[00:01] consistently, Sean, the channel took off, right? I went from 300 to 400,000 views a month, which I was getting on average, to over a million. best-selling author who's now running the second biggest channel in the entire
[00:14] years ago when he started YouTube, he struggled for months just to get a few thousand subscribers. And then, after experiencing some growth, he hit a plateau. He got stuck and had to reinvent his entire strategy. And in
[00:29] this episode of the Think Media podcast, he's breaking all of the lessons down, [music] including how he repositioned and rebranded his channel, his packaging strategy that started to make his videos [music] go viral, and one strategy that
[00:42] brought in almost $700,000 in gross sales in the last 30 days alone. And I this. So, if you're just starting on you've been stuck and you're wanting to scale your views [music] and income,
[00:57] scale your views [music] and income, this episode is for you. Let's dive in. >> So, Ben, what is the biggest thing about YouTube you believe right now that you didn't believe years ago? >> Well, I used to think YouTube was slow
[01:11] growth. And uh it can be, but it doesn't have to be slow growth. I really believe there are ways to maximize your reach, even if you are a new channel. Uh I see with my channel, we're not new, but I see some months that we've had where
[01:26] we've hit over 100,000 subscribers like within 30 days. And the first thousand when we launched the channel, but I don't think that's necessary. I don't think you have to have the slow growth. There are ways to figure out virality on
[01:41] possible before, Sean. >> When did that first hit you? Like what happened or what video where that epiphany started to be revealed to you? >> It was a video I did about 15, 16 months ago on um foods that RFK Jr. was looking
[01:58] And what I didn't realize back then, we actually did this accidentally. It was during the perfect time where he was, you know, coming on board to the government, RFK Jr. He was talking about MAHA, Make America Healthy Again. And
[02:10] I put this video out right before he came on board. And what I realized when biggest video yet. It has over 4 million views since then. But what I realized is
[02:22] we picked the perfect time on a very important topic and we released it at everybody else that were releasing similar videos. So we got the views there and we could do that with other videos and other trends. You you talk
[02:34] about this trends What is it? Trend surfing, I think you call it. So finding and being one of the first people to do it. Or even if you're not the first person, being the best at it, the best video out there. I realized we could do
[02:46] this in other areas and we don't have to wait 6 months, 12 months, or a year for as soon as the video comes out. Like that video went off the day that it came >> How long did the video take you to make? You spotted it, you did some research,
[03:00] turn around as quick as possible? >> I did cuz I knew I wanted to be one of point. So yes, I intentionally got it out as fast as possible. How long did it take? Well, I did some research on the foods he was looking to ban. I read some
[03:14] together. That probably took me 3 hours of research and then an additional 45 minutes of recording. So let's say let's say 4 hours total time and that was it. That was it.
[03:27] Okay. So I mean, not nothing, you know, not just 10 minutes, not rushed. I think that speaks to the power of substance and quality, but also for the results. I mean, it it took you 4 hours to get 4 million views.
[03:43] That's crazy. So the return on investment of time I'm curious since that video came out, what do you do to try to see breaking news stories or relevant news stories for your niche.
[03:55] >> I have a person on my team who looks at different articles and and looks on chat, looks on cloud TV what's trending out there. I also keep an eye on it in don't spend a lot of time on social media personally, but I do look at
[04:08] pop on my feed and I'm like, okay, is this something that I might want to make a video about? Like for example, I saw a video pop up on my TikTok feed the other day. Um this viral video that had millions of views on TikTok about
[04:21] microplastics being found in testicles and the brain and in your day-to-day everywhere and I knew a lot about this topic, but I never thought about recording a video until I saw this go viral. At least I saw the viral video on
[04:35] I'm going to record a YouTube video and go a little bit deeper on the microplastics, but also how to remove the microplastics, not just the problem, part of the research as well, but I do have somebody who's dedicated to
[04:48] actually looking at studies and articles and seeing what's popping out there. Um but you don't need that for those who are wondering. You could be the the TikTok feed, looking at the Instagram
[05:02] And then also one real quick going on YouTube incognito mode or go on see what's showing up on the homepage because that's what's doing well. and if it's relevant to something I want to record, I'll look into recording that
[05:17] >> And those are some good tactics. The YouTube incognito mode is fascinating because yeah, again, then there's no algorithmic um change, you know, normally we're seeing what the algorithm is suggesting
[05:29] incognito is going to show you even the concepts, even if it's not the exact news story, like the concepts or the formats or the titles that could inspire our next viral video idea. And then I would agree with that as well. I think,
[05:42] scroll on social media and it doesn't lead to a positive benefit. But true social media consumption to pay attention to trends, if you condition your algorithm on Instagram or TikTok to be feeding you news, in your
[05:57] case being in the health niche, um then those are a place where lots of information breaks quickly. And YouTube I'd almost say it breaks quite as fast. So, it could give you a head start to be using TikTok, Facebook
[06:13] Reels, Instagram to get uh video ideas to make these kind of news and trending type of videos. Have you then since that time, what has been maybe one of the spotted a story and then how did you end up packaging it on YouTube to turn it
[06:28] around and what were the results? >> Fasting. So, fasting we I see a lot of articles come out on on intermittent fasting, like long fast. Sometimes no food for 20 days, 40 days, and those
[06:40] Misha, and I love talking about fasting. practicing it myself. So, anytime I could record a fasting video, I'm excited I'm excited to do that. But what I noticed is every time I recorded a
[06:53] fasting video, breaking down the timeline of what happens in your body. Dr. Berg, but with fasting, water fasting, what happens inside of your body hour by hour when you go without food for 24 hours and then 30-hour mark,
[07:06] 48-hour mark, 72-hour mark. So, I did videos on 100-hour fast, 72-hour fast, 48-hour fast, and I was hopping on the trend. And those videos all of those performing videos. And Sean, I love recording them.
[07:20] Fasting is one of my favorite topics to talk about and I I they're so successful cuz I'm so animated and excited when I'm recording them. But that was the second one there, the fasting part. It's been one of those
[07:32] popularity of fasting, but when I see it pop up in these viral videos or these uh articles that come out, this guy fasted for 20 days, no food, and it goes viral. video. >> I love that. Now, you in just a second I
[07:47] turning points for your channel because you're not new to YouTube, but you definitely went through a a season of a plateau. And I think there's a lot of entrepreneurs, business owners that maybe at one point they were getting
[07:59] certain amount of results. But now they're trying to reinvent themselves. They're trying to figure out what pivot is needed. And you've done think now you're like the second largest channel in your space.
[08:12] Uh you know, almost 7 million views in the last 30 days. So, I'm excited to get want to give a shout-out. The topic of this podcast is not um as much like health in your main expertise, but as we both well, as anyone who listens to the
[08:26] Big Podcast uh Podcast knows and you know, our friendship, health is an edge. If you want to have your best energy, your best ideas, then tapping into things like fasting or or your diet, your exercise could be a big deal. So, I
[08:39] You're just dropping a brand new book. I think it's a relaunch. What's happening? description that can really help people feel better and as a result get better >> Yeah, thank you, Shawn. And as an entrepreneur, you know, you know how
[08:53] important it is to uh improve your health. I love seeing you transform your health with the biohacking. You were talking about your labs and you've coincidence that it's transforming your productivity. And that that is the case.
[09:07] bigger the mission, the more energy that is required, the more vitality you need to have, and it starts with your health. Uh it doesn't matter what your career is I do have this book coming out. It's a relaunch of Keto Flex uh that came out
[09:21] in 2021. It's being relaunched. It's revised completely. Uh my publisher Hay proud of the book because it's a customized version of how to apply these fasting, even things like anti-inflammatory elimination diets like
[09:37] the carnivore diet. We hear about fasting. We hear about ketosis. We hear customize the approach so you could benefit because not everybody gets the same benefit. And I was tired of seeing people struggle doing the things that I
[09:50] was teaching in a general format because they failed to customize it to their out the customization of it. Here's how men do it. Here's how women do it. menstrual cycle do it differently than women who are postmenopausal. And it
[10:05] shows you the game plan and there's a beginner version and an advanced There's fasting tips in there. It's called Keto Flex and it's coming out on >> Amazing. So we'll make sure that's in the description and
[10:19] could boost your whole life, business, YouTube channel. But I want to talk turning point on your channel after being plateaued for a while and the way you have articulated it is kind of shifting
[10:34] have articulated it is kind of shifting from niche content to viral content. Can you define those terms and how that what that process was like for you? this from you Sean. I learned a lot from about YouTube from you and Think Media
[10:48] of course. And you know, I remember you talking about on stage at your event essentially like two different types of content out there. There's the the content that's really SEO focused, searchable and then there's that viral
[11:01] virality part. And you know, you really helped me with the searchability of my right? We were Keto Camp. We were dominating keto. We had all the search words and the and the and the SEO going on and you really helped with that. And
[11:14] then I finally decided to go into more of the virality and open myself up and the name of my channel first and foremost from Keto Camp to Ben Azadi. So that separated that number one. Number two, I started creating content that was
[11:28] outside of the space of just ketosis and fasting. And I started looking at topics that were more viral, right? The microplastics things, like liver, fatty are things that I was not talking about before, maybe in sprinkles, but not a
[11:43] And once I started focusing on more viral content with the theme, like the title being such a great title, and the thumbnail being such a great thumbnail, and then me delivering that content with the value being at the front of that
[11:58] thickness or the I should say like the the meat of the content being right at the beginning, and holding that viewer on that video as long as possible. You always talk about TOP, time on platform. Like, what can I do to engage them right
[12:11] off the bat? What can I do to deliver the most massive tip in that video right as possible? I started thinking about this more often and strategizing this, and this went into my scripts. This went into the iteration of the content, and
[12:27] once I started doing that consistently, Shawn, the channel took off, right? I went from 300 to 400,000 views a month, which I was getting on average, to over a million. And then we went as high as over 12 million views in a single 30-day
[12:40] span, and then now it fluctuates between 6 million and 7 million, and sometimes 8 million, but way above what I was doing before when I I got out of the niche of it up to more broad topics when it came to health.
