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The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Scaling AI Education to One Million Students: Viral Content, Ad Testing, and the Future of AI Growth with Sam Blake
00:22:49
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- [00:02]
A
Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast, where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place.
- [00:31]
B
Sam Blake is here as an amazing Authority. You're at the Amazing Authorities podcast and Sam is going to share with us his viral journey is what I would deduce from our conversation before we began. Sam, welcome to the show.
- [00:47]
C
Thank you very much. Happy to be here, Sam.
- [00:50]
B
Now you've got a deep background in advertising. I too had an agency for about 18 years in Los Angeles. A little bit more traditional. Yeah, I didn't get into telling you that. Which I sold to Halo branded solutions in 2008 for an undisclosed amount. So they're publicly traded on the, on the exchange. So I, I certainly can appreciate your background and some of the pain that you shared. I wanted to save it for the interview. I see the eyebrows going up, so I do get it. And today you've, you utilize your deep understanding of paid ads, online ads, with training people in AI, cutting edge technologies. And how did you get into that aspect of this? I mean, it's an interesting path that you went down.
- [01:41]
C
Well, it's, it's quite a long story and it's a lot of experience that accumulated over 10 years that led to this really. My grandfather, he was, he is a professor at Stanford. So I, I, you know, I, it's something that I've always kind of wanted to do is be a teacher, but it's also something I enjoy. I had a lot of great mentors to that helped me get into the Internet marketing industry. You know, something, you know, it's a, it's a favor that I wanted to repay. And so through, along the way, you know, as I told you, I had this advertising agency, an affiliate marketing advertising company. So over the last 10 years, and along the way I was also doing Facebook ad consulting for people. I had a couple, a couple companies where we would host masterminds and whatnot in Dorado beach. And, and so I just really, really, really enjoyed it. The most fun I've ever had was teaching people how to make money with Facebook ads. And so I'm like, how do I get back into this? And, and so it, you know, then, then I, I was using the AI for my own company. I'm like, you know what? This is the perfect actually at first I started a video ad training company. It was called Vid Labs AI And I mean it, it was doing so, so like we, we got off the ground. I think I have like 20 clients but the traction wasn't there. You know, I got the Facebook ads live. We were getting like a 3 to a 4% CTR on the ads. So I saw the market is not big enough here. So anyways I put it to bed three or four months later. I just had an idea one day I'm like, you know what, why don't I just teach people how to use chat GPT and all around AI? And it was the best decision I've made. We've helped a lot of people. 25,000 students.
- [03:41]
B
Wow, that's a big number. That's a big number. And is, is it all online? Do you run any physical events or they are in person?
- [03:49]
C
Nope, all online. And my wife is trying to get me to do in person events but I would prefer to do it all online because I think that that's how we can get the most scale. I think at this rate we're going to pass 100,000 students potentially in the next couple of months and then at that rate will potentially pass a million within the next 12 months.
- [04:15]
B
That's amazing. And what are the products that you're offering or, or software solution? Are they mostly software solutions?
- [04:22]
C
Well, so we started out, we started out offering prompts and pre built AI bots.
- [04:30]
B
Got it.
- [04:30]
C
And a Chat GPT certification. It was 21 hours of training and we still have all that stuff, you know, is stuff we're accumulating. I mean none of this stuff costs us any money to store. So. Sure, you know, so we just put it, we've got this place called the resources section. Anyways, so what we're doing now, it's so much more impactful. It's, we are teaching people how to use these video generation, video editing tools combined with all the data and ads that I've collected. So we're teaching people how to make viral content. And at the end of the day that's how anybody, any business, any service makes money is through sales, through marketing.
- [05:15]
B
Correct. Bottom line. And what's the name of that tool, Sam?
- [05:22]
C
Well, we, we, we just, I, we call it the Viral AI course. That's you know, that's the name for it. So when people sign up, we just call it the viral AI course. We give them the Chat GPT certification as well. But here's the thing, we are transitioning entirely. Well not entirely everything. Yeah, I know this is crazy, but everything we have obviously is gonna, we're gonna continue to give it. Because that's the thing with these digital things is we just collect it, we hear it's there, we're giving it there.
- [05:54]
B
And it evolves, doesn't it?
