Going viral is a distraction
I have a confession.
I’ve taught thousands of people how to make videos but I’ve never had anything go viral.
I felt deeply insecure for eleven whole seconds before I reminded myself that going viral is winning the wrong game. I’d rather play games that are less crowded with better odds.
Enter personalized videos.
Personalized videos to smaller audiences will change your life by winning you gigs, customers, and connections.
What wins has this approach done for me?
Personalized Video Wins
💸 Closed a $52,000 consulting gig with a 90-second video
🎙 Landed a spot on a nationally-syndicated NPR show
🤝 Established trajectory-shifting partnerships with Apple, Youtuber Ali Abdaal, General Assembly, and Maven
🙋🏾♂️ Secured internet rockstars Sahil Lavingia (Gumroad CEO) and Dickie Bush (Ship30for30) as guest speakers in my Minimum Viable Video and University of Texas courses
🏝 Paid speaking gigs in the Caribbean:
What's a Personalized Video?
These videos are shared through DMs and emails, not posted publicly to the web.
They're under two minutes with little (if any) editing.
They harness the power of talking-head video without turning the process into an overwrought nightmare of joyless delivery, forced takes, strained words, and last-minute editing.
Here are some examples:
- Video cover letters accompanying proposals to close the deal
- Resume walkthroughs to land the job
- Prospecting videos to find leads
- Welcome videos to onboard team members
- Outreach videos to spark partnerships with leaders and brands
- Gratitude videos to industry leaders whose work you admire
- Thank you videos so I never have to send a thank you card again
Personalized videos are simpler, shorter, and easier to make:
| Standard Videos | Personalized Videos | |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Decided by an algorithm | Decided by you |
| Duration | 5-10 min | <2 min |
| Production | High effort | Low effort |
| Editing | Heavy | Light |
Why Learn From Me?
Howdy, I'm Cam 🤠
I'm a 4x entrepreneur and University of Texas professor featured in Wired, NPR, and the Financial Times.
I run a cohort-based course called Minimum Viable Video that teaches entrepreneurs the ins and outs of camera confidence, production, editing, and audience building.
—NPR
My students are founders and knowledge workers at these companies: