Sean Trace doesn’t just dabble in YouTube. He’s been creating video since the platform’s early days, runs multiple podcasts and YouTube channels, and has watched videos rack up everything from a handful of views to 10 million.
That range may be exactly why his advice is so useful.
Sean knows firsthand that you can’t predict which video will take off. One of his wife’s videos that they felt great about earned about 2,000 views. The next one they almost treated as “just get it up” content? Ten million. His daughter’s channel went from videos getting 20, 100 or 300 views to suddenly hitting 150,000 and 700,000.
For financial advisors wondering whether YouTube is worth the effort, Sean’s experience points to a bigger lesson: stop trying to manufacture a viral hit. Find interesting people, serve an audience that needs what you know, and create enough good content to give yourself a chance to be discovered.
3 Secrets from Sean
1. Borrow great perspectives.
Sean has built shows by seeking out people he genuinely wants to learn from. The interviews create content, but they also create something potentially more valuable: relationships. Sean says his podcasts have gotten him into rooms and connected him with people he otherwise wouldn’t have had access to.
2. There’s a huge audience financial content is missing.
Sean sees a wide-open space between advice for very wealthy investors and basic “get out of debt” content. Millions of average savers, particularly Gen Z and millennials beginning to build wealth, are looking for financial guidance. Advisors have expertise those audiences need.
3. Give yourself more chances to win.
YouTube can be wildly unpredictable. Sean has watched one video get 2,000 views and another reach 10 million. His daughter’s channel went from double-digit views to hundreds of thousands. You can study what works and improve your strategy, but first you have to publish enough to learn.
Tools Sean Likes
Sean is actively using:
YouTube to build multiple channels and audiences. LinkedIn to share personal stories and stay visible with his network. Podcasting to build relationships, expand his network and get access to people he otherwise might never meet.
Prefer to listen in? Get the full, uncut interview here:
Listen to the podcast on Apple. Listen to the podcast on Spotify.
Get the book on Amazon.
