why you need to bet on video to stay relevant

Hey there, solopreneur!

Last week, a 7-figure creator told me something that made my stomach drop:

"X monetization is broken. My X to newsletter conversions are down 70% this year."

I'd been feeling the exact same thing but was too stubborn to admit it.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: I've been a complete hypocrite.

For over a year, I've been telling people how to grow their audience while actively avoiding video content (the one thing that actually grows trust the fastest).

I kept saying I'd start making videos "next month" or "when I have the right setup" or "after I finish this project."

Meanwhile, I watched other creators lap me. Month after month. While I stuck to my comfort zone of written content, making every excuse in the book about why video "wasn't for me."

But that phone call forced me to face reality:

the old conversion pipeline is broken, and I'm clinging to a sinking ship.

People are less likely to signup to newsletter from platforms like X or LinkedIn.

It’s time for a change:

the evidence I kept ignoring

The signs were everywhere, but I was too proud to see them.

After talking to dozens of big creators, the uncomfortable truth became clear:

written content still gets engagement, but when it comes to growth and making money?

Video content is winning in all dimensions.

It's like insisting on writing letters while everyone else moved to email. Sure, letters still work, but you're fighting an uphill battle with outdated tools.

But instead of adapting, I doubled down on what felt safe.

"I'm a writer, not a video person."

"My audience prefers long-form content."

"Video is too time-consuming."

All bullshit. All ways to avoid stepping outside my comfort zone.

The breaking point came when I realized I was giving advice I wasn't following myself.

the voice in my head that almost made me quit

Here's what the first week of actually trying felt like:

The voice in my head during those early videos was absolutely brutal:

"Your voice sounds like a robot."

"You're moving your hands too much."

"Everyone can tell you're reading from notes."

I caught myself rehearsing the same 30-second intro for 45 minutes, getting more frustrated each take. By the end, I was genuinely questioning if I was delusional about my own abilities.

Then came the post-upload anxiety. I'd refresh the view count obsessively. Check comments every 20 minutes hoping for validation. When a video got 73 views after 6 hours, that voice got even louder:

"See? You're too old for this."

Here's what nobody tells you:

Success in one area doesn't make you immune to feeling like a complete beginner in another.

If anything, it makes the stakes feel higher because now you have something to lose.

That's when I realized this resistance was just fear dressed up as logic. My brain's way of keeping me safe in a comfort zone that was slowly becoming irrelevant.

the documentary breakthrough

The turning point came when I was watching this entrepreneur building his startup in public.

I noticed something weird. His "educational" videos barely got traction. But the ones where he just documented his daily struggles with building his startup?

They got me INVESTED in the guy (and his startup).

That's when it hit me:

Don't educate, document.

Think about it:

if AI can create perfect educational content (and it can), what's your unique advantage?

It’s the messy human part that people are CRAVING.

It's you struggling with a new automation that's not working. It's the moment you realize you've been pronouncing "niche" wrong for months. It's getting frustrated when your internet cuts out during a client call.

People don't want another tutorial on "5 ways to grow your business." They want to watch you actually trying to solve a real business problem. They want to see you fail at something, get frustrated, figure it out, and then share what you learned.

It's like filming a documentary about your life as an entrepreneur.

This completely flipped my approach. Instead of thinking "what should I teach today?"

I started asking "what small story happened to me that I can wrap a lesson around?

If someone was filming a documentary about me, what would they focus on?"

my 90-Day commitment (and the system that's working)

So I've made a decision that honestly scares me a bit:

I'm committing to 90 days of daily short-form video on TikTok and Instagram. 

No exceptions. No excuses.

Because here's the thing:

video is one of the highest-leverage skill you can develop right now.

Plus, I genuinely like having one small thing to ship each day. It's not that it reduces stress - if anything, it's an extra challenge. But there's something about that daily commitment that keeps me sharp and accountable.

Every time I’ve posted a week of seven videos, I sit down and analyze the best performers.

I'm not looking at views, that's vanity metrics that'll drive you crazy.

I'm obsessing about average watch time. 

That's the only metric that actually matters.

Once you find winners, try to understand WHY those performed better.

Next step is to look at other creators who are crushing it.

When I see content that makes me stop scrolling, I download the script using APIFY TikTok scraper and analyze the structure. Then I ask ChatGPT to reverse engineer the hook and methods used to keep me engaged.

Simple but highly effective workflow.

The stories come from you. But the structures? You “borrow” these.

Because the best predictor of something going viral is that it went viral before. 

(I'm also building a workflow connected to my TikTok account. When I bookmark a video, it pulls the transcript and feeds into a database of content ideas. I can send voice notes about what I'm working on, and it generates ideas using viral formats I've collected. Let me know if you'd be interested to see an in-depth newsletter about this.)

why your first 30 videos are emotional warfare

Here's what I'm learning that hit me harder than expected:

your first 30 videos aren't just practice, they're emotional warfare.

Think of it like learning to ride a bike. You expect to wobble, fall, and gradually get better. I spent way too much time judging myself against creators who've posted 10,000 videos.

But here's the thing that kept me going:

there's something incredible about being able to look back at your progress.

In just a week and a half, I can already see how much I've improved.

It's like having a documentary of your own growth

it’s way more obvious than tracking progress in writing.

And that's when the bigger picture started to click for me:

• Video builds trust at warp speed compared to written content

• Short-form is still the way to reach massive audiences organically

• Understanding viral content = understanding modern marketing

Once I master short-form, my plan is to move into YouTube.

But I want to nail the fundamentals first, the hooks, the storytelling and comfort with being on camera.

Which brings me to the tactical system I'm using to actually make this happen..

your action plan (if you're ready to stop making excuses too)

Week 1: Post one video daily for 7 days. Don't worry about quality, only focus on consistency.

Week 2: Start analyzing. Which video had the highest average watch time? What hook did you use?

Week 3: Begin reverse engineering. Bookmark 5 videos that made you stop scrolling. Study their structure. Use ChatGPT to use the same structure to reorganize your notes.

Week 4: Apply what you learned. Use successful formats from other creators in your niche.

Tools you need (total cost: $0): Your phone camera, basic editing app (CapCut is free), APIFY TikTok scraper for analysis, ChatGPT or Claude for reverse engineering hooks.

The whole process takes 30-60 minutes daily including editing. That's it.

Look, I've been making excuses about video for over a year while telling people to build their online presence.

The hypocrisy was getting too much.

But the data doesn't lie. Video is winning, and I'm done pretending otherwise.

It’s your time to move now: Record one video tomorrow.

Don't edit it. Don't overthink it. Just hit post.

Then reply to this email with the link. I'll personally watch it and give you one specific improvement tip. No judgment, just feedback from someone in the trenches with you.

Trust me, looking awkward for 90 days beats being invisible forever.

Ole's Bookmarks

Great resource about how to automate finding viral ideas + getting the scripts + using n8n automation (just dm him to send it to you)

Whop starting an App ecosystem is an interesting developement. Everytime a new ecosystem opens up, it offers a brief opportunity window to be a first mover.

Another great resource to get started with automated marketing, highly recommend watching. it’s one of the best skills to learn right now (should I write more about this?)

See you next week 🫡 

Ole