This week shares some tactics you can test in the next 30 days with zero change of strategy.

The inspiration is a chat with DJ Paris about how he’s using Keeping It Real to reach and attract agents to the Chicago-based brokerage he serves.

Now let’s get into the tactics…

Video SMS for Cold Outreach

“I now do video SMS... I think it’s actually less invasive than a text message... they can visually see that I have this set up. They may know that I have a podcast…And here I am reaching out to them individually.“ DJ Paris

Sending video texts with his podcast branding behind him is a nice twist, especially when you have a show getting hundreds of thousands of downloads a year. And he’s not the only leader who’s mentioned using video texts for recruiting with good success so far.

DJ found the same thing my co-host did when recruiting off our show, Real Estate Uncensored years ago. Content creates some inbound leads, but outbound outreach can 10x your results.

YouTube Videos Optimized for TV, not Mobile

“For the last 3-4 years, I‘ve always been proud of the fact that 33% of our traffic came from TV…In the last year alone, that number has jumped to 66%. And now based on all the recent data, YouTube is the number one streaming app on TV. It’s beating out Netflix and it’s got the most watch time over Netflix as well.” - Levi Lascak, real estate YouTuber, trainer & author of Passive Prospecting

He’s not the only leader who’s mentioned they’re shifting how they create YouTube content, starting with YouTube TV-viewing as the main priority over mobile. That’s a massive shift in consumption habits in just the last couple years. But it tracks with my personal experience, too. YouTube is often the first app I pull up on a TV.

Virtual Workshops & Virtual Live Events

“I still like live webinars, live workshops cause I can reach such a bigger audience. And it’s so hard to get 200, 300 people in a room now anymore. But it’s very easy for me to drive 300-400 people….we just did a four-hour virtual workshop called the Remote Agent Blueprint. We had 82 [people] stay to the END.” Joshua Smith, GSD Mode

If we see a backlash against polished content thanks to AI tools, I could see live workshops and events getting popular again. They may be one of the few ways to learn who is actually a legit thought leader.

Custom Shorts & Reels over AI Clipping Tools & Repurposing

“We’re repurposing less. We’re hyper focused on our niche(s). We’re most focused on what we do well and others can’t or won’t do…than winning on every battlefield. - Todd Tramonte, host of Commissioned

“I’m also using those crappy AI clippers... probably shouldn’t, but I do. And I try to post really good short form content that’s original….I write a script. I don’t use AI. I use CapCut to edit it, takes 10 seconds…it’s not as cool as I’d like it to look, but it’s me.” - DJ Paris

“In the beginning of the podcast, we’d just hop on video to quickly announce the new episode. Those clips didn’t perform well, very few views or interactions. But once we started making them fun and entertaining, engagement followed. Reels and stories that included movement, laughter, silliness, or storytelling consistently got much better results. We also don’t mind this, because we enjoy making them! - Katy Caldwell, co-host of Hustle Humbly

Pulling short-form content out of long-form feels super easy with AI tools. But it will never beat 100% custom content. I love DJ’s tactic of writing, recording and editing all in one go for simplicity and focus on execution.

For podcasters and YouTubers, I haven’t found anyone who claims to have short-form content figured out. Diary of a CEO is the only one that caught my eye. BUT…they are 100% custom, painstakingly hand-edited. 10X the editing time of an entire podcast episode. We’ve played around with it in our agency, and they’re extremely difficult to produce, and the process is highly subjective. So not something we can build into our done-for-you service (sadly!).

Test New Formats…But Stay Super Consistent.

“In the beginning of the podcast, we’d just hop on video to quickly announce the new episode. Those clips didn’t perform well, very few views or interactions. But once we started making them fun and entertaining, engagement followed. Reels and stories that included movement, laughter, silliness, or storytelling consistently got much better results. We also don’t mind this, because we enjoy making them!” - Katy Caldwell, co-host of Hustle Humbly

“I’ve been really consistent at doing this. And there’s all kinds of things I’m sure I could have done better and different with my podcast. I actually had a friend reach out, he’s building another tech company and [said]. ‘I want to see what you’re up to. I’ve just seen you do this podcast so consistently for so long. It’s just telling of your commitment to things.’ I never thought of it [podcasting] that way…as you actually on display showing the fact that you’re not going anywhere.” - Justin Stoddart, host of Think Bigger Real Estate

“I’m going deeper into raw, real, organic, even less edited…The engagement seems better there. People appreciate that more because everything is so highly edited now and polished. So while most people are going deeper to AI, I’m doing the opposite.” Joshua Smith, GSD Mode

Any form of content creation that is relentlessly consistent will go through ups and downs. Peaks and valleys in your energy and excitement. The less you sweat the small stuff, the more you can test new tactics and approaches along the way.

Mindset Shift: Treat Every Piece of Content Separately.

“We had a more strict “post per day” policy system in the beginning that also focused on how the feed aesthetics looked. Now we do not limit ourselves to that and just focus on providing value.” - Katy Caldwell, co-host of Hustle Humbly

You can’t test new formats if you’re worried about how all your content looks together.

Audiences rarely see all your content together in one place, anyway. They consume content one video, one post, one newsletter at a time.

The Free Press, which is published on Substack, is about to sell for a rumored $200 million to CBS parent company. Substack doesn’t give a ton of flexibility on branding. Free Press built their brand around content and a point of view, not by having all their content look consistent.

If you’re an independent expert, leader or creator, without a huge organization, embrace this advantage. Get messy.

Worry less about whether a piece of content “elevates your brand” or if everything has a consistent look across platforms.

Worry more about whether it speaks deeply and specifically to the right people.

If you can do that, you’ll build a loyal audience a lot faster.

Want to go deeper? Click on the audio file above to listen to the full chat with DJ Paris, also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Or Hit Reply and tell me what you’re seeing

Am I missing any cool tactics from other creators and leaders?

Ask This:

What would you do differently in your content if you didn’t care how it fit with anything else you’ve done? What would you experiment with that’s TOTALLY authentic to you?

Quick Links & Resources

Keeping it Real Podcast w/DJ Paris

Think Bigger Real Estate w/Justin Stoddart

Hustle Humbly Podcast w/Alissa Jenkins & Katy Caldwell

Commissioned with Todd Tramonte

GSD Mode w/Joshua Smith

Thanks to all of our contributors, DJ, Joshua and Justin who jumped on Zoom (more to come from Justin on his venture ProInsight), and Katy Caldwell and Todd Tramonte who sent in their input by email.

If you’re interested in contributing your thoughts and insights, hit Reply!

I’ll shoot you the questions we’re asking leaders, insiders and content creators. I want to feature insights from a range of folks beyond those who can jump on Zoom for a full interview.

Talk soon,

-Matt

CEO & Author - MicroFamous

PS Want to publish mastermind-style content for your best prospects?

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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit rethoughtleaders.substack.com