Loading summary
Transcript14 lines
- [00:00]
A
There is something that happens when you get in a room with the right people that just cannot be replicated by
- [00:06]
B
a course, a podcast, or a live stream.
- [00:09]
A
The energy shifts, the excuses fall away, and you leave with a level of clarity and momentum that you couldn't create on your own. The Think Media Mastermind is that room. It's a live, in person, two day event in Las Vegas. It's small by design, intensive, and by application only because we make sure the room is stacked with incredible creators and business owners. If you're serious about using YouTube to build your business or grow your side income, stop waiting and go apply right now@thinkmediamastermind.com all right, let's dive into today's podcast. Podcast.
- [00:56]
B
Hey, welcome to this deep dive YouTube masterclass. We're going to be talking about the new YouTube algorithm and I actually have a research paper for you because there's been some major changes. We're going to be talking about what changed, what's working now, and how to get discovered in YouTube's next era. And here's the thing. Right now, YouTube has actually been making some major changes. And I want to show you something most people don't understand about how YouTube is working today. And once you see it, you'll understand why views were never really the goal and why you can reach new people. In fact, this is kind of a bold statement, but this is really one of the biggest opportunities in YouTube history. We have some information from YouTube CEO about how AI has fundamentally changed how YouTube understands your content. And so we're going to be unpacking how the old YouTube is dead. Right now we're going to be talking about the problem and how most creators, or why most creators are still playing the old game because we're living through a massive shift on the platform. In fact, I did a quick survey and I asked people in our community if their views are up, down or about the same, and 38% said their views are down and 34% said about the same. So really basically 72%, 7 out of 10 people said that their YouTube views are flat or down. And that means that really nearly 4 in 10 are losing views, another 3 in 10 have plateaued. And let me know in the chat, have your views gone down recently? Or if you're watching this on the replay, let me know on the comments because a lot of people are feeling that, in fact, really from talking to our community and to the business owners and creators that connect with us here at Think Media, most business owners and creators feel like their views are down. Their subscribers do not respond like they used to. Do you feel that bigger channels dominate every topic? It feels impossible. And they need to become more viral, more entertaining and more famous. But here's the good news. This class is going to help you navigate what's changing and how to win before everybody catches up. Now, if we're just meeting, my name is Sean Cannell and I'm sharing this actually out of a lot of history. I've been on YouTube since 2007 and I'm seeing every shift that the platform has thrown at us. We're actually going to be going through the different eras of the YouTube algorithm and how they've been stacking and what the big changes are now. But over the years, I've been able to build multiple channels. Got a couple silver play buttons, a gold play button, built a company to over $30 million have generated 500 million views just on our content alone. And we've also influenced and coached many of today's top YouTubers. And so if you stick with me, I'm not just gonna be showing you what's broken, but I'm gonna be giving you a clear roadmap to win over the next six to 12 months on. And specifically, we're going to be talking about the hidden AI shift that's reshaping YouTube recommendations and what to do about it now, why subscribers matter less and what matters now more than subscribers. How smaller focus channels are attracting better, better viewers and how you can earn more money even if your views are down. But here's like the big takeaway. We're going to translate all of this into the seven moves that to become the channel YouTube understands viewers choose and buyers trust. And then by the way, I've got a free report that just supports this content. We've updated this. It's a 27 page deep dive on the biggest threats and the biggest shifts happening in YouTube right now. A complete playbook, no fluff strategies, just my gift to you. There's a link in the show, notes in the description, or you could scan the QR code and if you just give me the email for where I can send that report, then I'm happy to send that over to you. And then heads up at the end of this, if you want to go deeper on any of this content, our next YouTube mastermind is coming up soon in Las Vegas. We have a couple more opportunities this year. There's an August opportunity in October. This is a two day event where we just really go deep on YouTube. Strategy spots are extremely limited. And they're by application only. But I'll tell you a little bit more about that later. Let's dive into part one. We've got big three big parts today to talk about. But in part one, let's talk about how the YouTube algorithm has evolved and some of the good news and the bad news. So what are the past eras of the YouTube algorithm? Well, from 2005 to 2012, before we go forward, we got to go back. That was the keyword era. And it really asked a question. Did you use the right metadata? So YouTube started out basically as a search engine back in 2005, and the entire game was keywords and metadata. And the question that mattered was like, did you use the right title and tags and the right description and that's how you were found? Content quality mattered, but it kind of barely mattered. It was sort of about matching words. Well, that era is over. And any YouTube guru that tells you tags still matter is a loser. Like, I wouldn't. That's. They're not sharing you good information. That's an expired era. But then it shifted and this was a huge shift in the algorithm in 2012-2015. That was the attention era. And so YouTube shifted. And this is when watch time became king. And you probably know that on YouTube, minutes matter most. Like, it's not just getting someone to click on your video, it's getting them to continue to watch your video. Because in the keyword era, you could game the system if you just put certain keywords or if you put some famous