Is YouTube Too Saturated for Your Business? | Ep. 81

YouTube for Business Owners: In this episode, I chat with Tony Omogrosso about how he turned YouTube into a real client-generating machine... even as a total beginner! We break down why long form content works, how to stand out in a crowded niche, and the simple strategies Tony used to hit 500 subscribers fast. If you’re ready to turn your videos into sales, you’ll love this conversation.

Tony's channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CoachTonyOmo

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Transcript

So what do you do if you have an established business where you're already serving clients and customers and you're using social media, short form content reels, stories to promote your business, and none of that time and effort you put into it is turning into customers and sales. in this episode you're gonna hear from Coach Tony who went to YouTube and is actually kicking butt on YouTube as somebody who is new to the platform, relatively new to long form content.

but 100% committed to making it work and it's paying off for him. So this is my conversation with Coach Tony here on the Video Brand Infusion podcast. Let's get into it.

I'm so excited to chat with you because you joined Video Brand Academy really just a few months ago, maybe less than six months-ish or so. and when we talked, you said you were totally brand new to YouTube, but now you have almost 500 subscribers and you have only 17 videos on your channel.

So I wanna know, what did you do? Like what exactly is your secret? 

Yeah. Well, oh, I mean, thanks for having me. It's great to be here. the reason I got on YouTube in the first place is because, um, I was on Instagram for a little bit and short form content was fun and creative, but it really wasn't doing anything for my business at all.

I was getting some engagement, but it was a lot of like emojis and things like that. I just had followers, but no. Real quality engagement with, you know, prospective clients or students or people that I would want to have a conversation with. 

 So I figured, okay, well YouTube seems to be long form seems to be a good place to do that. I started thinking, well, why don't I, why don't I just do some workout videos in my garage? I have like a gym in my garage. I can go on there and do a workout that I have in my program and kind of get that out. They're 

And I think the easy part about that is, going through a workout and explaining a workout seems, comes naturally to me where I don't have to, I, I didn't, I did zero scripting. I would, you know, figure out what the, what I wanted to say and have a hook in there to start with. But then once I got rolling, there was no script involved.

I wasn't, I was just kind of talking and going through the movements, the exercises and, it gave me a lot of confidence too. 'cause I, I, I got done with it and then posted it and I'm like, Hey, I could, I could definitely do one of these a week.

I mean, that really catapulted me 

 I kind of just know, did all the thumb, the thumbnail, the description, all that stuff. And then, um, you know, took some of your advice on that.

I just kind of forgot about it for like. I'd say two or three weeks. I mean, I just got back from vacation. I was all doing all business stuff. So I was doing a lot of admin business things, adding to my program, adding to my, um, you know, course like recording videos, recording some workouts and demos and things like that.

Writing emails and all, you know, everything that goes into that. So I was really busy with the business side of things, and I'm like, Hey, why don't you go on and see how this video's doing?

And I like, I don't know, I couldn't even like really believe my eyes. There was like, it was only a couple weeks and it was like three or 4,000 views. And I had a bunch of comments too, like a, like a bunch and like real comments and engagement, like where I was actually like talking back and forth to people in the comments.

I've never had that before on social media, 

This was like getting deep where people were actually like, you know, I'm 70 years old and I just did this workout. I love it. You know, like giving me like, feedback in my comments. I'm like, this is, this is like, it's priceless really. Like, I mean, to get that kind of feedback and that engagement, I'm actually, because that's part of it, that's like part of why like I love what I do is seeing me helping servicing people, you know, and like getting that feedback back, good or bad, right?

If it's. Bat as well. That's also great feedback. I wanna know that. Um, but just being able to have that conversation back and forth. I thought this was like amazing. I was immediately obviously in up until then, you know, my biggest problem was it's all, it's, I mean, still is like audience and eyeballs.

And I think I've mentioned this within, um, video brand academy too in the community where like, that's my biggest hurdle to overcome is just fitness is a big, loud space and it's hard for, it's, you know, gatekeep a little bit where it's hard to get in if you're a new person. So getting that kind of engagement on YouTube, I'd never really had that before. So that was immediately like, where I was like, okay, this is exactly what I need to be doing and you know, I need to have more of a YouTube centric. Business. I just kind of like put IG on the side. Like I'm on there enough to people know that I'm still alive, but I'm just like maybe mostly like repurposing my content from YouTube.

And I also thought that was a big strategic move as well, where I can do a long form video on YouTube and then just repurpose that across other platforms. And like that seemed, you know, 'cause I'm busy, you know, just like my clients. I'm busy over 40. I have a family, you know, trying to run a business so I don't have time to be, um, you know, posting on IG five times a day to be successful.

So that was also a big, um, uh, attracting thing for me too. And that's something I got from a lot of your videos as well. What that really kind of spoke to me like, yeah, I, I don't have time to be doing this. I want to, I wanna put something up. I wanna spend the extra time to put a quality video on YouTube and have it.

Keep getting views over and over again. 

As you said. You said 17 videos I just counted now. I think it's like 15. 

But anyways, 

YouTube says you

have 

17 

 But

let's, let's back up a little bit because there's a lot of things you

said I wanna unpack. 

sure. 

was your very first video out of the gate, the one that got 4,000

views, 

No. 

not your first video, so you had posted some that were sort of like scripted talking to a teleprompter, and then you were like, why don't I just do a workout video in my garage? And it was easy. You posted it and forgot about it, and you came back and it had 4,000

views. 

Right. 

do you think the difference was in. Like, it's a

different type of video, but what, what was different about it that just like magically popped off? Like what do you think was the catalyst

for that? 