- [05:56]
C
Even though this is hundreds of thousand dollars in value, you know, we give it to every new student that signs up forever. But the thing is, is I've got six developers working right now around the clock. We are building our own AI image and video generator. And that's nothing new, right? There's a dozen of them out there. In fact, we're using the ones that are out there. We've got APIs that we are connecting into one AI image and video generator. But the difference is as we are training these on all of the top viral ads that we've ever done and all of our student, not only that we've ever done, that we've ever collected, we have a software that analyzes all of the posts with the most likes, how much engagement they get. So this software, and it's not, you know, so it's images, videos, posts, we've got a prompt library. So it's not just the tools that you have, but it's the data that you have to train them on. And so that, so our students that come in, we are giving them, you know, free access to this tool. They can automatically create viral images, viral videos, just like that. You know, we're going to give them a set amount that they can use per month for free. And then, you know, we're going to have small packages that they can purchase additional credits on. But it's just phenomenal the amount of value that we're going to be providing for, for pennies. I mean, you know, the, the amount of value that we're going to be providing for. $10 just a couple of years ago would have taken a whole team, you know, months and, and tens of thousands of dollars. So we're taking tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars and giving it for 50 in value.
- [07:50]
B
Where do I sign up? I mean, this sounds awesome. I can't wait to, to, to see what this does. Because I understand all the multivariable testing has been done for you is what you're saying with the images and the text and you talk about, talked about copywriting in the back. I, I'm a trained copywriter from the days of Gary Halbert and.
- [08:12]
C
Really? Okay, yeah. Oh yeah.
- [08:13]
B
I was in Dan Kennedy's mastermind for nine years.
- [08:17]
C
Wow. So you knew Dan very well.
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B
I'm in four of his books. Yes.
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C
So I know Dan.
- [08:23]
B
Yeah.
- [08:24]
C
That's amaz. You're.
- [08:25]
B
You're in four of his books. Yes.
- [08:27]
C
You're in four of his books.
- [08:29]
B
In four of his books because. Different campaigns. I used to mail his newsletter for him, and I had a column for three years. I mean, when I was in the ad industry, I was in the direct mail category long before all the digital components. So I used to test through the mail, test through fax, broadcast. Just different mediums, but the methodology and the psychology is all the same. Nothing's changed. And it never will. And it never will.
- [08:56]
C
That's how. That's how I learned. I learned through breakthrough advertising. Eugene.
- [09:01]
B
Sure. And so I know George. Joe Sugarman very well.
- [09:07]
C
Really well, I. That's insane.
- [09:09]
B
Joe and I shared the stage probably a dozen times over the years in. In Australia, New Zealand. Yeah. All, of course, through the US and the.
- [09:19]
C
The.
- [09:19]
B
Yeah. Ted or Ted Nicholas. I don't know if you know him. Another great advertising.
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C
So I actually have the large. One of the largest swipe files that's ever been collected. I have to give it to you. It's 10 gigabytes.
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B
Oh, my gosh.
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C
Yeah, you're probably in there.
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B
Could be for direct mail. I mean, I've. I wrote pre.
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C
It's almost all. It's all direct mail. Basically, that swipe file. And. And of course, we have, you know, our video swipe file and all that stuff. But, you know, that's how we are. That's how we've been training AI for. For the longest time.
- [09:59]
B
Yeah. All comes from direct mail. And that was my. My background. And, you know, like I said, I wrote for Kennedy's newsletter a monthly column on the unique direct mail piece because I always use grabbers. Like, I used little things that I would include inside the mailings. You know, I sent things out in bottles, trash cans. All of this in order to create an incredible response that was so much more than the average envelope that went out. So I. I do get it. So it's all about being unique. How do you stand out? You got to get it open first. Got to get the email open. You got to get the envelope open. It's all the same psychology. Turning the stamp just a little bit caused a response that was different. That ticked that up as opposed to a straight uniform post. Oh, I. I could talk for days about. That was my passion. So when you mentioned that agency, I just kept a quiet, listened, thought, okay, we would have a fun Little conversation, but a student of marketing. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. So I. So what is. So where do people go to? I'm very interested in this viral product that you're going to come out with. With the multivariable testing already done and AI optimized, it sounds like.