person in your YouTube title, you could actually get a lot of views. And the algorithm wouldn't necessarily penalize you if you tricked people because they'd be like, ah, that famous person's not even in the video. But you still kind of click baited those views. Well, once watch time was introduced, it changed everything. Because if someone clicks on your video but they don't stay and watch, then YouTube goes, oh, well, it's not actually. The promise in the title is not being delivered in the video. So it would drank the prioritize your video. So that was a massive shift. And this started to ask the question of did people keep watching? And clicking wasn't enough. This kind of ended clickbait. People can still kind of get away with it, but in a way not really. Like, just because something sensational doesn't mean the video doesn't deliver on the sensation. Right. And so retention became the whole game. But we went into a different era in 2016-2022. That was the interest era, YouTube got smarter. And it wasn't just what people clicked on or what watch time videos got, but YouTube really started to recommend what you were interested in. I'm curious, you could tell me in the chat, like, what is recommended on your homepage? What videos are recommended to you? You know, and so the interest era was now YouTube, understanding your watch history, what you like, what you're interested in, and recommending that content to you. So the question here became, what does this viewer like? And YouTube started to hopefully, you know, your algorithm's like, wow, YouTube's bringing me videos that I'm actually interested in. It started to build a taste profile around every single person, genres, topics, you know, creators, all of it. And this was a big shift and something that you can tap into. But here's the thing, none of these eras were really wrong. And actually they haven't fully gone away. Each one is built on the last. But we're not in the interest era anymore. Something has changed. And that's what I want to show you next. So this year, January 2026, YouTube publicly declared that AI is foundational to its next era. You know, AI is kind of a funny thing like AI, artificial intelligence, LLMs really got popularized in the last few years. You could argue the YouTube algorithm has kind of always been a form of AI, but we now understand that AI is getting so smart, or Gemini or ChatGPT or Claude. Like, it's getting so smart and it can analyze more data and it can analyze not just transcripts, but it can analyze actually what it sees in your videos. YouTube can scan your videos and then AI can interpret that information. And that's what the shift has been. But here's the quote from YouTube's blog earlier this year. AI has been the quiet engine behind our most important innovations, like recommending the next video for you to watch. That's from the CEO of YouTube. Now read that again. Again, AI is the quiet engine. It's not a small feature. And so the CEO of YouTube is confirming what a lot of creators have felt but they couldn't quite name. Which brings us to this recent era of the YouTube algorithm that has 10x even in the last few months. And it's what we're calling the semantic era. The semantic era. YouTube is getting better at understanding your content and matching it with the right audience. Now, what does semantic mean? Well, a quick definition of the word semantic. Semantic means meaning. So it's a way. It's like the meaning era. So in the past, YouTube could see like the words or they could See, you know the words you use in your script or the words you use in your title. But now in the present, AI can actually understand what your video is about. All of the combination. Like, did you know that YouTube can see if there's a cat walking in the back of your video? It can see the emotional expressions on your face. It then also knows the transcript of the video of what you're actually saying. And it can combine all those things at a whole nother level of specificity in terms of tone, emotion, depth, transcript, visuals, what you're wearing. So this is the semantic era. YouTube understands videos. And why does that matter? Because now, with all of that detail, it can match your videos to the right audience. But let's unpack this deeper because we also got action items, tips that we're going to be unpacking. So one question is, did the old eras end answer? No, they didn't. YouTube just kept adding layers. So, for example, keywords and metadata still help explain your topic. That doesn't mean that tags matter. But like keywords in your title, like the topic of your video said in your title is a big deal. Like, that's like still knowing how to write titles is incredibly important. Which builds upon number two, clicks and watch time still show whether people care. If you still got to get someone to click on your video, get them to watch your video. And number three, these are all the eras. Viewer interest still helps YouTube find the right people. Like when you talk about the right topic that people are interested in and YouTube understands someone's preferences and their taste profile. Like, there's a lot of strategy to be done there. We're just in the new semantic era, which adds a new layer and that is what the content means and specifically who will value it. Okay, Sean, break it down. Well, let's talk about the good news and bad news before we talk a little bit about some of the trends that are happening right now that you can tap into. And then we're going to talk about the seven really action items, the seven moves for you to make to take advantage of this. So there's some bad news. The bad news is YouTube is getting better at ignoring irrelevant content. Number one, having subscribers doesn't mean they're going to be interested in the next video. This is why you might be feeling like, man, my subscribers aren't interested in my content. Well, one, they're probably not seeing it. But two, they also might not be interested in it. You know, like, just because someone subscribed in the past doesn't mean they're going to be interested in your next video. Are you crafting content for a subscriber or a target viewer that you really understand at a very deep level? Because the creator who understands the viewer best wins. Because now if YouTube understands your content, it's going to match you. YouTube's like the ultimate dating app to find the perfect match. It's you make the right content, it's going to match