Yeah, I think, um, probably a couple things. Like number one, I'm immediately solving a problem that somebody's searching for. So if somebody's looking for a workout, and I kind of frame it as you know, and all of the workouts that I do and all the work that I program are specifically for people over 40. So, um, they're really looking on their to solve a problem.

Um, and that's kind of how you can get them into your universe in the first place. Like, Hey, this person's solving a problem, so I'm gonna listen to them talk. That's number one. Number two is, I said before, I do think I really came off as my mo most authentic self, and actually, but I guess number one, number two happened at the same time where I am coming off as my authentic self and promoting my business, but I am also coaching and delivering value at the same time.

It's not just me talking to the camera about that value. I'm actually, you know, showing it, demonstrating things. And I think that that, and two might be number three, keeps people engaged. 'cause I'm moving, doing something active and. All that I think in, out of that package, um, probably is very valuable to the, to the viewer.

So, um, 

yeah. 

yeah. So 

the top 

three things. 

what, so because you're in the health like exercise space, my, which is obviously not my niche, but um, I always kind of think that in my mind it is one of the more saturated spaces on YouTube. Would you

say that's accurate? 

For sure. 

Yes. 

So what made you think to. Like even enter that on YouTube. Like what made you think, oh, there's all these other people solving the same problem. What do I have to even offer that's different? Was there something different? Or like, what made you think I'm gonna do

it 

anyway? 

Yeah. Um, obviously all those questions go through your mind, um, and. I mean, sometimes you just have the blinders on and just do it. Like, Hey, I, this is the thing that I do, I wanna do it. But yes, you have to think of like, what's your differentiator? So my differentiator is, is that I, um, I mean I am over 40, you know, having, you know, giving value to people over 40.

I'm not 20 trying to do that for a 40-year-old. So that's like one thing. And also my background is in, um, so mainly Muay Hai and like combat sports and things like that. Like, I've trained entirely in New York City, like all over the world, trained overseas. So I, that's a part of my training in my program, my philosophy.

Um, and that's where I got my, you know, fit 40 method in the first place of that you can train at home in less time with minimal equipment, kind of, you know, checking all those boxes. So. That, like my whole philosophy around things and the way I go about things is my differentiator, my background is also my differentiator.

Um, but yes, entering that space and also doing a workout video, like, it's not different than anything else out there. But I think, I think to myself, I do things the way I do things and there's no, and there's no other me out there doing it the exact same way. So that's where I get the confidence. Like, yeah, on the surface level it may look like, oh, that's another just guy doing a workout.

But, um, if they actually come into my world and watch what I'm doing, how I go about things, it is, it is, it is very different than a lot of other people out there in the way they do things is it's, I approach things through life experience and things that I've seen, like I have. I've trained with elite fighters in UFC that have put belts around them.

Like I've been training with those people and in the rooms. So I've seen, I've seen a lot of things that, you know, AI can't reproduce, AI can't tell you those things. Like I have seen this with my own eyes and been in those situations, and that frames everything that I teach in my philosophy going into things.

So I always keep that as a frame of how I can differentiate. Now, that's why I always say audience and eyeballs are my biggest problem because I, you have to get people into universe to know those things. So, um, I just want to go, I just, I try and go about things, how I want to do them. I have the vid IQs and the tools and all, you know, trying to be fancy.

But, um, at the end of the day, it's more about like what I want to do and the story that I want to tell, and. Um, if that overlaps with it being in a saturated market, then so be it. I'm just gonna keep doing it and have people, the right people find me. Um, now it's gonna take some time. And I, I think I've set those expectations from when I've started.

I have more, like, more real realistic expectations now, but, um, that's mentally how I go about, it's all my mindset. And I think that's also part of my philosophy as well. Is it business training, health, whatever. It all starts in the mind. So you have to control that. And I have those things run through my mind all the time, you know, those negative thoughts and I just try and, uh, not listen to them 

or have them 

control my actions too.

Too

much. 

Yeah. There's like a certain level of delusion that you kinda have to have, and it's not really delusion. It's just like you have to trick your brain into being like, no, I'm just gonna do it anyway. So it sounds like what you're saying is, 'cause I hear a lot of people that are like, well, how do I differentiate myself on YouTube to stand out? But you are already differentiated in your market, like to begin with on or off YouTube. So you took those differentiations and specialties that other people, like you said, AI can't replicate that, but also like the. Guy who just got fit by exercising can't replicate that either. He does not have that experience either. And so he brings a certain something, but you bring a certain something and that's how you're, it's not like, how do I differentiate myself on YouTube? It's, I'm already different. Let me just bring it to YouTube. Does that sound accurate of like

how you 

thought about it? 

Exactly. I,

when I was first starting, I, I dunno if I heard this from somebody somewhere, but, um, they were saying that nobody can teach a thing. Nobody in the entire world can teach something like you teach it like anybody. Everybody has their own unique experiences and unique life, life experiences. And even if you're.

Teaching the exact same thing. Like say you give two people the same script or same content and you say teach, teach this to people. They're both going to approach the same content different ways 'cause they have different ways of that they teach and different things they've seen in life experience and you know, all of the above.

So, um, that I think is the, the most important thing. As long as you think, as long as you can, you know, get that in your head that that is true, then, um, yeah, you don't have to overthink it too much. 

what went through your mind of like, were, did you always feel comfortable like, oh, I'm gonna make videos on the internet, whether it's shorts or YouTube or whatever, or did you have like hurdles around talking to a camera, being on camera, putting yourself out

there in 

any 

way?

Yeah, that's great question. Yes. Um, when I started, I started on, you know, Instagram, so I have never. In my life made a video for social media. I mean, even on my personal Instagram, it was make photos and, you know, I was never doing, talking to the, talking to the my phone or talking to the camera. So that was, yes, highly awkward.