[12:54] I want to unpack some of these things. I think one of those terms, broad appeal, is such an interesting term for really exploding your YouTube channel. I've heard the most viral channels, which I want every, especially business owner
[13:09] grain of salt, because usually your intent, if you're, you know, have a very specific offer, a very specific product, but nevertheless, there's a lesson here. And some of the most viral channels actually ask themselves, does this topic
[13:24] actually ask themselves, does this topic appeal to 80% of the population? That's going to be That means it doesn't just isolate men or women. It means that food something that's broad enough appeal that like almost any human would be
[13:40] interested in clicking on this. Now again, what's fascinating is is heard maybe recently Alex Hormozi talk about when it comes to business results, his niche secondary channel that only talks about like very specific things
[13:54] actually drives more business to his company than his more viral channel. But this is also coming from somebody who does both. He's got broad appeal brand, results. What I want people to hear, and you can
[14:07] is we are always asking ourselves at Think Media, how can we make this as broad appeal as possible? We might still want to call out something specific, but how can we package it? How can we title it to to push up the level of how broad
[14:22] appeal that it is? Is that kind of how you've been thinking in your strategy? >> That's exactly it. And you know, it's it's really a matter of of testing a lot every video is going to be a winner, right? You talk about that.
[14:35] And if you don't put out enough content, it's going to be hard to get that data. So, we release five episodes or five solo videos on my YouTube channel every week. It's a lot. It's a lot. However, it gets us so much
[14:49] data to see what are the winners, what are the average performers, and what are the duds. And we're constantly testing different themes and things we think that are mass appeal. Sometimes it is, and they crush. And then sometimes I
[15:01] Like there was a video I recorded on Some of the latest research on dementia, how to prevent it, and some ways how to dramatically slow it down. It's a very important topic to me.
[15:15] like, this is going to crush. And it totally underperformed. our average. like, "Okay, my audience doesn't really care about brain health." And then I saw a a a I thought of a video another video on
[15:30] natural ways to whiten your teeth. I almost didn't record it cuz I thought, do people really think it's important?" I guess they do. It's vanity. So, let me just test it out, right? Again, you do enough content, you can test things out.
[15:42] ways to whiten your teeth. I put it out there, and it was one of the fastest growing videos on the channel. It's got over 2 million views now since we released it, right? So, my audience cares more about vanity things like
[15:54] teeth whitening versus like dementia, right? But I wouldn't have known if I you get duds, sometimes you get average performers, and sometimes you get these rockstars, but I put out enough content to test that and to get the results, the
[16:06] data back fast versus doing a video a week, I wouldn't know that data for a >> I love that. And then you I heard you say, of course, the power of packaging. We've been talking about that, you know, you need to master packaging or get
[16:20] ignored this year on YouTube. That's the game. It is that topic, it's that title, know what I think is under talked about is what you're saying is that next piece though, but packaging is not enough if the delivery, the script, or the outline
[16:36] isn't packed full of value, you know? You want to keep time on platform. We we've been talking a lot about the term of VPM, which is value per minute. How of VPM, which is value per minute. How dense is the value per minute for the
[16:48] on your video for 1, 2, or 3 minutes before I get another epiphany or another nugget, then I might bail. I probably will, right? Cuz there's other content out there. So, I'm kind of curious as such a good teacher and educator, you
[17:02] know, you've turned your knowledge and your experience into a online business that's changing lives and that is incredibly lucrative. How do you think about and how have you grown in creating like a world-class
[17:16] piece of content itself. The way you teach, the way you think about think about scripting your videos. >> Yeah, so it starts with the script, the theme. It starts with me understanding what what is the title of
[17:28] me. And then it's the next step is the script of that. How do I deliver the mass the best value to deliver the promise of that title. And um you know, I see a lot of people in my health space that I'll speak to that that also I
[17:41] nothing wrong with that. I use scripts for my videos, but they're very robotic they're reading a teleprompter or they're looking down and looking up and and they're just kind of reading what's on the script. And I can tell it's it's
[17:55] robotic and I can tell that it's not really helping as much as it is hurting down. I see this with the research I'm doing. I I I I go into it I don't want bring my personality to it. Although it is scripted, I am bringing my
[18:09] personality. I'm adding in stories, funny stories. I'm bringing my to be entertaining. I wanted it to be personable so the audience relates to me. And I wanted it to be educational. So what I'm you know, what I used to do
[18:22] is I used to start the videos with this long hook and a build-up and then explain why I'm choosing these five tips. You know, I've changed that with a short hook and then going right into those tips and delivering massive value
[18:37] spoken about this before with you Sean when you interviewed me and then I'll feel like I want to add some questions, I'll add it to the end. But it's like right off the bat, massive value. They see the thumbnail, they see the title.
[18:50] curious about what this is about. They want to learn more. I don't want them to click on and then see me speak for a few seconds or even a too long-winded. There's no personality. It's too robotic." And then they go to
[19:02] the next video. Like you said, they're going to do that. So I show up and I go of people on this video?" Like I'm looking at at it like there's going to be millions of people watching this video. How can I bring my personality?
[19:14] healthy and energized to do that, right? If you're not healthy and you feel you're not fasting or whatever it is like it's going to be hard to do that. play here. So I have the energy to do that. I show up and I typically do it
[19:28] fasted cuz I feel better that way. And then I show up and I deliver like I'm on stage at a conference and I don't extend the video just to make it longer. When And I and I and I deliver on the promise of the title which is something that
[19:40] Sean. >> I want like you're dropping obviously >> I want like you're dropping obviously pro level elite level YouTube advice. largest channel in the your space, you know, six to seven eight million views a
[19:56] month. But YouTube is still channels to start. We're seeing it happen every day. Um you know, you're one video away from a new channel growing. You lived in the
[20:08] at like search based videos and wanting to do hundreds of them to get traction and grow our channels. And you know, recently we had um this woman Sherry. She's 77 with zero social media following, just her phone,
[20:22] posted her first video ever on a brand new channel and got 37,000 views. That like right now on YouTube, you can start from scratch. A lot of people have been highlighting the fact that we're no
[20:35] interest media. And so in a way followers don't matter and of course we still want subscribers, but it's like one individual video can blow up. I'm kind of curious though because now you've so honed your craft.