- [11:18]
C
Oh, yeah. So we are going to be done with the first, you know, with the. With our MVP, probably like 30 days. Okay. We're coming out with an app as well, probably in the next 45 to 60. But right now we have. We already have like, say 10 or 12 hours worth of training of all of. Of how to use all of the top AI creative tools in the world. I have a team of six people whose sole job is to research the latest tools. We're on every waiting list for every creative software out there. I, in addition to the six people I have on my education team, I have five video people can every day making videos eight hours a day.
- [12:03]
B
Oh, my gosh. And it's all uploaded to the organic side and then you're also running ads to support them.
- [12:11]
C
Yeah, well, we primarily just do the ads. And, you know, of course what I'll do is I'll launch 30 or 40 of these every day and I'll just spend like 200 on each video to get an idea of the. You know, I'll get an idea early on on the engagement and the per checkout and whatnot. But I mean, it's just so phenomenal to be able to just whatever idea I come up with within a couple hours or 12 hours or whatever, I'll be able to have it right there. I mean, you know, and so you would appreciate this as someone who's. Who knows about psychology and persuasion, this is the first time in my life where I've actually been able to say, like, look, take all of the elements that I want and put them in that video, you know, and I mean, every single. You know, I don't know if you've ever read Robert Kini.
- [13:02]
B
Of course, I was certified by him years ago before he became popular. Robert Cialdini. Yes. Yeah.
- [13:08]
C
Okay. Yeah. So that was my first book into Persuasion. I read it when I. Oh, he's excellent.
- [13:12]
B
Yeah. Shared the stage with him several times. Also, he's a. He's a great professor.
- [13:19]
C
Wow. Okay.
- [13:21]
B
Yeah. I've traveled the globe as a speaker myself, 63 countries, and have been on stages with just about every expert that you know.
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C
Wow.
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B
Yeah, I loved my. I mean, love psychology of selling and marketing and sales all go together. It's one thing. Well, I'M in marketing. You better be in sales, buddy, or you're not going to have a job.
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C
So yeah, my, my dad was a psychologist. Oh, okay. And my mom was a realtor.
- [13:49]
B
Okay. My mom was a realtor too, so yeah, she was a realtor in la. So that's interesting. So I. And your dad was a Stanford professor, you said.
- [13:59]
C
No, grandpa, Grandpa was okay on my mom's side. So.
- [14:05]
B
All right, well, well, interesting. So where do people go to get them? Because I'm extremely interested in your product. So I'll be Customer number one, guaranteed.
- [14:14]
C
Well, you know, customer number 32, 000 probably.
- [14:18]
B
Well, but I meant I thought you had a new evolution coming up. I.
- [14:22]
C
So yeah, so, so right now we have the trainings, we have the bots, all that stuff. But in terms of the software itself, that's going to be released in about, probably 30. 30 maximum 35 days. So.
- [14:36]
B
35 days. Okay. And what, what are the steps? So people are listening to this. This might be a little advanced, but what do they need to do in order to be successful to create a ROAS that is impressive return on ad spend for those who don't know the acronym and you know, you and I live in it, so we get it, but what do they have to do? Be willing to test a lot, be willing to invest and. Or do they need to make a non emotional decision when something simply doesn't work?
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C
Well, I think everything you said. Absolutely. And that non emotional decision when something doesn't work is absolutely key. I mean that's something I've struggled with for the.
- [15:21]
B
Oh yeah, you're married to a product and.
- [15:24]
C
Right. You spend months putting something together and almost always the ideas that you think are going to work almost never do in advertising. It's like the greatest headlines and ads we stumble upon are almost always by accident. It's, it's weird. But yeah, I think that's, that's certainly a big part of it, but definitely, you know, definitely testing. Definitely. You said something good on, on the call before, but you want, you need to do something unique. And, and what I like to say is when they zig, you have to zag. Yes. Because at the end of the day this is an auction system and it's like the stock market, you know, when everybody's competing against the same thing, you have to do something different to stand out. I mean there's for two reasons. One, you're bidding against them directly in the auction, but two, because there's ad fatigue. The most, the most effective. Yep. So in the most effective your ad is ever going to be is the first time you, it gets shown to people and then every time after that, you know something called frequency. In Facebook, the more that frequency rises, the less your ad's going to perform. So it's certainly especially today, today it's about reinvention. The more you can reinvent, Facebook's like a cookie monster. You know, you just got to feed that new and new content. And the thing is, it's like you're going through this cycle and the more content you feed it, the more data points you're getting, which you can analyze yourself, which really is the easiest thing to do because you've got like 10 different angles out there, but also you can feed it back into AI. I mean, I honestly don't even do that. I just, I'm just launching angle after angle after angle and you can clearly see what's doing better. And so these, you know, you know, piecing together like, okay, this type of creative is doing better. What not. Anyway, so bottom line is this, it really depends on what industry in. I mean, frankly, when I got into Internet marketing six or seven years ago, everything was way easier, way easier. Now the competition is a lot harder.