And can I do this? I think I started doing like walk and talks where, you know, I was walking in the park and talking, um, when I first started my, um, Instagram for my health and fitness business. But, um, I would still have that, like I mean, I would still, you know, be, I try to do like the teleprompter on the phone and, you know, and, but I would, I would go over it so many times.

I would be out, like walking for an hour to film, you know, two minutes of something that works. I'm just like. That didn't sound right. And I, I have also am like a recovering perfectionist as well. So it's like that was a complete nightmare where, um, and you know, I'm worried about what are people gonna think, um, is this is, you know, am I gonna get hated on in comments or whatever?

Hey, all those things. It was totally brand new. So yes, I even starting then, I didn't, um, have any experience whatsoever with social media. Um, I think just from having reps in that short form was a good way to start it. For me at least. That got me comfortable and got all that noise out of my head where like, you can't really care what other people think.

Like people are gonna say things anyways. Even like, you know, I was looking at people that I admire online and they get, you know, the most hated comments and they're, they, they really know what they're, you know, they're just like experts in the field. So, and it doesn't matter. You're not, nobody's immune to it.

So I just try to cut all the noise and that helped be, do that and put the reps in. Um, and that kind of helped me get prepared for. YouTube. Um, but now YouTube is a whole other animal that's, you know, long form and you're, you know, really vulnerable in front of the camera and figuring out those two ways.

So figuring out the ways to do that. So yeah, I didn't have any experience whatsoever. It was all just trial and error and, um, yeah, just putting the reps and just keep going no matter what, and eventually you'll get better. 

 have you gotten any negative comments or haters or trolls or anything on your content? 

YouTube, no, not, not really on Instagram. Yes. Like, um, but it's usually people that are, I don't know, they probably sit, sit at home and do that. They don't really know what they're talking about. Like, usually I'm, I, I was, I was doing a lot of, I got away from the, the walk-in talks and I was doing more like, um.

Some B roll of like me doing a move and then putting a workout on there or you know, some inspirational content or things like that where, that was another move too. I wasn't really able to coach the way I wanted to. I didn't mention that before. It was just like all these B real type things and just trying to catch on new trends and things like that.

Um, which was fine for the time, but, um, but yeah, I got a couple comments like. Hey, you're gonna, you're gonna blow out your knees doing that or whatever. It's just, but it's just people like trying to comment, not know what they're, talk, what they're talking about. So it, it's, it's like, I don't know, you even know where the nature of that, those comments are coming from.

But yeah, it was, I, at first I didn't know how to deal with that. Like, should I respond? Should I not respond? Should I just, should I just, just not pay attention to those things? And yeah, then I started just commenting that, Hey, thanks for the feedback, and like, that's it kind of thing, right? Like, like just short and sweet.

Like, I, I, I see you, I hear you, and then that's, you know, whatever. I mean that I'm moving on, right? So, but yeah, nothing too crazy. But I think the funny thing was, was that, uh, somebody told me when you start getting haters, you've arrived 

or something, right? So I was like, by my first, when I got my first hater on, um, Instagram, I almost like celebrated like, hey, like

I'm at the point where like people are seeing my content enough that people are hating on me.

So that's that. I took it, I took it as a good 

thing. 

Yeah. It is a good thing. And I like the approach of just like commenting back things for the feedback. That's like my favorite comeback of all time, because you're just, you're engaging back with them. Which algorithmically helps the content 

anyway. And um, and sometimes I'll just say, okay, I'll just respond.

Okay. Sometimes it's, thanks for the feedback. Sometimes I'm, I get a little bit snarky if I check my, um, comments like, when I first wake up in the

morning, that's the worst time to check comments. 'cause then I'm like, actually really mean back to them. alright, so nothing like catastrophic happened when you put your face on camera and just finally started creating content.

It wasn't like your whole world imploded and were like, um, you know, got all these haters after

you or 

anything. 

No, I'd say it was the opposite of that. So when I started, um, I think, I don't know if most people are like this, but when you start, you kind of start inviting people from your life over and those are your first followers and your first people are digesting your content, right? So for me, that's almost, you know, more, it causes more anxiety for me than a total stranger, right?

Somebody who knows me is like, oh, somebody who knows me's gonna be looking at this and. I may see them tomorrow or, you know, or next week or next month, you know, and that's like real judgment. So that was, that was where I was, you know, what was worried about the most? Right. Not this, not the stranger. So, and the, the perception was like, really positive actually.

So it was, you know, the exact opposite. Like, I think the first live, even on YouTube, the first live that I did, I th the, there was, you know, obviously probably three or four people in there. But, um, I didn't announce it, just kind of did it because I just wanted to do it and I didn't think anybody was watching.

But I'm getting comments from people that I've, I haven't talked to in like, you know, maybe 10 or 15 years. I just kind of happened to be in my space and, you know, I didn't even know they even knew what I was doing. So they just happened to be. So I found me somehow and started following me, but never really commented.

And they just like, I'm here watching your, I'm here, I'm on a walk listening to your live right now. And that's like the most surprising thing is, you know, people are listening even though if you don't think they are, and you know, they'll show up every once in a while. But yeah, that was, it was the exact opposite.

I got a, a pretty good reception from people that I knew, so that was a good thing. So yes, all of the fears, like none of that happened, right? All the fears you have not of that happened. And I mean, just the expectation, like, yeah, you're like, anything in life that you're doing that's new, like you're not gonna be good at it.

You're gonna stink and you just gotta, you know, put in the reps and eventually you'll get better at it. 'cause now, today that I feel that even in talking head bees that I do for YouTube, um, I mean I'm that much better where I'm figuring out a method that I could do where I'm not doing scripted things, but I have like an outline, I'm ready.