[20:48] you've packaged what you know into a book. You're teaching at this high And I think that some people might feel the gap is too big between I'm just starting though and I'm like not an expert and I'm not a pro communicator.
[21:02] How can I compete? What advice would you give to somebody who's early on in their journey in terms of what it might take to start and stick with and develop their skills, their communication ability, their YouTube knowledge. It For
[21:14] "Hey Ben, like I want to start a channel. What would your first couple steps and advice for me to do that?" Not just like like tactically on how to set up the channel, but for me to develop as a communicator and someone that is
[21:27] what I know. >> First step is I would go on Think Media and look at the oldest video on there and watch Sean stumble his words talking entertaining and he's not going to be this XYZ. Look how bad Sean was and look
[21:41] how great Sean is now, right? Every master was a disaster. So, um don't compare your chapter one to Sean's chapter whatever or my chapter whatever. Like you are on your own journey first and foremost. Only compare yourself to
[21:54] only comparing yourself against You're only competing against yourself. So, know that going into it. Number two, I I would find a topic or channel that is something that lights you up. Don't start a channel on a topic because
[22:07] you think that's what people want to hear or it's going to go viral. That's passionate about it, if you don't care about the topic, it's not going to last. It's not going to be something you do for a very long time. I love talking
[22:19] about health. Sean loves talking about YouTube and media and growth and mindset. If he didn't love it, he would not be here today. He would not have the have the longevity in my space. So, find
[22:32] I hear Sean say this all the time. You've probably heard him say it before, too. Don't let the fact that you don't have the fancy cameras and the professional mics get in the way. And And I'll share this, Sean. Like I just
[22:44] moved into this house and we built this beautiful studio. It's a dream of mine and you know how I'm You're a studio guy. You get it, right? the studio was being built out for several months. So, I had nowhere to
[22:57] record. So, what did I do? I simply put my phone on a tripod, I sat on my couch. I sat at the kitchen table. And I thought, "Is this going to hurt my views?" No. I got the same amount of views with no fancy background, just a
[23:10] camera on a tripod, the same exact views. All the stuff behind us, it's >> [laughter] >> It's It's for me, not for the channel
[23:22] get held back about you not having a studio. Like, sit in your backyard. Just all you need. The story you just shared about the woman Sherry, well, that's a perfect example. Like, that was recently. Like, it YouTube Yeah, there's
[23:38] mean it's too late. You haven't missed the boat. As a matter of fact, it's the time to start. So, find something you're passionate about. Don't get fixated on yourself against somebody else. The way to get better and become a great
[23:54] you got to put in the reps. You got to put in the reps, and as hard as it is, watch those videos and see yourself on camera. It's awkward. It's weird, but watch yourself. Maybe maybe mute the video and then watch
[24:10] look like you have personality? Does it look like a good video? Like, do different angles. And when you change your perspective on things, you start to have done this with my facial expression, or I could have said it this
[24:23] way. It's weird to watch yourself and listen to yourself, but I think it is very important. I do that to this day with my speaking. I watch the video with my keynote coach. She looks at me, and we look at my facial We break things
[24:35] down cuz that's how I get better. So, it's the repetition, but it's also looking at those reps from a lens of how could I improve, and just going from >> Man, that's Those were some incredible tips you just
[24:47] listed off. And I love that one about actually watching your videos back. too, because sometimes we can downward spiral into watching our videos back and how would you encourage people to kind of hold it in grace where you can sort
[25:02] of like allow yourself room to grow and not be overly critical of yourself videos. You know, the formula for success that I learned from you was four success that I learned from you was four steps: suck, suck, suck cess.