you with viewers interested in that content. But subscribers might in a way be meaningless now. It's kind of been overstated that subscribers don't matter anymore. We're guilty of probably saying that it's not that they don't matter, it just doesn't mean that they're going to be interested in your next video. Number two, generic content gets ignored. We help a lot of personal development channels or sometimes coaches, people that preach, you know, or teach motivation, personal development, high performance, awesome. That's still alive and well, of course, and there's still massive opportunity there. But a YouTube title like how to Get Motivated, like just that's it. It's so saturated and so generic specific is getting found with the semantic algorithm. Generic content gets ignored. Number three, getting matched to a viewer does not guarantee the clicker satisfaction. So you're living through one of the coolest opportunities. I promise at the beginning of this, this is like the greatest opportunity on YouTube. But that's not me over promising that it's easy. You actually could look into your back end analytics and if you don't know how to do this, we could help you. But you should go look to see if YouTube is giving you impressions. The thing is, YouTube probably is giving you impressions, but what are you doing with them? See, an impression is not a view an impression, it's just a chance for someone to click on your video. So Getting matched meaning YouTube, understanding what your video is about, putting it in front of some people, they still, if you don't have good packaging or a good title, they might not click on it or they, they don't click on it or if they click on it, still doesn't mean they watch it or are satisfied by the content. So just because the algorithm is actually amazing right now, if we understand it properly, it doesn't guarantee that you're going to get clicks or views or satisfaction from the viewer. Okay, that's the bad news. Here's the good news. You don't need a massive subscriber base to get discovered. I'll prove it to you in just a second with data. But you, you do. You don't you just don't, you don't need a massive subscriber base to get discovered. And brand new channels are getting discovered from scratch from their first video because of how the algorithm is right now. The semantic era. Number two, specificity helps YouTube find the people most likely to care. Specificity. So specific topics. This doesn't mean you have to niche down to some ridiculous level of like, you know, still good titles. I mean, we'll talk about some strategy in just a second, but specificity in like really understanding who the right viewer is that you want to target. And then number three, a smaller, better matched audience can create more impact and revenue. The good news is when you play out how the YouTube algorithm works now and you also apply that to your entire business model, things get super exciting. Now you might be saying, Sean, how exactly did you come to these conclusions? Are you just making this up? Well, you're, you know, I didn't want to get even too geeky. That was already pretty geeky that what we just went through. But if you are interested, along with that emergency or the shifts report that I will send you, I'm sending you two documents. If you just want me to email those to you, I'll send you the full research case study for why 2026 is an unusually strong time for small and niche channels to reach the right audience. We'll link that in the description or just scan the QR code. Especially if you are a geek like me and you're curious or if you're also like, I don't even know if I believe you. Well, you can go look into the research. There's a whole bunch of things about semantic IDs about like watch Time, watch History clusters. There's a lot of stuff behind this, but we're going to go into some of the big takeaways. Now. If you don't want all that research, then no big deal. But you can scan the QR code or hit the link in the description if you want to check that out. Let's go into part two. So we've talked about how the algorithm has changed and we're in the new semantic era. But what does that mean in terms of the new YouTube opportunity and examples of what's working right now? I think I got five of these. Here's number one. Subscribers don't guarantee views anymore. Subscribers don't guarantee views anymore. Let me encourage you, if you're experiencing this, that it's almost on any channel you go to, you might see a video that you post and it's all Relative, right? Depends on how many views you get on your content. But you might see one video get 3,000 views in my case, and then the next video get 35,000 views, like 10 times more views and then the next one goes down. It's like subscribers don't guarantee views anymore. Let me know if you can relate to that. Here's the thing. Every video has to win on its own merits. And by the way, views can also be a little bit overrated. Like sometimes just because you're getting more views, it doesn't mean better views. And just especially for business owners, just because you're getting more views doesn't mean you're actually going to be getting clients. So what are you actually measuring? But the bottom line is that across the platform you could see channels with huge subscriber bases get maybe a couple hundred views and the next video gets 100,000 and then it's back down to a couple hundred. Sean, what's happening? Every video has to win on its own merits. But the unlock is brand new channels can be recommended immediately because you're seeing legacy channels. I have one like think media has been around a long time. 3.5 million subscribers on my main channel. I mean we get 3.5 million views. And sometimes critics will be like, bro, your video only got 3,000 views. You number one, I'm like, well let's I'll see you in six months. Because a lot of videos, we do, most of them rank and they get views for years to come. But number two, it also is, is very every video has to win on its own merits. So don't be so judgmental over your last upload. So what if it didn't do that good? So you can check the channel. It's like you might get 3,000 views, 30,000 views, 300,000 views and then back down. That's how YouTube is right now. But here's what's crazy is people who are coaching have a few hundred subscribers and they can get 10,000 views. They can get their views punching way above their subscriber weight class.
- [19:26]
A
Why?