I'm doing that where, um, you know, I have, I know I know what I wanna talk about, but I'm more. Um, on the fly, you know, just talking and conversational and that's like a new, the new way I'm approaching things, especially like in the age of ai and people are having

avatars of themselves and just craziness.

Right. Just gonna get crazy in, in this year. So, actually I think, I don't know, I, I was freaked out about it at the beginning, but I think it's a good thing now because I wanna be more human and I want to throw in like the, I don't wanna edit out every, um, and huh, and you know, like,

leave it, you know, don't edit as much.

Leave it in there. Be as human as possible and be as conversational as possible. 'cause that's the real person. Like if I was consulting somebody in person, that's the person they would see. So I try and cut down that

digital barrier as much as I 

can. 

Yeah, I love that. And I, I love how with ai it's like, oh. All we have to do is be more human. That's easy. Like we can all do that. But I mean, it's easier said than done on camera, but ultimately it is easy. 'cause I feel like what you're saying, your like evolution of uh, like scripting and feeling kind of robotic at first and now you feel more natural, but you've only been doing this for a couple months and it took me years to go from robotics scripting perfect. To just like showing up natural as a human. So whatever you did, you like fast forwarded through all of that and figured it out really quick. 

the, a helpful thing was like watching your videos and like learning the process of how like you do things and all also how other people do things because. That is how I've accelerated, you know, my learning. It's all about, yeah, me doing it in reps.

But, um, I think what you learn about how other people do things and no, you're not gonna do them exactly the way that they're doing it. 'cause you wanna have your own way of doing it, but it at least it, it just fast forwards things a little bit. You get more of an idea rather than trying to figure that out for yourself.

It may have taken me a lot longer, so that, that definitely was a plus and helped me accelerate that for sure.

Yeah. so tell me about your process then for, 'cause you have fif somewhere between 15 and 17 videos on your YouTube channel. Uh, but you're, but you're relatively new to creating long form YouTube videos. So how do you approach, because you work with clients, so like how do you approach, what am I putting for free on YouTube versus what I teach them versus like, where do you come up with the content ideas?

Yes. That's a great question. Um, I, so I do, I, I mean, I interview people all the time and I'm always talking to people and getting their pain points and, you know, feedback and knowing where the opportunities lie. So I have a good sense of like who I am serving and, um, that person by just doing that, kind of just doing that research.

So I have that, um, as how I come up with the content. Um, I know like there are strategies in place like I, your, your spiderweb strategy and you know, there are other things out there, um, and other ways people do things like they do their content ahead of time. And I am just not one of those people. Not that I do follow your spiderweb, but as of like listing everything out ahead of time, like I, it, especially in the fitness space, I just think it's so.

Things come out all of the time. Not that I jump on trends, but I, I try and balance it where I'm not, I don't watch, I watch some videos on YouTube to see what's out there, but I'm not wholly into, okay, I'm gonna, I'm gonna type in this tool and get the trendy things and make a video about that. Which I know a lot of the gurus would probably say that's the wrong way to go about things.

But it's also like how I want to do things personally. Um, because I have a business. I wanna run my business the way I wanna run my business. And I'm not trying to be a content creator. I am trying to, you know, build that, um, like andrus factor online. So that's my main goal. Uh, so there are things that I wanna talk about that may not fit in with.

You know, the right strategy, but I'm gonna make a video about it anyways because I wanna make a video about it. And I know that it's a pain point for, for my clients and people that will enter my universe at some point, even if it's not something that's like the, mainly the main search topic on YouTube.

And people may take people a little while to find it. Um, so I do approach it that way. I do do a lot of strategic work though, to see like what's out there and what is, you know, some outliers and what is trending. Um, maybe try and mix that in. But I, and it's really for me, um, it's a lot of like, when I'm walk, I take, I go for a walk outside and I'm like, in nature, that's how I turn my brain off.

I'm a very, I know a DHD is like a buzzword these days, but I'm a very, like that kind of person where I'm, my brain is constantly going, going, going, going, going. And it's hard for me to quiet that. So when I go for walks outside, that's my way of. Like a forced meditation almost, where like I am shutting my brain down, just concentrating on, you know, thoughts that come in.

Like that's what I call like the muse or you know, that creative spark. Those come, comes in that way. And I have my phone on me and I either do audio notes or I'll just type a note. Or if I'm listening to a podcast and there's something that I'd like on there that somebody said that, Hey, I might want to do a video on this.

I take a screenshot and you know, the iPhone has a cool feature these days where you take a screenshot and you can put a note on it, you can write on it, whatever, like, you know, scribble on it. And I have that saved as a note. So it's not like I'm,

you know, it's, they're quick thoughts. They're like, Hey, just a reminder, go back and listen to this, you know, 10 minute, you know, snippet and this because of this.

So I'll go back and listen to it and I'll just write down, you know, in a journal or something like that, like maybe some things I'm gonna talk about. Then I do keep a log of that. Um. You know, in, you know, Google Docs or, um, some other, some other tool like that just to have ideas. But that's kind of how that's, that's sort of, that's my process.

But it's mainly, these are many things that I wanna talk about. Um, and I know, I just know, but I, it's again, like, I think the gurus say, like, don't just talk about what you wanna talk about or do what you wanna do. Right. But, um, I think I know my, the person that I serve very well, and that person is also me.

So, um, but I have, I, I've done the research and done that upfront work that, that content part is now the easy part where I know their pain points. So I know that I'm saying the right thing to them, even if it is also something that I wanna say and then see how it 

goes. 