[25:17] previous podcasts together, right? And it makes sense. And so, it's like you go but also it's such a genius tip because it's what pro athletes do. They watch game tape. It's what pro teams sports teams do is
[25:31] they watch the game tape. Where did we fumble? Where did we make a mistake? What was you know, and so that review process is huge. How would you encourage process is huge. How would you encourage individuals to hold the tension between
[25:43] being either too hard or too soft on themselves as they're wanting to grow. either too hard or too soft there. So, number one, if you're too soft on it, if that lens of how can I improve, maybe have somebody else watch it with you and
[25:58] have that conversation with them like I'm looking for feedback that's going to help me better communicator. I want you to see things that I might be missing and then you watch it with them. Now, if you're too hard on yourself, watch
[26:10] and you know, I would go into it thinking, man, yeah, I might I might suck now. I might not be the greatest communicate communicator, but like it'll be so cool to be into this game now for 1 year, 2 year, 5 years and look back at
[26:25] that video as like an example like Sean does with his first video. Like look at how I was and look how I am now and how it inspires so many people. It's so know people when they see what you're going
[26:37] communicator you're going to be with the reps you take and then you're going to be able to show them how you were. Like Sean shows them that video and I look at my old videos and it's so funny. But, I look back at back at it with pride. I'm
[26:49] continued to stick with it. Like, stick with it. Sean just shared the formula. That's suck suck suck success. That is how it works. But, you got to make sure you're improving every single time. You're not perfect, but you're making
[27:02] bit better each time. So, if that's not in you to see it from that lens, bring in you to see it from that lens, bring somebody in a business partner or your with you and then see what you could improve upon and then go from there. And
[27:16] that you can inspire so many people with because you're going to be so much however long you stick with it. >> So, Benji said something that I want to pause on for a second. Getting outside eyes on your content is one of the
[27:30] fastest ways to improve. And that's literally what we do at When you go to that website, you're going to have a chance to apply to work with our team, whether in a group setting or a one-on-one coaching
[27:43] environment where we give you specific feedback to your channel, your strategy, your business plan, and help you package videos that get views and drive results. And here's the part that I love. We have an outlier guarantee. If you don't hit
[27:59] 10 times your normal views multiple times within the program, we'll extend tired of doing YouTube alone and ready to accelerate your results, just go to viralvideocoach.com, fill out the application, and we can't
[28:14] wait to talk to you soon. So, I want to talk about something that actually some individuals at the beginning of their journey think about and certainly mentioned it earlier, you changed the name of your channel.
[28:27] You really changed your brand. You evolved your brand. And as somebody who's been building your business, building a personal brand, building and developing your career as an author, speaker, content creator,
[28:40] like, that's I think a question people have is when should I do that? And will that hurt my channel? Will I What happens if I leave behind a previous brand? And I'd love to hear the story of, you know, I remember Keto Camp. I
[28:53] think Is that what the channel started as? It was named Keto Camp from day one. your channel and you thought about branding and name and then how long did it go? And then why the change? And what
[29:05] were some of the decision-making frameworks or like mental models you were using that you felt were necessary to to change your brand. challenge even calling it Keto Camp cuz I didn't want to niche down that much
[29:19] even before I started the channel. Um but then I decided to go with Keto Camp fit fasting into that conversation. I I I wanted to dominate that niche. So, I went into it like I'm going to dominate this Keto niche. So, we we we called it
[29:33] things we learned from you and Think Media, right? These videos that were without a gallbladder. We're like in the top five. How to do Keto uh if you're a woman with a menstrual cycle. We're like top five. ranking all these videos and I
[29:47] to these events and they would hear that the cute Mr. Keto Camp, you're the Keto guy. And it was cool. It was great. Uh but there was so much more that I had to love talking about things outside of Keto and fasting. I love talking about
[30:01] mindset. I love talking about so many different topics. So, you know, we stuck with Keto Camp though 2018 all the way until 2023. So, five years. And then at that point I wanted to reach more people. I wanted to
[30:13] There was just so many Keto videos I could record and I was just I was kind Keto Keto Keto. So, for me it was a personal preference to open up the variety of topics. I wanted to reach people. I wanted to go viral, not just
[30:27] Keto viral, but health viral. So, at that point I decided, all right, the it like Metabolic Freedom, which is the name of my last book? Should I call it thought I don't really only talk about metabolism. I talk about mindset. I talk
[30:43] all this a lot of the authors that we read. So, if I was the Metabolic Freedom Channel, there would be a disconnect there. So, what if I call it Ben Azadi, Jay Shetty and other channels that are
[30:57] open it up to different topics. That means I could interview other people. I interview Patrick Bet-David. I could interview people that are not just in the health space because it's the Ben Azadi Show now. Now, the Keto Camp
[31:10] podcast. So, that was exciting to me and that's when I made that transition. And now it's opened up a whole new world of new guests on my podcast and new topics to cover and things that I enjoy talking about. So, for me it made sense because
[31:24] I mastered that niche, I think. I did a really good job of of becoming that authority in there and then there was so much more that I wanted to speak about. my heartstrings talk about different topics and for me, I felt like I was
[31:37] ready and that's what I did. But, I but I also think it was great to to go into should I go into it as a niche? That's a great a great avenue. I did that and it worked and then I opened it up. I felt like the
[31:50] time was ready and I opened it up after 5 years. So, I think it's still a great myself. >> So, it was about 5 years of Keto Camp >> Yes. >> And then, do you think there's been any
[32:03] downsides, any confusion or has it been all upside? downside. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure people that were subscribed to my channel and wanted keto stuff and then I start talking about other things. I'm sure
[32:16] Um you know, keto events that I used to speak at and do keynotes at, I started getting asked to less of those keynote events because I wasn't just a keto guy anymore. I was other Um I was more than
[32:30] just that. So, yeah, there's always a downside to it. Uh but, I was okay with that. I was okay to um lose some of those subscribers. I was okay to not speak at certain keto events, to speak about things that I'm
[32:43] passionate about. And you know what? Because of that pivot, the channel took off. It absolutely took off. We would not be, as you said, number two in the health space for YouTube channels if we stuck with keto. There's only so many
[32:55] people you could reach. It's not the 80% you talked about earlier. It's Now we're focused on the 80% plus. Before, maybe it was 20% and we got to those 20% and go to the next level and that's what we did.