- [17:40]
B
Yes.
- [17:40]
C
If you could crack is I would say there's more potential for sure. There's more volume, there's more opportunity. And this goes for any industry. But the fact of the matter is, is these tools, they're put in the hands of everybody in the world. It's globalization. So you're competing not just against experts, you're competing not just against the people with money, you're competing against everybody. And so I mean, and if it's man vers machine, man's going to lose every time. So the only people, and we, we're seeing it, we're seeing it now, the only people who are succeeding today are the people who are using AI and.
- [18:25]
B
Using it on a cutting edge basis. I mean it's, for example, it's constant testing and updating. And I, as I, as I shared with you before we started our conversation, I was the very first company in the world, events company to produce an event on chat GPT. And it was live and in person. I had tremendous, my ROAS was 4 to 1. So every dollar I spent was making $4 at the gate. So I was profitable as a live events producer before the doors open. And then of course I crushed it when I sold a mastermind because nobody knew what the hell they were doing and we didn't know what we were going to Put together, it was all from the seat of our pants. But I knew that the interest was so, so high. But that technology that we taught then is completely outdated. It's outdated in six months. It's moving so quickly. And, yeah, and, and I saw the roas start to decline. Our first three events, we were in the black right before the door opened. The fourth event in Orlando, we lost money for the very first time. Now, there are some other factors that came into the, the situation, but it was a much more competitive environment because more people were already in it. Ad fatigue, just as you described. People had already heard about chat GPT before that it was new. Cool was the shiny object everybody wanted. After a while, oh, yeah, there's somebody else that's selling something online for 97 bucks. Why am I spending 500 to go to an event? Just didn't seem to work. And then I realized, okay, writing's on the wall. This has now become mainstream so quickly, which used to take years, can take months, if not weeks.
- [20:10]
C
Oh, yeah, you're so right. We are having. You're, you're, you're, you're so right. It's like, that's the thing. It's progressing so fast that I, I tell my team this. It's like, look, 30% of your time needs to be spent on research. And that goes for everybody at my company, because, like, look, the edge that we had yesterday, it's no longer an edge.
- [20:30]
B
D. You got to move faster than the speed of light. That's no longer a metaphor. It's. It's reality. And, you know, direct mail, I didn't get results sometimes for weeks. Whether campaigns worked or not.
- [20:47]
C
Exactly. Yeah. Now it's instant, instant, instant.
- [20:52]
B
And, you know, whether I'm in an ad fatigue, I love the idea of Facebook ads where it's immediate feedback. I had to wait weeks to know or not. So what was my control? How did I sell against that? It took a lot. It's just faster. Same psychology. Same psychology. That part doesn't, doesn't change at all. Never will change. It's just the mechanisms are faster and you got to be on top of it, and that's. Where do people get in touch with you, Sam? Because I know you wanted to put to bed here soon.
- [21:23]
C
Well, yeah, you know, anybody can Visit our site, AI professionals. University.com.
- [21:29]
B
Also say that again. It got a little mumbled.
- [21:32]
C
AI professionals. University professionals.
- [21:36]
B
Okay.
- [21:36]
C
And I know it's a terribly long domain. Yeah.
- [21:39]
B
Aiprofessionals. University.com.
- [21:43]
C
Yeah, I, I, it's a long story. Behind that one. You know, we had a much simpler domain but we had to, long story. But anyways, we're going to simplify it eventually. For now, that's it. And my email is samiprofessionalsuniversity.com Great.
- [22:00]
B
Well, Sam, you've been a great guest. Thank you for your time today. And I know it's time to, to kiss and hug your boy to sleep.
- [22:07]
C
Yeah. Well, thank you very much. Let's, let's talk soon. I'm gonna email you soon and you know, we'll talk about Terence and, and, and you know, thanks.
- [22:19]
A
Thanks for tuning in to the Amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired, inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.