Some advisors may think they’ll go viral with their first video when they start a YouTube channel. Macek cautions against that expectation and even that goal. The first video, he says, is not the video you want to rack up millions of views because it’s likely not going to be your best work. If video #100 goes viral that may be a bit better for an advisor.
Macek says that the learning curve for his channel was a steep one at the start. While certain technical aspects like editing were easier than he expected, in part thanks to the AI now embedded in a lot of editing software, Macek says some of the softer skills were tough to learn. Writing engaging scripts was tough, as was learning to feel and appear comfortable on camera. His first videos involved a few mistakes, but with trial, error, learning, and persistence he found his feet.
While Macek began his channel in 2019, his subscriber count really started to ramp up this year. In the four years between 2019 and 2023 he brought in about 1,000 subscribers. The next 9,000+ came in 2024 when he dedicated himself to a strict schedule of two video posts per week. Once he started posting consistently he found himself getting more views and more engagement. That was when his channel really began to take off.
The content of his videos has been core to his success on YouTube. Macek says that the best performing videos tend to be informative and educational in nature, especially on questions of CPP and OAS. While as an advisor he thought these subjects might prove to be a bit of a yawn for viewers, he’s been surprised at how many views and subscribers his CPP and OAS videos bring him. Some of the more niche topics he likes to explore will offer less traction with viewers, though he loves getting to explore those topics in his videos.
The content he makes, Macek says, will inform the kind of viewers and potential clients he attracts via his channel. By staying strictly in his lane and focusing on topics that he is qualified to discuss, Macek has used his channel to bring in more of his ideal clients. Videos that might rack up millions of views, he says, may not be as effective at bringing in those clients simply because they’ll reach too broad of a base.