[33:08] >> I'm curious what you think about this because the evolution is it's uh there I think there's a lot of lessons, but for listeners, I think it's important to know where you are on your journey. Uh friend of mine, Rory Vaden,
[33:21] teaches a concept called Sheehan's Wall and it's this idea that um we look at individuals that are maybe have broken through the wall. And you might look at somebody like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. You're like, "Well, this guy does
[33:36] He's got a tequila line. He's done wrestling." And he's doing all these things and he's succeeding at all of them, but what Sheehan's Wall would teach is that that's not what you do at the start. The problem is if you do too
[33:50] the wall and you don't break through because when you have diluted focus, you So, in order to break through the wall, you want to become known for one thing. telling this story, you really are the perfect example in the sense that by
[34:06] niching down at the start, you became so known for keto and your brand grew for that. And the expansion isn't isn't a change. It wasn't like a pivot away from. You just went broader. And I think about, you know, even
[34:20] someone like a Gary Vee, someone thinks of him as a very much variety char- uh creator or even variety business person, but not realizing that he went so deep in Wine Library TV, a thousand episodes just about wine
[34:36] before zooming out into social media strategy, business strategy, and now like all kinds of stuff. Like developed a cartoon line and all of these things. curious your thoughts. The power of being
[34:49] Zig Ziglar said it like this, you don't want to be a wandering generality, you want to be a meaningful specific. Because when you are in a busy world, break through. But what that affords you the
[35:02] opportunity to do is what you're doing right now. Like you've got the credibility, the authority, the momentum, and you have zoomed out, but but it wasn't the thing you did first. What's your take on that?
[35:14] Sheehan Sheehan's wall is what you called it? Or Or what you called it? Peter Sheehan, a friend of his, and so it doesn't have a lot of necessarily the idea of like where you are and where you want to get to, which is, you know,
[35:29] seven-figure business, or a number one New York Times bestseller. Things you've achieved. Like you've, you know, launched bestselling books and done all through. Someone goes, I want to do what Ben did, but do you want to reverse
[35:42] steps to it. >> That's exactly right. Yeah, that that's look at other people out there and they're giving advice. Like me, I'm sometimes we're giving it from where we currently are. But we're not thinking
[35:56] currently are. But we're not thinking about the person who was me five seven, different answer, there's a different coaching for that person versus the person who's I am now, right? To your point. So, I think it's still a great
[36:09] idea to go into your YouTube channel as a niche. I really do. That's what I did, it worked for me, and I opened it up later on. Because like you said, the specific, that that that you become a meaningful specific, you dominate that
[36:22] space. And you also said said something very important. I did not get away from keto. Okay, I still talk about keto. I talk I have this book coming out keto fly I'm still talking about keto. You're not getting away from that niche that
[36:36] you still love. I love talking about keto and fasting. I'm not away I'm not getting away from that. I'm just adding more to the conversation and some people want keto stuff from me and I'm okay with that. They it's okay if they
[36:50] following me because I could reach so many more people talking about different topics but I didn't start that way to Shawn's point. I started very specific, very niche and we've heard the phrase the riches are in the niches and there's
[37:03] some truth to that but not for the entire your entire career. Like I believe that but I opened it up and now the riches are not in the niches for me. The riches are in the virality for me but I didn't start there. So the advice
[37:15] here probably good idea to start with a niche where you want to open it up. You're not getting away from the niche. You're just what I did. >> When you're talking about your results
[37:27] expanding, you you mean it still take a courageous move to pivot your brand. YouTube channel always feels a little bit nerve-wracking. Like what's going algorithm? Like what's happening? You know, it's been keto camp for so long.
[37:41] You change the name. But but as far as business results, I'm product suite? I know you have a lot going on but if you were to put them in membership site. What are what are maybe what's your core offer? Give us a vision
[37:56] programs. >> Yeah, our number one is going to be >> Okay. [clears throat] >> But what we do Shawn is a little bit different. We we reach out to certain companies that have
[38:11] products that I use and would want to endorse would want to endorse and we negotiate higher terms for those 15% commission or 20%. We're we're negotiating much higher commissions,
[38:24] CPAs, and commissions. And once we get that dialed in, then I'm once we get that dialed in, then I'm recording content that takes the viewer on YouTube to that solution of their product. So we're plugging it into our
[38:37] viral videos. And that is the number one driver of my really, really well. To give you a number, Sean, on the last 30 days just from YouTube what we're doing here, we've been able to bring in
[38:52] over $700,000 in gross sales just from that, just just from the YouTube Doesn't include email. It doesn't include people joining the course. Just from that one strategy. And what we learned is that in the beginning when we
[39:05] started doing this, we wanted like 40 different companies to do this with. And then we we we realized that we actually don't want 40. We want like five. And we want to go deep with those five. So we took it from 40 to five.
