Alex Hormozi explains why he won't release certain videos even if they'd get views. He avoids clickbait headlines, tests thumbnails carefully, and prioritizes long-term reputation over short-term algorithm wins.
A lot of people will do anything for the algorithm. I could make content that makes me look fine and the audience would enjoy, but it's me bashing somebody. I would never do that. I think the big thing that everyone messes up with the content and even the quote going cheap is that like they have to understand brand. And that was, I mean, that's been my big epiphany post Gym Launch was I didn't understand brand when I had Gym Launch. Like I understand, I don't wanna say I understand brand, but I have a much better idea of it now. And like, my team right now has so much footage, and they could clip a bunch of moments during the vlog days and make me look bad and get a zillion views. Like, we could do that.
Mmhmm.
But that doesn't help me. And so a lot of people will do anything for the algorithm. They become algo-whores, is what we call it, which is just like, this is really hot right now. We should make that stuff. But like, I'm not going to like— if it's not, if it's not on brand for me, if it's not something I'm an expert in, I'm not going to talk about it. And that's— I think that's, that's my one piece of advice for anybody who's like starting to get into the game of content is like, just talk about stuff you know about. Don't worry. Like, just don't pretend to be someone you're not. Like, if you, if you're only good at sewing, then just talk about sewing. Don't start making content about how people should invest their money. Like, just talk about sewing.
Let me ask you this. When you produce content now, those full days now, are you very much looking forward to it? And are you enjoying it when you're creating your content? And I'll tell you where I'm going with this in a second.
Yeah. It really all depends on how much I've slept the night before. Like, it's actually like the biggest factor is just like, how much have I slept the night before? Like, we just had a recording day recently and I basically didn't sleep at all the 2 nights before. And so like, that was like I had to use willpower. But most times I don't have to use willpower. I can just, I can just rock and roll.
Yeah. And so you feel like for the most part, when you— let's assume you had a good night of sleep, then you feel like you're creating the content that you wanna create?
I think it's always an evolving process. I mean, I think it's more like a pendulum. I mean, I think like it's more a dichotomy to be managed than a problem to be solved. And so there's like stuff that I super, super fuck with exclusively, and then there's stuff that the audience absolutely loves and the algorithm loves. And so we just try and find that middle ground. And if anything, we're probably right of center of like, If Alex doesn't like it, he's not gonna keep doing it.
Yeah.
So, but like, I'm looking at this on like a 20-year time horizon. And so, you know, we had a video that was ready for this week that we were supposed to post. And then I saw it and I was like, I don't wanna post it.
Yeah.
And so we didn't have a YouTube video go out this week.
Huh.
And I will survive.
I like it. And so the— now I'm just trying to think from the team's perspective, like all the hard work on like the edits, the jump cuts, the thumbnails and all that. How much effort are you putting into that now? Because like, I actually, that one talk that you did recently, I saw the headline change like 3 times in the span of a couple hours. So what's going into all the testing right now?
Well, yeah, it's right off the bat. So our head of YouTube, I mean, we'll still, we will still do a good job. And so we'll still split test like we would for an ad. You know, we'll try different headlines, watch different thumbnails, 'cause at the end of the day, like the mission is to get, real business education accessible to everyone. And that means that we have to meet people where they're at, which is why I have to tie in more stories. And I don't just like review Excel sheets on, on YouTube screen shares, you know what I mean? Because like, that's not going to help anyone.
Yeah.
It's in fact, it'll help basically no one. And so we have to make it accessible, which is part of the reason the vlog is, is like that is, it's a form of consumption that a lot of people can do. And so we are going to be doing more of that because more people can consume it. and benefit from it.
Yeah.
But yeah, we will play the game just like anyone else does. But the thing is, is like they will send me thumbnails and headlines and I'll be like, that's not true.
Yep.
Or I don't like how this makes the person that we're talking about in the video sound.
Yep.
I think it was like, I'll give you an example. We had an affiliate video that went out basically explaining how you can use affiliates to promote a business. And I was talking about it within the context of the book that's like my next book that's coming out.
Yeah.
And I think one of the headline split tests that was sent to me was something like how I got or how I convinced. Yeah, I think it was how I convinced 12,000 people to promote my book. And I was like, if I'm an affiliate and I see that headline, I was like, that doesn't make me feel good. And so I was, so I was talking to him, I was like, we have to think about, we have to think about it from every angle. So there's, there's the Alex brand angle. Does this reinforce or dilute the values that we have in the position that we want to associate ourselves with? Then we have the audience, like who's actually watching this? Does this make them feel more aligned with that ultimate mission? Does this leave them better than they were when they started? And then it's also who's the subject of the content, right? Like I could make content that makes me look fine and the audience would enjoy, but it's me bashing somebody. That's not gonna be, That's— I'm never going to do that because I would never, I would never do that. And so I guess that's just kind of like we want to—
we—
if we don't have a win-win-win, then it's not right and we will keep doing it until we have a win-win-win.
Got it. I love that. And that, that aligns with your values. Yeah. The unimpeachable character.
Yeah. I'm never going to— I'm never going to throw shade. Yep.
And then I had a really good question there, but—
I'll criticize publicly. Sorry, I'll criticize generally and I will praise specifically.
Warren Buffett.
