This post is about my journey (and success) with short form video. I’m not gonna tell you all this to brag and gloat and make self deprecating jokes about being a micro influencer. I’m gonna tell you because I think it’s the most powerful tool we’ve got right now as entrepreneurs, and it’s important.
The first video took me easily 3 hours. Let’s be real, it took years for me to work up the courage to make a video and put it on the internet. But that first one, I recorded it 3 times. The first time I accidentally recorded with no audio. The second time I accidentally deleted it instead of saving a draft. Enraged, but committed, I fumbled out a 3rd take and finally broke the seal.
The next day, I made another. And another and another.
It took me 2 months and 93 videos to get to 1,000 followers on Tik Tok.
Then the 94th and 95th videos got me to 8k in 72 hours.
Builders build 🛠
— Colin Landforce 🛠,🛠 (@landforce) December 1, 2022
Fast forward a year and 330+ videos and I’ve found my lane at the intersection of:
- What I like talking about
- What I can execute reliably
- What people enjoy consuming
That’s content-market fit, and I’ve racked up more than 110k new followers on IG and TT since that first video.
So what’s my point? I’ll explain, and I’m gonna assume you understand the immense power of media and audience. That you understand that the organic views I’ve earned in the last year are the equivalent of millions in ad spend. That I have a platform I can do anything with. That brands like Malbon were built on the back of an Instagram account. That creators left and right are building 6, 7, and 8 figure businesses on the coat tails of short form video. That at the most extreme – Logan Paul’s Prime is going to do half a bil in 2024 all because he started posting videos online years ago.
(maybe not all because of him, but yeah)
I’ve figured out a lot. I’ve created a clear path for packaging my ideas and thoughts and giving them to you. It’s evolving constantly, and I often feel like it sucks as much as the first one did, but all those reps have fine tuned my playbook. With the questions, variables, and workflow woes out of the way: I can put my energy into making great content, not fumbling over video files and editing software.
My texts and DM’s are filled with friends, strangers, and obscure celebrities asking me questions about how they can do the same. I’ve had the convo so many times that my Apple Notes is full of game ready to copy and paste at a moments notice. A few weeks ago I decided compile it all together into what I think is probably the most valuable tactical piece of content I’ve created.
I’m doing 2 things with this content:
First, I’ll be splitting it up and breaking it down here over my next 5 newsletters, similar to how we broke down the product pyramid. All the game, right here, with deep dives on:
- Tools & equipment
- Idea generation & content sources
- Workflow and how to’s
- Hooks and structure
- Formats and strategies
Second, I’m doing a 30 day short-form video bootcamp called Cut30. It’s a bit of an experiment that my frequent partner in crime Oren, our friend Alex, and myself have created. It’s a 4 week small group course that will teach you the game with all our tools, frameworks, and tactics while you create videos every day for 30 days. The answers, accountability, and community you need to finally start.
I’m gonna give you the game either way, but if you wanna attack it with other like minded individuals (and myself) the first cohort of Cut30 officially starts Monday 10/2 and you can join here.
Brands, creators, and obscure niche internet celebrities will absolutely be born out of this. The question is, will it be you?