[39:20] And now it's actually just three. We have three companies, olive oil company, it's a protein shake company, and a creatine company. And we've been able to significantly increase their gross sales. And of course we get a
[39:34] off of that deal that we've structured. So that's the biggest bucket for us is is that right there with with YouTube. And I don't see one other person in my space, in the health space, doing what we're doing with that. It's been a game
[39:48] changer for for my growth. I don't know if you want me to if you before I lead to the other buckets, but that's the first strategy. >> Yeah, that's No, I mean it's uh
[40:00] it's, you know, people have heard of affiliate marketing, but I think what you're saying is an entirely different approach by building a deeper relationship, reaching out. Kind of like a brand deal, but it's more of a
[40:12] imagine, what would be some of your frameworks there? You know, your integrity would um uh be the foundation that you're looking for alliances with stuff you already love. And how does those how do those
[40:26] conversations come about? Email? Do you try to have a meeting with the founder? Like, what is your way of developing those um alliances? where I have a team that actively reaches out and sets the meetings. It's
[40:39] if it was not the team, it would be me. I'd be the person doing that. I I'd go to the website. Um and we show them our YouTube stats. Like, here's what an average video does. We get about 233,000 on average per
[40:52] video. That's on average. And, you know, here's what we can do. >> your average again? Your average video? >> 233. Uh that was 2025. This year, we average video. Yeah. >> Yeah. Right.
[41:05] stats and be like, "Well, we don't want to just like a standard affiliate account. We want to We want a special We want to create something special where it's a win-win situation." So, we're my team is negotiating a special
[41:18] um not 15% commission, but we're looking at 30 to 50% in some cases commission. On top of that, reoccurring subscribers. And here's the thing, Sean. We learned about this the hard way, bro. We realized that we send a lot of people
[41:33] to buy these supplements, these products on Amazon. And we don't get any of that because people even though we have an exclusive 20% deal, my community gets quicker. They don't even
[41:48] about the discount. So, when we started running when we started asking these when this video came out? Can you show us your Amazon sales versus the day it And we realized we're not getting any of that. So, we
[42:03] that, too, right? So, we look at these things, and now we're getting a piece of their Amazon sales, the reoccurring customers. So, it's been such a machine, were able to do that because of the YouTube growth. They see what we're
[42:16] doing. They want to be a part of it, but we're very, very selective. We're not doing a handful. Now, all this is going to change, Sean, because we're actually my own product that we're launching in September. So, we're actually going to
[42:29] September. So, we're actually going to focus 100% on my product because, Sean, when they buy from somebody else. I even running retar There's so many things they're missing out with on that
[42:42] all that. So, come September, no more promoting other companies. We're control all of the all the aspects of it. >> I haven't announced it yet. So, I I can't say, but I'll tell you this and
[42:55] and an evening drink and there's something else that's stacked. It's only anything more. >> Amazing. Okay, excited for that. And it's it that's an exciting, you know, by the way, this is an idea I would
[43:09] encourage, you know, one, if you're an established creator, it's a genius way of thinking, but even if you're a newer creator, I think it's underrated to think about user-generated content, establishing, you know,
[43:22] partnerships early on with how you can you know, basically this is business Like forming alliances, having conversations. That's why it's priceless to get to events or to have conversations to build a personal brand.
[43:36] And and I would also imagine like what would you say have some companies said no or have has it just not worked out like in terms of volume? You You wrote your rules was like aggressive consistency. Do you think that some
[43:51] we just don't really strike the ground enough times when it comes to, you know, developing these relationships? >> 100% aggressive consistency. That's because not all of these partners that we've tried out have worked out.
[44:05] way I thought. Uh and sometimes, here's another thing, but if you're going to, you know, create something similar to what I'm talking you got to look at their checkout page. And sometimes their checkout pages are
[44:19] awful. Awful. And you're losing out on a ton of affiliate commission because of that. And we've had conversations with these companies and they were not willing to change their checkout page. So, we stopped working with them. Uh so,
[44:34] that's one thing right there. Uh and then there have been some situations um they were they didn't want to negotiate to our terms, right? They were happy with the standard affiliate deal, 15% commission, 20% commission. So, we
[44:48] we obviously didn't um partner with them, right? So, but we wouldn't have found that out if we weren't aggressively consistent and reaching out meetings with companies, but not all of them have been partners with us, but now
[45:01] we found the three, but we had to put in the work and be consistent to go through so cool because YouTube is the number one generator of my income right now.
[45:14] part, it's the number one generator of the it's the number one generator of the impact that I'm able to make. What we did, Sean, you're going to like this. My team, they did this, I didn't even think
[45:26] They downloaded all of the comments on my YouTube channel for the past 2 years, all the comments. And they put it into ChatGPT as an um as a file and they told asked chat to calculate, add up the total amount of
[45:41] weight loss from those comments. Wow. And it and it was over 1 million pounds of fat loss from my YouTube videos, dude. And that's all the thing. And that's all that's And that's that's like
[45:55] not even everybody has told their story of the impact that you've made. >> That's right. That's right. And it's just I feel so good. like when I talk that than the 700k because it's just so fulfilling. It's like a psychic
[46:09] reward. The financial reward is fantastic. I love that, but this feels These are people that are They came across my YouTube video. It's just so content out there, I read a lot of the comments, good or bad. I read a lot of
[46:25] I'm making. And if somebody has a negative comment and they have a point to it, like it's good feedback for me. I put my ego aside and I listen to the that necessary change, but I'm looking at my comments, Sean. I'm looking at the
[46:39] And it's so fulfilling to me to see the positive comments. I just love it. And I see that versus all my other platforms. >> Man, it's so inspiring. And I do want to make sure that we close the loop on um
[46:54] you were to kind of rank them, we don't have to go into too much detail, but that's that's incredible that these kind of like advanced affiliate partnerships What would you say like number two, three, four cuz you got a lot of
[47:08] >> Yeah, number two is going to be book sales and YouTube is the biggest driver of those book sales by far, by the way, more than any other platform, any other um resource. So YouTube Excuse me, book sales are number two, which is nice. And
[47:21] number [snorts] three is going to be keynote speaking. Uh it used to be my courses. I'm actually my courses are not a priority for me uh anymore. It's actually um the partnerships, the book, the book
[47:34] writing and the book selling, and then the keynote speaking. And because of the YouTube growth primarily, I'm able to um you know, charge 20k for a keynote in the US, 30k outside of the the US. And I love doing the keynote speaking. You
[47:48] book signings at these keynotes, hundreds of people in line. It's so cool signed book and meet them. And I ask a lot of them, like how did you discover my work? Um how did you find out about my work? 90% of them, Shawn,
[48:04] on YouTube. I watch you on It's like YouTube, YouTube, YouTube. It's not other platforms, and it's just so cool to see the impact that that I'm making and and then I'll another quick story um Now when I go to airports,
[48:19] I'm getting stopped by people saying, "You're You're the You're the health guy on YouTube. I follow you." It's like It's so cool to be recognized as that and uh it's just that didn't happen before, right? So anyways, it's it's
[48:31] sales, and then the keynote speaking. Those are the top three buckets in terms question for you, but I do want you to do a full roll call uh to your stuff. And so, you know, we can definitely pick
[48:43] up the book cuz if we master our energy and our health, we're going to be able You can talk a little bit more about that. And then shout out your channels, to, and then I got one final question for you.
