are generally inversely linked to each other. So you need more people to achieve the goal
Have plans for more YouTube channels!
Podcast vs videos
Podcast is more stream of consciousness and less structured
A lot of podcasts can be clipped and released into different forms of content, too. Can also convert podcast into video essays (from Samir of Colin and Samir). MKBHD also trying to do this
Vlogging?
MKBHD doesn’t intend to do this. It doesn’t go with his brand. But may show more stuff that’s a bit more casual
Painpoints
Used to be production
With more people, has shifted to research, pre-produxtion, and writing
Eventually, will be in onboarding, training, and teaching his vision to employees
NFTs and the creator economy
Brian Armstrong: Creators can now issue digital items (like a song) that are probably unique and can issue it to fans
MKBHD: hasn’t thought about it at all. Doesn’t know enough about it. But makes a lot of sense. Just wants to actually do it well, not just doing it for its sake