- [19:26]
B
Because that's how the algorithm works. Right now the unlock is brand new channels can be recommended immediately. Number two, YouTube is shifting from showing what's most popular to showing what's most useful to each viewer. YouTube isn't a popularity contents any contest anymore. It's a relevance engine. And so you know, I've lived through so many eras of, of YouTube. When I was getting started and I had a small channel I was running for my church, YouTube felt like a mini Hollywood. It was like YouTube people, but they were like YouTube famous, you know, and it kind of had this like big personality entertainment channels, you know, who has the most subscribers, who's the most famous. And for years, small creators will were told to compete for attention against people with bigger teams, bigger audience, bigger budgets. But here's what's crazy. We did a survey to our think media community and we said, when you scroll on YouTube right now, are you seeing mostly big popular channels or small channels you've never heard of that feel oddly relevant or a mix of both? Now Some people said, one of one out of four said, well, mostly big popular channels, but 10% of people said small unfamiliar channels. But here's what's crazy. The bulk, basically seven out of 10 people are seeing small unfamiliar channels or a mix of big and small channels. So it's not like the big channels have disappeared and it's not like super popular kind of quote unquote, a list. YouTube celebrities like the mainstream creators like that still exists. But subscriber count and fame are no longer the only tickets into the recommendation system. And as we speak, YouTube is actively introducing viewers to channels that they do not already know. Now I think about that it could be really easy to get discouraged about YouTube right now. We're living in a moment, middle of 2026, going into 2027, where you're like, hang on, because of the semantic algorithm, I can post as a new creator in a new channel, strategic content, and get the chance to be seen and recommended to people all around the world. I think more importantly to a specific audience and specific people all around the world. It's a real opportunity as we speak. YouTube's not dead. The opportunity is not dead. YouTube is shifting from simply showing what's most popular to showing what may be most useful or interesting to the individual viewer. So the unlock is you no longer have to be famous, mainstream or cool to win. Number three, small focus channels can now reach unusually precise audiences. Number three, small focus channels can now reach unusually precise audiences. So one of the biggest business creators on YouTube just confirmed this. Alex Hermosi started a second channel and he said our small niche channel generates more attributed revenue than our main channel. So what's fascinating is think about that for a second On Alex Hermosi's main business channel, he has millions of views, but he recently said his smaller niche channel that gets hundreds at times like a few hundred views on videos is actually generating more revenue. So it kind of depends on what you're solving for. Let me ask you, what would you rather have, more views or more money? Tell me in the chat, tell me in the comments. More views or more money? Now, by the way, that's of course your preference, you know, is it, what are you optimizing for? What are you solving for? Sometimes we can chase vanity metrics, whereas if we're on YouTube, is it just big brand awareness that we want? Or do you want more money in your bank account? Now last time I tried to pay my mortgage, I discovered the bank would not accept a screenshot of my YouTube studio and my video performance. They only, they had only take the money and I guess even more money. More money, please. More, more money. So what are you solving for? Sometimes chasing just growth and subscribers can kind of backfire. Now let's also go a little bit into this. We're talking about some of the trends. The second strat check second channel strategy for anybody wondering is in his case, his main channel is still super strategic. I mean, everything Alex does is intentional, right? But his main channel is really like a flagship hero content, broader appeal channel. This would answer the question, you might say, well, Sean, should I start a second channel? My advice for most people is probably not because you don't have the time or maybe energy or team to support you, but the, the purpose of his, you can apply this strategy to your main channel is my point. So he has a big channel, bigger production videos, helps him build his brand, helps him, you know, broader brand appeal. But his highlights channel, his second channel is higher volume. That's interesting. That's. It's an interesting strategy for you to consider of, like not being so concerned with the amount of views, but publishing higher volume, strategic and specific videos that tap into the semantic algorithm. You might want to rewind that part. I mean, something to think about because what he's doing is posting like 4 to 8 minute videos aimed at very specific business situations, which attracts individuals. And that attributes, in his own words and measurement of his niche channel, generating more revenue than his main, bigger channel. So my point is it's not that you should start a second channel, it's that it is powerful though you could do this on your main channel to create certain highly specific videos, right, that tap into how the algorithm's working right now. And just to recap that, remember, the old YouTube worked on keywords, tags, titles and description, but the new YouTube, the semantic era, watches your videos, listens to the transcript, understands what's happening, and can match you with a very specific, unusually specific target audience. That's the new update because YouTube understands what your video is really about, finds people interested in that specific topic. And it's a big key. Rewards videos that the right audience loves. If you're taking notes, you know, or want to save something, write down viewer satisfaction. It. The satisfaction of the viewer matters. YouTube talks about that all the time. YouTube employees is like, we're solving not for watch time. In 2026, we still measure that, and that's still like a driver. We solve for viewer satisfaction. Yellow heart emoji matters there. Rewards videos that the right audience loves. So this here's the unlock. Specifically, there's a whole demographic of people we help at Think Media that if you teach something, like, if you know something worth teaching, or maybe you haven't even started yet, but you already have some knowledge. You have a background, you've built a business, you've raised a family, you're. You've inherited all this wisdom of, you know, generations of cooking knowledge, and you're awesome in the kitchen. You know, you've had breakthrough in fitness. This is actually, if you teach something, this is the best time in YouTube's history to be heard. Like, for example, this is happening. A lot of our clients right now with focused channels are reaching unusually precise audiences. They don't need to go viral. They don't need a massive following. They just have clarity on who they serve. And then YouTube does the matching for you. So, for example, like, we have this program called VRA that helps creators and business owners, but those who start, like, going to, like, specifically, like, proven experts in our YouTube coaching. We help proven experts turn their knowledge into a YouTube system that attracts buyers and grows revenue in just a few hours a week. It's going crazy for the individuals that are in, like, our VRA elite and accelerator program right now because of the semantic algorithm. And so you don't need a lot of views for this to work. Ultimately, it brings us to number four. Even if your views are down, your income can be up because you're getting in front of the specific right people. Business owners realize, like, like, a lot of business owners want leads for their business, but then eventually you realize, like, but I don't just want any lead. Like, oh, can I get you 100 leads? Like, if you said, if. If I offered you, I'll get you 100 leads for your business, you might be like, please sign me up. But the better response would be like, yeah, but who are the people? I'll get you a hundred leads. Are they good? Are they aligned? Are they right for me? Can I. Am I positioned to Help them? Does Would my business serve them? You know, you don't want to just talk to anybody. You want to talk to the right people. And so the semantic algorithm has changed everything. So you don't need a big channel. Even if your views are down, your income could be up. Let me illustrate. So one of our clients, Stacy, is a business growth expert. And so she ran a couple dance studios, had built teams, hired people, fired people, needed systems, had been stressed out, had been burnt out, and really figured out her company's called well oiled Operations. So she realized, check this out, she helps very specific people, usually business owners doing right around quarter million dollars a year. That's very specific. Not even just beginner business owners, you know, maybe six or high six. But like, she knows that number.