[48:55] Keto Flex. Uh if you go to ketoflexbook.com, worth of free bonuses if you want to get it there. It's available on paperback, Kindle, and Audible and Spotify, and I narrated
[49:08] some coaching sessions that are only exclusive to the audio to audiobooks, go get it ketoflexbook.com. My main website is benazadi.com, which is also the name of my YouTube channel.
[49:22] If you go on YouTube and just type in Ben Azadi, you could see the content we're putting out there, which is five new episodes or solos every single week. >> And I love it. And so, of course, I have everything in the show notes. Um Ben, my
[49:34] final question for you is across the board, you know, some channels are up, some channels are down. Your numbers, you're breaking records. Um but it's fascinating. We did a podcast recently, and we were analyzing
[49:46] even Mr. Beast, which who's obviously crushing it, but there was a season where 200 to 300 million views was every single one of his videos. And now, you know, sometimes it might get 50, 60, 70. And you know, with respect, his library
[49:59] grows over time. But it's it's like sometimes a 60% drop from his highs. Whether it's competition, whether it's, you know, changing viewer behavior, a lot of people kind of feel it right now. And
[50:11] feel that maybe they hit a plateau. They need to reinvent. But content creation is exhausting. So sometimes it's it I just feel like I'm would ask what final
[50:23] encouragement or advice would you have for somebody that loves YouTube and they've been doing YouTube for a while, but they're feeling a little bit discouraged, or they're looking at the numbers, and they're wanting that spark
[50:35] to reinvent themselves even like you did, um cuz you were in this exact spot, plateaued on your channel. What's some like final thoughts you would have for >> Yeah, like you just said, every channel goes through it, including Mr. Beast.
[50:49] Every channel goes through it. It's just the nature of YouTube, Sean. You know this. The algorithm, world affairs, like when there's a war going on, when to be people that don't care about health or certain tech gear, right? They
[51:03] world. So views are going to go down on these channels. But if you could be that >> Mhm. >> where other channels, they're seeing their views decline, you're seeing your views decline, but some people, they
[51:16] stop posting as much because they see that. But you, no, you stick with it goes away, the world affair, the YouTube algorithm, whatever changes, you're those people who gave up because of whatever's happening in the world. So
[51:30] fluctuations, too. Up and down. But I never give up, and I'm always do experimenting with different topics and which one will take off during that slump. You could still get a video to
[51:44] could still get a video go viral. Even with craziness in the world, you can get a video to go viral. So, experiment with different videos. Don't give up. And is happening, you'll be at the forefront, ahead of people who gave up
[51:58] or stopped posting as much because of that dip that we all experience >> Hey, if everything that Ben just shared lit a fire in you, that's exactly why we created our two-day Las Vegas YouTube mastermind. Imagine being in a room with
[52:15] myself, the Think Media coaches, and other serious creators and business owners getting specific feedback on your YouTube channel, on your titles, your thumbnails, as well as having hallway conversations that will change the
[52:28] trajectory of your business. And you know, personally, this is my favorite thing that we do at our company Think Media right now. Because number one, Media right now. Because number one, in-person connections are priceless.
[52:40] There is just so much digital noise. There's so much AI slop on the internet that getting in the room and getting real connections with real humans just is refreshing in today's world. But secondly, it's because it gets the best
[52:54] results for individuals. I think what's hard is it's hard to focus, and there's business. But when you set aside two days, fly to Las Vegas, connect with our coaches, and like open up your analytics in the lobby, do business breakthroughs
[53:10] on stage, in the room, that's where the results happen. And then when you go to thinkmediamastermind.com, you can see just a few of the stories that happen from the Think Media mastermind. So, I want to invite you to the next one. You
[53:22] can go to thinkmediamastermind.com to apply. And until next time, my name is Sean Cannell, your guide to building a profitable YouTube channel. This is the Think Media podcast, and I will catch you in a future episode.