This is really interesting because I feel like when, for people who already have a business, they already have clients that they're serving. They're you like, like you just described, you have all of this research, they're like, you probably know more than you even think. You know, when it comes to things like pain points, like the things that people are searching for, the problems they're searching for the solutions to, you already have that versus somebody who's starting a channel who doesn't already have a business or you know they wanna have a business but they don't currently have clients or a course or program or something. you have clients that you're serving, and that's the best research. That's like the gold research that you can do for if you're looking for like keywords or things to make videos about, because it's the actual pain points are the things people are searching for. They're searching for those solutions. And so I do think people get kind of tripped up, and we were talking about this yesterday in the Video Brand Academy meetup where someone was like, well, vid IQ is telling me people aren't really searching for this thing. I know that they are because they're my clients.

It's like my Google Analytics say they're searching for it. My inbox, my dms, people are asking. And so like that's the best possible research to have is what you already have with your own, um, clients. So I think it's really smart to like dive into that pool of, you know, quote unquote keywords rather than just kind of relying on those keyword research tools and things. Um, I think both is good, you know, but I think you're making the right move by, by knowing your clients and knowing who you serve really well and using that. I think that is so smart. So how do you like, describe what. What happens for you on a weekly basis or, because you said you have a family, you have a business that you're running. So when you go to make a video like this week or next week, what does that like process look like for you, like in your life?

Yes. Um, I, so I try, I mean, I try and stay in a, like a set schedule, but that's almost impossible. So, um, I know that the, the weekends are usually a good time for me to record. The video or like a Friday afternoon, something like that. Like when the house is quiet. Um, not that my, the weekends, my house is quiet, but, you know, my daughter might be at tennis or soccer or something and I can just kind of lag behind and, and do something or, uh, maybe later in the week.

Uh, but so I try and like maybe start thinking. I, I mean, I, like I say, I have a list of ideas. Um, and that's almost the hard part too, because I, sometimes I forget about things that, you know, like I'll just start listing 'em out and I'll go back to the beginning. Oh, I forgot about that one. Or something. But not that it has to be in sort of order, but, um, I start with that.

Like, okay, I have an initial concept of what I wanna, what I wanna do a video on, and, you know, the format. Is it a, you know, workout video, talking head, whatever. Uh, once I have that idea, um, then I will really just either start. Brainstorming, like writing down in a notebook or, you know, typing something out like that.

I wanna talk about, I usually have it in my head of, you know, what I wanna say and how I, how I wanna say it. So I'll really just start typing it out and brainstorming and getting, you know, the gist of what I want to say. Um, and then go from there. Then maybe cut it down to like an outline and, you know, talking points, things like that.

And then have an idea of, you know, when in the week I wanna record it and then leave some time for editing, that sort of thing. But it's all, it all changes all the time and it's always organic. It never goes exactly how that is. I just try and say, okay, I want to have an idea. I want to get some things down on paper, and then I want to hit record.

And then, um, yeah. And then I also don't wanna spend too much time editing. I think when I first started making videos, I was falling into that trap of, oh, I have to have some kind of intro and B roll and all that stuff, but. Lately I've gotten away from, gotten away from all that, like the bells and whistles part of it.

Because I just again, wanna be as human as conversational as possible. And again, I go back to that, those couple outlier videos where have none of that. It was just me in my gym talking and going through, you know, a workout demo. And that's, you know, what people resonated with the most. So it wasn't like, oh, I had this much B roll to keep somebody engaged.

And I think that goes back to what I was saying before was, you know, trying not to overthink things and go into like what the gurus say too much. And you know, have confidence in knowing what you want to do and how you wanna present yourself. How you wanna do things that may not align with the best way to present on YouTube.

You know, 'cause there's always those conversations of if you wanna keep people engaged, you wanna have, you know. Text on screen. You wanna have B-roll, you wanna have, the hook has to be 30 seconds and all that stuff. Which, yeah, there's, there's merit in all of that stuff. But, um, I try and not get too caught up in that because that's gonna, that's gonna cause me to slow my timeline down and like, I want to just get quality videos out.

Now it's quality and then it's also quantity. I try and stay on that schedule of getting it out once a week, just 'cause my channel is, you know, pretty new and I wanna, you know, stay accountable to that. Um, so I try and stay on that schedule. I, if I miss a week here and there, like the holidays just happened.

I haven't posted in three weeks. I have a video ready to go, but it's taken me two weeks to do the thumbnail for some reason because I'm just like, I have things that come in front of that sometimes, you know, it's,

sometimes it's not priority number one. Sometimes it is the number one thing I'm doing in the week, but sometimes some things come up and they're more important or I have to, you know, uh.

Deal with, you know, clients and helping people out. And that always, always comes before, you know, YouTube content. So, like I said, it's, it's just an always an organic thing and I don't have a process as of yet. I just try and do it how my mind wants to work and then get it out there. And that's, that's where I'm at right now.

Okay, so let's go. You mentioned thumbnails, and I have to bring this up because, um, one of the calls that we were on, and I was looking at your channel and I was like, where did these thumbnails come from? Because they just look so good. They, I'm just like, you're like, oh, I'm new to YouTube, and I'm like, no, you're not.

Like, where did you, where did you come from with these thumbnails? So I'm curious how, 'cause thumbnails are so tricky for a lot of people. They're, they, they, they don't know, like the technical, like, how do I put this stuff in Adobe Express or Canva or whatever. But then even if they did know the technical stuff, they don't even necessarily know that what they're looking at is like a good looking thumbnail.

So w how do thumbnails work in your brain?