- [29:16]
A
Hmm.
- [29:16]
B
Do you know that specific audience that you want to reach? All right, so she posts a video. It was actually a live stream. And one of her videos got 736views. Not viral. Not. Not a lot of views, not a hundred thousand and not. But what most people would say by any metric is like, well, then that's a failed video. Is it? Well, she does that YouTube live stream, 736views. It leads to somebody booking a call, and on that call, she has a specific offer for business owners to help them with their operations. And she closes a $30,000 deal. So the power of targeted YouTube content matching you with the perfect right person, that's a rare individual that could even do that offer, or that offer would be right for. Mm. But in 2026, with the semantic algorithm, it's time to, like, think about your strategy a little bit deeper.
- [30:14]
A
Right.
- [30:14]
B
And maybe position yourself a little bit differently because you don't need a big audience or viral videos. Number five. And then we'll go into the seven action items. Don't get it twisted. You can still get massive views. So I just said, even if views are down, your income can still be up. And most people right now are either plateaued or their views are going down. But you don't have to accept that reality. You can still blow up. Like, we're seeing it happen. This is actually a crazy story that came in this week. You know, I just saw this in our Slack group. This is one of our coaches, Sam, and he coaches Bryce and Kelsey from Bloodline Adventures. And they just got their silver play button. But here's the crazy thing is at our last mastermind in person in Las Vegas, Bryce made a bold commitment on camera. I was actually just filming this video in the lobby with him and he said, buy the next mastermind. Sean. This happened in May, so that was like three months ago or something. I'll have my silver play button and I'll have made at least $1,000 from what I learned here. Well, he just reported back, he got his silver play button. He actually has earned $6,000 just from AdSense. He has multiple streams of income, but just from ad revenue. And that happened in just a few months. So there's no. The cool thing is you can have a small channel and low views and your income can still be up. But don't get it twisted. Let's also get big views. Like let's put out outlier videos, high performing videos that outperform your baseline. That's what we're obsessed with. And you know, you do the math. Our students clients have now generated 33.3 billion views and counting. And we measure this very specifically. So while one of the things that you might be seeing and continue to see in a 2026 world and going into 2027 is that generally views are more distributed, attention is more fragmented, people are looking all these different places. However, the good news is you can still reach a very specific audience. Update your business model and your business strategy to. Even if your views are down, your income could be up. But as you now apply the seven things we're about to talk about, you can also scale your views. Let's scale your views as well. Let's grow your channel as well. Let's. People are still getting silver play buttons right? People are still hitting 100,000 subscribers. We're not saying you should stay small forever. We're just saying the good news is that if you're small right now, you can still make a big impact. Part number three, Part three of our deep dive training today, the new rules for winning on YouTube going into 2027. I'm gonna kind of speed run these because for time, but here's the seven of them. Strategic shift number one, choose a smaller, sharper audience. Choose a smaller, sharper audience. Strategic shift number two, Master marketing. Not just content creation. The people who are going to win going forward into 2027 are mastering marketing, studying marketing, and going really deep on marketing. Now what does that mean? That means like you're understanding and mastering the fundamentals. Positioning, branding. What's your ideal customer profile? Do you have fierce clarity on your icp? That's your ideal customer profile. When you start thinking about using the semantic algorithm, are you looking at the tam, the total addressable market, the som, the serviceable addressable market and creating a game plan to think about what's the angle or like the smallest viable audience that could work for your business, the types of videos that you could be creating to reach them, and then, by the way, even the type of offer you could create. And so ultimately mastering marketing, not just content creation, it ties and influences so many different things. And so strategic shift number two, master marketing, not just content creation number three, make every video unmistakably for someone. Yeah, make every video unmistakably for someone. In light of the semantic algorithm, you want to be thinking about that specific someone. You know, one of my favorite quotes is like, exactly. Relevant today. Even though it's actually, I think, was quoted before YouTube even existed. And it was Zig Ziglar who said, you don't want to be a wandering generality, you want to be a meaningful specific. The major change in YouTube is because of AI and AI analyzing content visually. What's seen in your video, what's said in your video, the metadata around your video, and all of the above and understanding what it means is YouTube is the ultimate dating app. It can match you with the perfect person, but you need to understand who that someone is and make every video unmistakably for someone. Strategic shift number four, master packaging or stay invisible. Now, this isn't new information for you, but how hard are you working on it and how much are you improving it? What is packaging? Packaging is topic, title, and thumbnail. It's your topic selection, it is how you're crafting your titles, and it is your design of your thumbnails. You know, one of our clients, Benazotti, is actually grown. He joined our video regular program in 2019. So now, seven years later, he actually is the second largest health channel in the world, which is crazy. Like some. It's actually wild if you really look like. I mean, I don't even know if this would be a humble brag. This would be like a. Not humble brag, but it's just. I like to brag on our clients because. Because the people