Top 10 tips for success from the monk who became a YouTube star
Last week I had a phone call with my mentor and he strongly suggested I check out Jay Shetty.
I’d seen some of his videos before but didn’t know much about him so I did some research.
Jay’s videos have been viewed by millions of people around the world, he’s created content for The Huffington Post, Facebook and National Geographic and he’s interviewed Deepak Chopra, Tim Ferriss and Russell Brand.
Ohh and he used to be a monk.
I’ve spent the last few days analysing and dissecting his approach and I’ve written this post to share what I learnt with you.
Here are the tips…
1. Tell stories
My favourite book is Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. The author weaves deep philosophy and psychology into a gripping story of a father and son travelling across America on a motorbike.
The most key thing it taught me was that if you want to share an important message you need to wrap it in a powerful story first.
Jay is a master storyteller and he’s one of the first people I’ve seen who do this well on social media.
2. Have a strong personal vision/why
Jay recommends the books ‘Start with Why” by Simon Sinek and he’s applied a lot of what he learnt from it to his life. He says his daily practice involves defining his intention which in plain English means refining his why.
He currently describes his why as “making wisdom go viral”. When you have a clear why, it becomes much easier to make more positive decisions.
On a slight slide not, J Balvin has a cool why which has helped him become the first Colombian reggaeton artist to achieve global success and it’s “redefining mainstream”.
3. Write eye catching headlines
Most people say you should under promise and over deliver. That doesn’t work on social media any more.
You need to over promise in your headline and then over deliver the value you generate through your content.
It doesn’t matter how good your message is if no one hears it.
“If you want to do X, WATCH THIS.”
Jay loves using this type of format for his headlines. He explains why you should read or watch his content in the headline and explains what it’s going to be about in the subheader.
4. Partner with people who already have a large following
Jay partnered with the Huffington Post which helped him share his content with a larger audience. This enabled him to grow his audience in the beginning.
He’s also really good at collaborating with, and interviewing, other influencers like Tom Bilyeu, Arianna Huffington and Gary Vaynerchuk who have helped him share his content with new audiences.
It might seem impossible to reach out to high profile people and publications but you can always start a bit smaller first.
I’ve tried it myself and it works. I’ve written a few posts and published them on the Happy Startup School’s Medium Publication which helped me get access to their followers. I would never have been able to get so many people to read my posts without their support.
5. Video content is king
When it comes to creating content you really only have three options, voice video and the written word. Video is getting more engagement than ever before on social media.
Most people are scared about stepping in front of the camera but it’s just something you have to do now a days.
I recommend checking out Touch Video Academy who help give people the skills and confidence to create impactful video content, only using a phone.
6. On camera, be 10% bigger than you are in real life — but still be authentic
My friend Louise helped me spot this one. You can see that Jay is super authentic on camera, but he always seems to be a little bit larger than life and smiles a bit more than what he probably does in real life.
This is important because it helps him make his videos more engaging which is the key for social media where people will stop watching in an instant if they aren’t engaged.
7. Repeat key messages in your videos for emphasis and impact
Great speakers do this all the time like Martin Luther King in his “I have a dream” speech. Jay does use this technique to give his message more impact. In the example below, he repeats “how many times” again and again.
“How many times have you stopped yourself from doing something because your scared of how people will react?
How many times, out of the fear of someone else opinion or criticism, have you stopped yourself from doing something you believe in?
How many times has someone’s perception or perspective stopped you from living your potential?” — Jay Shetty
8. Share content you’re really passionate about
Jay is passionate about the topics he talks about and it comes through in his delivery.
He gets a lot of inspiration from reading and shares the most important highlights in a super simple and accessible way. His Instagram is a good example of this too.
9. Try again and again and again
Don’t be afraid to fail, be rejected or look bad in front of others.
“We hardly achieve anything the first time we try. The people that have made it, it’s on their 10th, 20th, 100th and sometimes 1000th attempt, so don’t underestimate the power of volume. Don’t underestimate what’s possible when you go out there and speak to everyone that you know.” — Jay Shetty
10. Find a mentor
Jay recommends searching for someone who has done what you’re trying to do and who can guide and support you.
Get to know what their values are, how they make decisions and what goes on inside their head because that’s what’s going to make an impact on you.
Image credit: HSSUK