Oh man, that is, dunno if that's a loaded question or not. That's a tough one. Like how do they work in my brain, I'm, um, I think I, I mentioned this before where I do do some research on YouTube, um, not just in my niche, but just like what I like on YouTube. It's, it's, I mean, it's a matter of taste too and like what looks good and how, how you want your, your channel to look.

Um, I mean, I do have a little bit, I do have somewhat of a creative design background, so I, I do have that. Um, I know about consistency and brand and the importance of that. So going in. Well, I think if you look at my channel, the first couple are, you know, very different from what I have now. I just took some iterations of, um, you know, how, what's gonna look best, how to, how do I wanna look, how do I wanna maybe template them out?

So I have a certain template where, you know, maybe that my picture's always on the right hand side and my text is always on the left and I'm, you know, I may have like, some large texts in the background and that they talk about different things that are in the video or whatever, different, you know, whatever the video's about.

So I do approach it like in a more of like a templated way. Um, but as I was saying that I, I don't wanna look too much on what's on YouTube because I also want to do things my own way and I don't want to do things too much like other people are doing them. So I try and do things my own way. I did start by, you know, looking at some.

People's channels and then, you know, picking out some things that I liked from that. And then doing that just to get me started. But then I think over like the first like two or three videos, I kind of really started developing my own look and feel and how I wanted things to look, which is always evolving.

Like I'm still evolving that like I may not like it here, like it here, and like how much do I stay consistent? Can I change things up? You know, there's always questions in my mind. But having like

the same dark background, you know, the same maybe photo like in the background, you know, with an opacity, but having that same element, you know, and having, yeah, I have brand colors.

So it's using 

Mm-hmm. 

I mean, I think even if you don't have a design background, which you don't need to have, right? I think, um, there are tools that can help you with that part of it. And Canvas is great, you know, just like a great. Tool, uh, for if you'd help with the design. But I think the most important thing too is like, have some, you don't have to have a full fridge, like, you know, brand guide or anything, but have some colors in mind like, Hey, do I always use red or blue and or black and white and those are my brand colors.

And then just use those consistently. Um, because I think that maybe, depending on how it looks, that uniformity when come somebody comes to your channel is, is pretty important. In my mind, like it's not their, their eyes aren't going all these other, all these other places where everything looks completely different.

It like, they should know, look at your thumbnail after they've seen it for a while and know that you've done, yeah, that's you. Like your name doesn't have to be on your face, doesn't be on. They can just look at that and go,

that's from that person. You know? And that's, I think that's, that recognition is important.

So those are things I think about, I mean, as of like what to put on them. I mean, you know, that's always, I'm still in the learning phase of that. What's, you know, the best thing. And then the great thing is on YouTube you can test them to an AB test and things like that and see what's, what's 

good. 

I'm going to, I'll definitely put a link to your channel in the description and show notes for this so everyone can go and. Check out Tony's thumbnails. Um, it's such a great, I think it's a great little, uh, sort of thumbnail case study in a way, because like what you're saying about consistency is so true.

But at the same time, your colors, like, you have this like bright green but with a dark background and the, that stands out. So like, regardless of whether that's your brand color, no one cares, it's your brand color. But they'll recognize it over time. But it also stands out on YouTube because of like how you put it all together. And for anyone who does go look at your thumbnails, I just wanna point out all of the photos of you are super well lit, so you stand out from the background it just works. So you somehow, you just make it work and it's consistent, but they're, but they don't all look the same. I love it. Alright, so I do want to ask about, grow your audience, get clients for your business. What exactly are you helping clients do? Like what is it, what is the business I.

Yeah, so I am, um. I help pe-people over 40 really like, navigate, uh, the health and fitness space and, uh, come up with solutions to, um, specifically for people over 40. 'cause we have our own, um, our own difficulties and things that pop up over 40. So solving that, um, again, a health and fitness space. So I basically work from like the complete gamut where I cover like mindset, nutrition, training, movement, um, you know, long-term success, uh, longevity over ego, you know, everything that has to do with that.

Like, I'm not a get shredded in 30 days or, you know, fat loss, you know, buzzword person. Like I'm, you know, all 

about, uh, science back things, you know, things that I've seen, things that I've seen work in real life. Um, so you don't ever hear anything come out of my mouth or on my, you know. From my channel, anything that's like BS or trendy or you know, not true or not something I've seen work.

Um, so it's really solving the problem of time. Um, most people are 45 families careers, so we just may not have time to go to the gym. But even if you do have a gym membership, there is a, a lot of value in having a space at home and being able to do things at home. Um, but, you know, using, how do you do that with minimal equipment, with only a couple pieces of equipment?

That's the main part of my program is, um. Not only the nutrition piece, the mindset piece, but doing workouts in under 30 minutes and getting real results with that, with minimal equipment. Because that's really the secret sauce of, you know, my philosophy and what I teach. Like, you can get a quality training session in 15 or 20 minutes that is gonna blow your socks off.

You just have to kind of go in there with a certain intention, a certain way of doing things. This is what I teach. Um, and then you become a believer. Like it's hard people, you know, I think when they enter my space and hear me talk, they can't really fathom how you can get a good workout in 10 minutes, 15 minutes.

There's a lot of things on my channel. It's how I try and show that. Like, I show a lot of 10 minute workouts. Every workout program is not 10 minutes, they're under 30 minutes. But I just want to show that, hey, try this. It's 10 minutes. See how you feel afterwards, and you'll, you are gonna be very surprised of, you know, the results.

Um, so that's, that's, those are my main, those 

So how do you use, like, tell me how YouTube works with getting clients to your business.

Yeah. like I said this at the beginning where I want to give them a sense of how I coach, how I do things, how I go about things, even like me as a person, my vibe. You know, those all go into why somebody wants to work with somebody, right? Um, not just the knowledge piece of, oh, this guy knows what he's talking about.