that have been influenced and affected by the Think Media podcast and Think Media are like doing crazy things. New York Times bestsellers, second largest health channel in the world. It's pretty wild journey, but. But Ben has continued to apply what we teach. And he's not just like decent at packaging. He is all time at packaging. Look at these titles. You're taking creatine. Wrong. This shrinks fat cells by 30%. Right? Fix this ASAP. The thumbnail, the expressions, the question marks, the. The details, the the teeth being clean versus the ones that are have years of stains. I mean look at these outlier scores. Millions of views on these videos. And here's kind of what's crazy too is it's not just for established creators. Like of course he's got people helping him and he's built a team now. But like he did a video with no editing and no script and he just filmed it in his car. But you still got a master packaging. Are you going to stay invisible? So what did he do? Really strong topic, really strong title. Give me 12 minutes and I'll save you 17 years of trying to lose weight. Well, why does that work? Well that's a time versus outcome hook. Why is it give me 12 minutes? Well, because the video is 12 minutes and he's going to share the information to you. That's going to save you 17 years. But shoot, you can save me 17 years and 12. I gotta click on the video. Time versus outcome hook. An ultra clear promise, curiosity and urgency. A no fluff vibe once you click on it, which so just to encourage you, again, if you just have a smartphone and a car. Sean, I don't even have a car. I have a bus pass. If you just have a bus pass and a smartphone, like it's not about your resources, it's about your resourcefulness. But I'd be investing in the skills or getting the help to master packaging, to really dial in your topics, your titles, your thumbnails and then to think about the content that follows. Ben has crafted the communication skills to know how to hook a video, to know how to deliver a script. It's not a scripted video, but how to communicate in such a way to hold retention throughout a video. These are learnable things. Click, subscribe and we're here to help you. Come to our mastermind in Vegas and we'll take you to a whole nother level. Like ultimately you got to master packaging or you're being visible and shout out. Ben not only is a New York Times bestselling author now after this entire journey on YouTube, he just hit it again on the re the second edition of his newest book republished I think it's called Keto Flex. So he's like two times New York Times best selling author, which is a. Is YouTube is the engine of that in the modern world. Like if you haven't like you want to build a business, you want to impact people with your message, you want to write a book, build your YouTube platform, build your YouTube channel. Master YouTube.
- [38:54]
A
Yeah.
- [38:54]
B
And the shift is views aren't dead, but they're just hidden behind the right packaging. The semantic algorithm is a big deal because, remember, once YouTube understands your video, it will give you impressions, but you still gotta earn the click by a good title and a good thumbnail. And then you have to hold the viewer's retention and not just watch time, but then satisfaction. Again, I'm not saying it's easy. It is learnable. These are skills that you can develop. Which brings us to number five. We're talking about the seven action items, the seven moves that you could do to take advantage of the semantic algorithm. Shift number five. Optimize your videos for watch time and viewer satisfaction. Optimize your videos for watch time and viewer satisfaction. Like, this is talked about, but it's not talked about enough sometimes, like, you know, people that review YouTube channels and even some YouTube coaching focuses so much on, like, a channel's cover art and then like, titles and the thumbnails, and they spend, like, no time on, like, the content of the video. That's why, like, we spend so much time. We'd call it like 50, 50. It's like, yeah, packaging is like almost. It's like more important because if you don't get the click, then it doesn't even matter what's in the video. But it's like both important. Like, you also then, like, how you script your video. And we have like a whole framework that we take people through. It's like you need to hold your retention, but you also need people to be happy by the end of it, too. You want viewer satisfaction. So I think about Yvonne and, you know, she wasn't a Polish influencer, mom of two, toxologist. She started to post videos going through our stuff. She actually, this is. This just shows you what's possible with the YouTube algorithm and building up this. What's happened in the last couple years. Right. Of the semantic algorithm. When she found us, she had 5,000 subscribers. Okay. Then she grew over to 15,000 subscribers in a week because one of her videos ranked and YouTube started recommending it. She's just talking about, like, you know, learning our framework was really helpful to her. But then her channel blew up even more. In fact, I think this is like an old screenshot. What's she at? Can somebody tell me, like, shut my slides out. So can somebody look up Dr. Yvonne and see where she's at Now? I don't have her subscriber count on here, so it's been a crazy. So she came with about 5,000 subscribers, which is, by the way, over Time. I'm not saying your small channel has to stay small. Okay, so then it's not just good packaging though. She is learning how to hold watch time and lead to viewer satisfaction. Thank you, Logan. 153,000 subscribers. Crazy. And check this out. So here's like a good example. We're talking about a little bit. This is the last two points. A little bit of master packaging. Toxologist reveals six things you should know about sunscreen. Good curiosity. But then the content itself, how it's structured, how it is delivered. And side note, that's 163,000 views. YouTube is still the best platform for content that compounds. This is why? Because perhaps an objection could be. Well, Sean, I mean it sounds like it's going to take a lot of energy to learn this stuff though. And if actually I want to do this at a world class level, I mean take money if I invest in coaching and developing as a communicator or develop these skills. But let me encourage you, it's worth it.
