Ben Kaluza's Linkedin Analytics

I think when you become a full-time creator, the ultimate play for long-term success and happiness is having 2 main accounts. One account is optimised for commercialisation. The other is there for creating with freedom. This helps avoid the conflicts you face when you try to do both on one account. I'm about to do this on YT and create a new channel focused purely on AI, optimised for views, growth, and monetisation. My current channel will then be where I create absolutely whatever I want and it ultimately turn more into a lifestyle channel. You often see large creators do this later into their journey as they feel trapped by their main. Views are heavily linked to revenue, and it's mentally really hard to deviate from the content that gets those views. A 2nd channel allows you to explore ideas with no pressure or stress and create with freedom. If I'm doing this for another 10-20 years, I obviously want an account that makes me good money, but I also want a place where I can express myself fully.

I'm not usually impressed with most AI video generation models, especially new ones, but Higgsfield is actually quite good. They're tackling something that most other models don't do very well and that's very specific motion control for specific types of shots. I combined some images generated from Midjourney's new v7 update to put it to the test. Overall I was happy with the results as it offered something I haven't been able to create before. Character consistency is up there and I was impressed with the model's ability to predict and generate video scenes. There was still a bit of hallucination, but not as much as I thought there would be. This tool is certainly not aimed at everyday content creators with it's pricing but certainly a worthy one for AI filmmakers.

After spending some time on LinkedIn, I've realised it's no different than any other platform when it comes to growth. There are tried and tested formats that work for pretty much everyone. But this is a problem in itself. Text formats that work are far more limited compared to video, making content feel repetitive and overdone. Yes, you can make posts unique, but when they're done in a format everyone else is using, they feel less unique. How does this then impact trust and authority? In my opinion highly unique content that is highly valuble builds the most trust and authority over time. So what does this mean for you. My stance on this has always been to think about what your individual goals are. Do you want quick growth or are you happy to play the long game? In an ideal world, you'd grow at a decent rate based on consistently providing high-quality content. But often, if high-quality content isn't packaged in a way that is tailored towards a platform's viral formats, it's hard to get growth. And yes, some people do break through this, but often they have a skill level, experience or characteristic that 99% of people don't have. Basically they can just say whatever they want however they want and people pay attention. This then leaves the rest of us trying to figure out what the most optimum strategy is for growth while also creating content we feel proud of. This isn't something you'll figure out overnight. It may take months, it may take years, it may never happen. But the only way you'll figure this out is by just keep on posting.

As a content creator in the ai space it honestly feels electrifying. Being able to spend my time experimenting with all the new tools that will ultimately shape the future of our society is priceless. Whether you like it or not this is happening. OpenAI's new image generation model has brought us one step closer to what reality will become. And if you can look passed what is being created today and what could be created in the future, You'll realise this is an opportunity of a lifetime to get ahead.

These are my top three AI tools for content creators across voices, videos, images, avatars, upscalers, music and audio. Let me know if you have any more suggestions in the comments. AI Voices Eleven Labs | Play AI | Murf AI AI Videos Google Veo 2 | Kling AI | Ray2 Character Animation Runway | Pika Labs | Viggle AI Avatars HeyGen | Synthesia | Hedra | Captions AI Images MidJourney | ImageGen 3 | Flux Image Upscalers Topaz | Magnific | SD Upscale Video Upscalers Topaz | AVC Labs | WinX AI Music Suno | Udio | Mureka Audio Tools Eleven Labs | Adobe Podcast | Hailuo

One of the biggest issues in the AI space right now isn't the tools themselves - it's the massive divide between influencers and practitioners. Influencers know exactly how to get people's attention but don't actually know how to use the tools that well (and lie). Practitioners know the tools inside out but often don't lean into the type of content that gets views. The imbalance of influencer ai content v practitioners I think is leaving a bad taste in consumers mouth after their misled into believing something will be better than it actually is. I would say I'm about 70% influencer (minus the lying), 30% practitioner. This means I spend around 70% of my time making videos about the tools and 30% of my time using the tools. I've recently begun trying to shift this to 50/50 but discovered it's exceptionally hard. Making high-quality content that shows off the tools requires a lot of time. But what I didn't realise was how much time you have to put into testing image/video generation models when you dive deep into realistic use cases. I knew it wouldn't be a case of just "put in a prompt and it works." But I was not prepared for the hours required to sink myself into this. I've had to: - Learn how the different models behave. - Figure out effective prompting techniques. - Generate, generate, generate. - Then spend hours editing on top of what is produced. It's also SOOOO addictive when you get better and realise the only limitation is your imagination. And this explains exactly what is creating the divide. People are either creating for attention or creating to hone their craft around generative AI. My goal is to figure out how I can do both and become a trusted figure in what is becoming a very untrustworthy space.

Everybody keeps talking about storytelling. But nobody really explains how to implement it into your content. So I spent the last six months watching tons of videos on it, and these were the three that I found most helpful along with a book. The first is from Kallaway. He is the only person making comprehensive videos on how to apply storytelling to short-form content. There is nobody else I would recommend more than this guy. Start with "How to become a master storyteller". Second is an interview with Shaan Puri. "Masterclass in Storytelling (for beginners) with Shaan Puri" What I loved about this video is he referenced so many different sources about storytelling and simplified it all. “Stories are just change” Third is "How Does an Editor Think and Feel?” from Every Frame a Painting. This video talks about how editors add emotion and feeling through cutting, pacing, shots and visuals. Finally, we've got the book Stories Sell by Matthew Dicks. The one thing I found most useful was "homework for life." You create a big document where you list stories that happen every day. This makes it a lot easier to recall them from your past to tell in the present.

At the start of the year I said I wanted to do more speaking events. 2 weeks ago I spoke at MadFest in Manchester with Oliver Yonchev about the state of influencer marketing. This was my first time on a proper stage. I was a little bit nervous. But I think it went pretty good. I could give a long spiel about how much I learnt about myself and how amazing it was but I'll spare you that. Bottom line is that I enjoyed it and want to do it again. And so I am. April 25th I'll be speaking at TubeFest on how to never run out of content ideas. I'll probably be even more nervous. But I think I'll be ok. Links to get tickets and see my full talk at MadFest are in the comments. And if you're looking for someone to be on a creator/influencer panel that goes beyond the surface level stuff that keeps getting regurgitated, I believe I'm a good fit.

I’m about to take the biggest step in my professional career. Ever since I was 18 I’ve wanted to start and scale a real business. The problem has always been that I just don't have the right skillset and finding people who do as well as complementing what I bring to the table is hard. 13 years later and I’ve finally found the perfect team. Entrepreneur, operator, and me the creator. I believe a founding team like this will be the future of business. We will disrupt what has already become a market of mediocre services. Everything will be documented on my YT. The journey has begun.

Decided to start mixing up how I make my videos. I’ve grown a little tired of my short-form content which is inevitable for most creators. There’s also an increasing level of saturation in my niche. I’m trying to find more ways to show different sides to me and how I create content. And so I decided to make a video breaking down my editing workflow. I picked up this method after learning about it from a film editor. It's been revolutionary to how I edit. I also really enjoyed putting this video together despite it taking me all day. Very happy to see myself be able to transition my editing skills to a new style and it still feel like me. Take note of how there are no unnecessary uses of animations, transitions, or sound effects. Editors - STOP over-editing videos because you think it will make them more “engaging”. I don’t know where you have learned this. Unlearn it.