Or, um, you know, that's, that may be easy to come by. There's a lot of people that know what they're talking about, but like, do I, do, I like how this person goes, goes about things how I do. I like how they solve problems. Can I solve my problem or do I like them? I mean, would I wanna hang out with them or, you know, have them talk to me in a, you know, it's a very intimate thing when you're on.

Especially with one-on-one clients that I work with. So even if it's a di, a digital remote space, it's a very intimate space and a very intimate subject as well. Um, a lot of the times you're not just helping somebody lose weight or put on muscle or you know, this or that. It's a lot of like the main thing that I encounter and help people with the, the body part of it.

You know, the lean and fit part of it is the byproduct of everything else, but you know, it's all about what's in your mind. We're we're therapists as well as, you know, health and fitness coaches. Um, so a lot of it is getting people through those things like why are you doing these things? And you know, really digging deep into those problems as well.

So again, it's a very intimate thing, so being able to be on YouTube and relay that as much as possible that is. A much better platform that I found instead of just putting, um, you know, some b roll up and some inspirational things, or putting a workout on high Instagram or some, you know, in shorts or someplace like that, where they're not gonna get that, that sense from you unless they get on a phone call with you or a video or, you know, but a lot of the times you have to like, you know, obviously lead them into that because, uh, like you said, the space is noisy and saturated so that this YouTube is the best place for me to actually coach somebody without actually coaching them and they can see how I coach and then they go, oh, you know, I like, I like this person.

I like the way they do things, so I think I'm gonna work with them. That's, it's really as simple as that. I mean, being a human and, um, and display, you know, displaying your, displaying your knowledge and your skills and, you know, in your communication and all of that goes into it. But it's all like a package.

I think when somebody. It really clicks and they decide to work with you. It's, it's everything. It's not just like, oh, I saw like a cool reel you did on Instagram. It's this, you know, I think, I don't know how, how many hours of video they say that someone needs a watch before they will interact, engage with you or even sign up for your programs.

But it's, it's a lot, you know, even me personally, like when I choose to work with somebody, 'cause coaches need coaches too, right? So, um, when I choose to work with somebody, it is hours and hours and hours of me just watching and not engaging. Just, you know, and then I, then I, I think those things in my own mind, you know what I like working with this person, what I like talking to this person.

Because there are a lot of people out there that you're not gonna like working with. You're not gonna like talking to, you're not gonna like their, their vibe, you know? Especially just being a male in a, the fitness space. Um. You know, there's a ton of, you know, super alpha, you know, type guys out there.

Right? And even after, even though I come from like the fighting space, right? That's not my vibe. I'm more of like a, I'm a very easygoing, low key like philosophy type person. Like I'm not in your face, right? Like I, you know, I can, you can get a little intense, you know, have to a little bit to push people sometimes.

But I'm not gonna be coaching like a David Goggins type person, or like, that's not in your face type person. Now somebody might want that and they may go look for that, but that's not the person that I am, so they won't, they won't wanna work with me. But somebody might want a, that kind of approach and that kind of vibe when they're dealing with some of their, you know, health and 

fitness 

Mm-hmm. 

So it's just who you're attracting. But, um, at this, if you're your authentic self, you're gonna attract the right people anyways. That's how I kind of try and 

approach it. 

Yeah. And so have you seen clients come in that have found you directly on YouTube?

Yes, for sure. Yes, I have, I have signed clients on YouTube. I have had some surprises where, 'cause I'm not really, I'd say this year is the year of selling for me. You know, it's the year I'm really gonna kind of go all in on promoting and selling and trying to get my program out there.

We're, up until now is like kind of the building phase, right? Like, I work with people, it's all getting feedback from them, building my program, you know, pivoting and switching and strategic moves and things like that. Um, and then feeling it out. But now that's all set and that's all ready to go. So I'm ready to kind of really like, get my program out to the masses.

So that's, that's my, you know, my, my, um, my main, you know. Goal for this year. But yes, I have put links for, um, like freebies and lower ticket things on, um, on YouTube. And I had some, I had like sales come in and not even trying. So that's like, that's like, I think that's the funny story about that where I, you know, I've just put a couple of links.

I have a, a beginner kettlebell video series, which is like a short course, it's a lower ticket thing, kind of like, just to get people in my world and, you know, less risk than jumping into my full program and my full one-on-one. Um, yeah, and I just had like, some sales come through and, I mean, not even, not even trying, so I was like, right then I'm like, Hey, this, this works.

You know, like not just putting a, a link in there, you know, just like not thinking anything about it. And, 'cause I'm like, well, somebody will find this video down the road and maybe they'll 

click on something. But yeah, that, so I, for sure, so I, I've had like. Saying before those little things where it's, you know, it's not this like in your face success because again, I'm new, but I've had definitely indications like, this is the thing to do and this is the better way of do doing, doing things.

Because I've never had that on social media. Like I've never had somebody buy something from me, from social media before. This is the first that YouTube was the first time anybody bought anything from me, from social media. So, yeah. So that, that's how, that's how I know it works. It just kind of 

keep 

Awesome. I love that. All right, last, uh, like sort of uh, lightning round of questions. I wanna ask what gear you use, like your camera, your lighting, microphone, you film in your garage. Like how is your setup? What's

your 

gear like? 

Okay. So I do have a, a Sony, is it Z-V-Z-V-E 10. 

That's 

Sounds right. 

Yeah. 

What, just look it up.

A, B, C, 

D, something. Yes. 