- [42:24]
A
Why?
- [42:24]
B
Because YouTube is still the best platform for content that compounds. Sean, what do you mean? Well, if we look at one of Dr. Yvonne's videos, it's two years old, it got 1.1 million views. But if you look at this little thing from Vidiq that's showing me the how the outlier score and the VPH score. See the VPH there, it's pretty small, but the VPH there says 52. What does that mean, VPH? If I was gonna, I don't have a tattoo, but if I was gonna get a tattoo, I think I would tattoo VPH in my body. It's like my favorite acronym, VPH stands for views per hour. Views per hour. So this two year old video from Dr. Yvonne is getting 52 views per hour. Like what are we talking about? So sometimes it's like, well, Sean, it's like, you know, Vertical Video. You know, by the way, YouTube Shorts is, we have a whole session at our upcoming Mastermind on them. Yeah, like Vertical Video is very exciting YouTube shorts. There's a lot of cool stuff happening, but it's like, you know, like with a little bit of less effort I can, you know, get views and get some views on my Instagram reels or Facebook or TikTok, whatever. Okay, for sure. But there is nothing in the modern world that compares to YouTube long form ranked videos like you see on screen getting you 52 views per hour. Two years later, nothing compares to it. So when I see, to me this is leverage. I like if I'm going to evaluate my time, my money, where I'm going to invest it. I'm like, should I invest in YouTube? Should I really master YouTube? Well, what would it be worth to you to have a video two years from now that's still getting you views, still getting you subscribers, building your business and then helping you do whatever it is you're trying to do? Book sales, clients. And not only that, did you know that Dr. Yvonne? It's crazy. Like, I mean, what, what, when did she post this? She posted this in 2024. So two years later, not only has her channel grown to 150 thousand plus subscribers, she just got on the diary of a CEO podcast. Like, our clients have become the trusted brands in their industries. That's al. That's also Joey, who also was on the do diary of a CEO podcast who's also a V student. Yeah, YouTube is the ultimate compounding platform of influence, awareness. But the doors that can open, clients, podcasts, being on other people's, you know, platform, growing your business, growing your awareness, it's wild. It's worth it. It's worth doing the work. It's worth the investment. Number six, build a personal brand that AI can't copy. Build a personal brand that AI can't copy. I'm not, I don't have time to go into this, but like, this is thinking about if you're going to tap into the semantic algorithm, you want to do the audit of your values, your convictions, your beliefs, why we should talk about it. Because YouTube understands now. YouTube understands the content, it understands the meaning. Semantic means meaning. If you're jumping on late, watch the replay and catch the whole algorithm section. Because the semantic algorithm understands what your content's about. Like, if you had like a flag in the back or you like, you have certain items in your studio that would, you know, perhaps tell me what your political persuasion is. YouTube understands that. Yeah, like YouTube understands what you're wearing, what you're saying. And by the way, those things actually become superpowers of distinction. Huh? Because your stories, your values, your belief, your worldview. YouTube's the ultimate matchmaker. You know, by the way, I think that when you study online dating and dating apps, it's kind of like a dumpster fire. Like there's like, obviously, like it's, you know, maybe you're like, yeah, it's been my experience. Like it's actually sucks. It's kind of. Which I get. Okay, I understand that. But I also think what's fascinating is that's basically everyone's meeting Today. And I wonder if they're actually going to get better. I think actually the real issue is that at the end of the day, you're dealing with humans and, you know, like, you're dealing with people that got issues no matter what they present. But here's my point. We're living in a world where the better you are about presenting your, like, if you're optimizing a dating profile, the better you are about presenting your values, your beliefs, your convictions, who you are and what you stand for, and not just throwing yourself out there generically, but throwing yourself out there in a polarizing way and trying to really think about the nuanced details that would repel the wrong partner and attract the right partner. But here's what I also think. I actually think that if you will, dating apps are going to get better because as algorithms can scan more things, it's, it's, by the way, it's like all apps are going to get better because as it understands more, it can make better matches. You can tell me in the comments if you agree. It's a separate debate. What's the point? Build a personal brand that AI can't copy. The semantic algorithm is wild for personal branding because the more you triple down on those personal elements, values, beliefs, convictions and all that kind of stuff, the better that YouTube can match you with people that are like, whoa, like, we get each other. Like, I found, I found my person. I found that I, you know, it's not just the topic you teach. Like, there's a lot of different people teaching YouTube and help people grow YouTube channels, but they got different values, different beliefs, different styles. And the YouTube algorithm's getting better. I don't know how you ended up here, but here we are. I don't know if we're going to be a match. You know, maybe you came here like, I don't, you know, I'm not going to follow you anymore. Respect. Thanks for stopping by, but let me encourage you. These are the strategic shifts. Build a personal brand that AI can't copy. Number seven, build a complete YouTube business bridge. Not even going to go into it, but we have a four part framework. That's fierce clarity. Get the right views, build a leads machine, and then have a sales system. Those are the four pieces. But the bridge itself is that ultimately you need to give every right viewer a clear next step beyond the video. You want to give every right viewer. Not every viewer is going to want to do the next step. But where's your YouTube channel go next? For some people, YouTube is the destination. Oh, I just want views, and I want to make money from YouTube ad revenue. But specifically, if you actually have an offer or a product or a service, then you need to build a YouTube business bridge. And we'll cover that in future videos. So stick around and subscribe. Or join us in Vegas at the Mastermind. But let's do a quick recap how the YouTube algorithm has evolved and what it means. This is what we've been talking about. We talked about the semantic algorithm and how the YouTube algorithm has evolved. We looked at the past eras and how they've stacked, and there's something to learn from all of them. The new opportunity for smaller focus channels, how fewer viewers can lead to more income. And we talked about the seven strategic shifts to win on YouTube going into 2027 and beyond. But here's the bottom line. Knowing is not enough. And if you've liked this video, hit like. But let me also encourage you, YouTube isn't about what you know. It's about what you implement. So let me ask you a simple question. What if you had a system and a strategy and support to execute all of this? Would you want that type? Yes, if that's true. Because, hey, we're hosting an event, and we do these events every quarter, and the next couple ones are coming up in August and October, whichever one you like best. If you want to consider it, there's a link in the show notes. If you're listening on audio, you could go to thinkmediamastermind.com or click the podcast Show Notes. If you're on video, you know, YouTube description or go to that URL. But what this is, is it's different than anything else you've been to. It's about developing a strategic content plan. And this next one coming up, I mean, it's like all new material. We're talking about the semantic era now. How are we crafting our channel, our content, our strategy, in light of getting fierce clarity on who we are, who you are, and who you want to reach so that your content plan is influenced. There's like, in person, this thing's only like 50 people, max. So it's like coaching and feedback. There's smart AI tools. We give you networking and support. It's super cool. And if you've been trying to do YouTube alone, that ends here. Now, it is limited. It has a fierce cap, like an actual cap, and how many people can fit in the room. And there's only a few spots remaining. I think there's like 33 people coming to this one, so there's a few more spots at the time of going live or recording this. Now a couple things that you get when you attend. You get personalized coaching and live feedback. Exclusive AI tools and templates. A private network of serious business leaders and creators. It's a two day workshop plus the materials and it is an application required. We just want to make sure it's the right fit for you. Real people, real results. It happens in Las Vegas. Easy trip, lots of different places to stay. 20 minutes from the Las Vegas airport off the Strip. August and October. So there's a couple different dates you could choose from coming up. And it is limited to 50 seats. So you know it's going to be an intimate experience where you and I can connect and you can connect with like minded business owners and serious creators. You could go to thinkmediamastermind.com or scan the QR code on screen. And we, we host this in person for a reason. Because nothing replaces a room like this. Breakthroughs happen in between sessions, at lunch, in real time conversations. The room is intentionally small, it's not for everyone. But if you're serious, this might be exactly what you need to finally grow. We're going to be talking about those seven action items too, in depth. We'll build out each of Those Together and thinkmediamastermind.com is where you could check that out. Let me encourage you, you either build this in 2026 or you're still going to be thinking about it in 2027. You know, obviously it's like, Sean, you're pitching a mastermind right now. But like if anything, download the report because the semantic algorithm is real. This is not just something made up in my mind. Like you can see all the data behind that if you actually scan the QR code. And just by the way, if you registered for this class, we'll email. We probably already did, but we'll email you the free report and, and the research paper on the semantic algorithm. But if you didn't register for this class, meaning if you're like watching this on YouTube or watching this on a replay and you're like, Sean, I want those two PDFs, then scan the QR code to get the free report. Or if you're on audio, you can click the link in the show notes and grab the future of YouTube, the 12 threats for your growth and the semantic algorithm research paper so you can look at the real data behind how the YouTube algorithm's working right now. There's some insights in there and you can see how valid that is and apply for the Mastermind. If you are serious and ready to master YouTube and specifically if you want to get leads and customers from YouTube and build a YouTube business bridge, have our help doing it. Meet with myself and our other coaches, then just scan the QR code to apply for the YouTube mastermind. It's happened in August and October, 2,026 in Las Vegas, Nevada and.