First one. Yes. It's a Sony V 10. So I have a, so it's a, a digital SLR that I have and that's what, um, I record with. Um, I have a, a, a road, this is a road mic, so a road pod mic. So I don't have a mix or anything. It just hooks right in USB into my laptop.

So that's works for me. Um, I went through a lot of software to record the software that works best for me is eca. Um, you just can work, you can record out of the browser. Uh, it just looks the best, uh, sounds the best. I mean, it just, it, it just fits into my workflow very seamlessly. Um, so that's why I like it personally.

Uh, lights. So I was using, um, Light from Loom Cube. It was not the ring light, it was kinda like a light that wasn't for what I was using it for. It was, it was like a, had like two heads on it and I could like, you know, move them around, but it was more for like tattooing and makeup 

artist type stuff thing.

So it was a little bit like a, I think it was a soft light, but a little harsh of a light. So I just got a think it's a Go Doc soft box on Amazon. So, um, that seems to be a, a great light for me that I'm using. So I do have a soft box light and, you know, trying to get not too fancy with the equipment, but have it nice enough to, uh, where I sound and, you know, look now, when I did start out, I had a, somebody in my program that pointed out that I was trying to record a lot of my videos with a, with a lab mic.

So like that fit on my lapel and it picked up when the air conditioning kicked on or heat kicked on, it would pick up that. And he told, he pretty much told me like, this, this sounds terrible. So, so, um, that, that, again, bad feedback is good feedback. So I said thanks for the feedback. Seriously. So I went, I ordered, you know, this pod mic right after that and it was, you know, not, not fairly, not too expensive.

And I just plug in my laptop and I was immediately, sounded way better. And it like backs, it blocks a lot of background noise out and I was like, this is just, it just, it just sounds so much better compared to what I have now in the garage. Um. I was doing videos with my iPhone, so I was recording that. Um, but there was like complications with that.

It was just kind of hard. I had a laugh mic so I could like jump around and, you know, do movements, things like that. So I wanted to make sure that, so that seemed to work, uh, pretty well. And then I started just taking, um, my camera outside or out to the garage with a tripod. And then just hooking the lab mic up through Bluetooth.

And that's the, that's the setup I have, um, in the garage. Like, I have a, I have a mark on the floor where I put the tri, the, the, um, tripod, so I know it's the, the right frame every single time. Um, it's not a big space, so it was, you know, challenging to get everything in there. But I kind of just, you know, got a nice front view of everything.

Nothing too fancy again, where I just record it that way. So, yeah. So I just had like a base. Level of equipment, and I definitely didn't start with that. You know, I started, I think with my phone and then, you know, just got the camera and then got the light. Just kind of adding 

Yeah, a little bit here and there. Yeah. That's the way to do it for sure. I have had people that are like, well, I spent

$5,000 on all of my gear and now I have to hire someone to help me, like set it up. And I'm like, Hmm, okay. We could have done that a little bit different. Um, but All right. So where can people find you on YouTube?

Obviously, I will put a link to your channel and everything, um, so people can just click it, but where could people find you on YouTube and

connect with 

you? 

So you can go to my channel that is Coach Tony at YouTube, search for that. Or you can go to my website, cto fit.com and everything is on the website. Um, you can join my email list. There's a couple freebies on there. You can look, take a look at my programs memberships, and that's a good place to kind of get ahold of me and to just reach out.

I answer all of my emails, all of the comments. It's just me and all a team of people behind me, so you know that if you reach out to me that you will get a real response from me. So don't 

hesitate. 

From a real 

human. 

Probably a real person. Yeah, imagine that.

Is there anything else that you wanna say that I didn't ask or that you think that people should know about Anything that we talked about?

Yeah, I guess, um, like in a, in a like reflective moment, I know everybody says you hear all the time if you, if you are thinking about it, like just get, just hit record and get started. Now that's easier said than done. Um, like I, I eased into it from Instagram, so you just had to kind of find your own way.

But I just start it from zero. So I mean, if, if you have an idea, you wanna start a YouTube channel, you have something you want to talk about, like just you have a phone hit record and put it up there and then, um, just start creating that channel. I think the first video is the hardest video to make for sure.

And I only have, you know, 15 or 16 videos on there and, um, it has gotten easier so. I, it's, I have, I have a, I have a process, I have a workflow, I have a way of doing things. It just makes it easier and it feels more confident. And I, I mean, I feel more confident in doing it and, um, just is a little bit easier now and it's actually actually fun.

So I went into something where I was very scared to do and very nervous. 'cause I'm not a, you know, an, it's like a comfortable onstage speaker type person, so I'm more introverted. So, um, that for sure was a challenge to get over. But, um, I actually find it very, even though I'm introverted, I find it very fun because I'm talking about something that I'm very passionate about.

So that's, that's also the difference. 

So, yeah. 

Awesome. Thank you so much. 

if you're inspired by Tony, based on our conversation that we had here I am not. I'm not just saying this because he's a member of Video Brand Academy, but legitimately go look at his channel and check out his thumbnails, his videos in a really short amount of time.

He's done really, really well on YouTube and he's done it not by becoming a full-time YouTuber. And that's what gets me so excited, not just for Tony, not just for me, but for you too. For anyone who has a life, a family. And a business to run, but wants to actually generate leads in sales online.

 If that's you, I'd love to help you along the way inside a video brand academy. I'll put a link down below so that you can check it out for yourself. We have coaching every single week with me and others. There's an entire roadmap.

There's AI bots that, believe it or not, help you show up as a human on YouTube without putting so much time and effort into everythingPlus the same exact growth strategies that I use to grow my audience and generate consistent sales in my own business. It's all inside a video brand academy. So I hope to see you there. and maybe you'll be the next guest on the Video Brand Infusion podcast.