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#34 · Simple hack to price AI automation agency services (+$2.5M)

youtube ↗Lead Generation

I'm unsure if I'm on the right track; I'm currently building blogs and LinkedIn posts while dabbling on YouTube, lacking social proof and cold outreach skills, and haven't finalized my offer template. I think my progress will be slower than those who aggressively use cold emails and DMs.

No problem. Let's take a look at your YouTube progress—it's likely going to take longer than you expect. You have a lot going on: blogs, LinkedIn posts, YouTube dabbling, and you're exploring automation and the over‑50 niche, which I actually think is a great niche. You also have another channel that's fine. However, I don't see this as the straightest path to winning. If you aim to make $5,000–$15,000 a month with this setup, you'll probably need outbound outreach rather than relying on inbound, unless you have something inherently fascinating about you or an offer so irresistible that people are drawn in just by your thumbnail or title. In most cases, the likelihood of winning with inbound quickly is low, so outbound remains the simplest, straightest route to success. My advice is to focus on nailing your offer template—something I struggled with at first too. Remember, not being good at something now doesn't mean you never will be; it's just a matter of putting in time, effort, and persistence. Don't let a lack of social proof or current skill level become a limiting belief. Start sending outreach; social proof matters more for inbound than outbound, so you can build it as you go. That's what I'd do in your situation, John.

outreachoffer-templatesocial-proofniche

Related answers

youtube ↗Client Acquisition

How do you attract actual clients instead of people just looking to learn automation?

Yeah, I like to think so as well. I deliver a ridiculous amount of value—whether it’s $60, $70, or whatever the current price is, sometimes around $3,000 depending on when you watch this. To make a long story short, I don’t actually recommend posting on YouTube for a while; most people see creators like me posting and assume that’s how you make money, so they feel they need to post and showcase their systems. I can only do that because I’ve already had success selling this through cold outreach and built a business model aside from YouTube. Only once I had the cash flow to justify spending time on YouTube did I start making videos consistently. Before you start making videos about a money‑making topic, get to the point where you’ve achieved more than 99% of people at that thing. If you’re a standout 1% with some accomplishment or social proof, people will be far more likely to listen to you. There are literally a million‑plus people waving light poles online talking about stuff they don’t really understand. When you can demonstrate real results—say, making $42,000 a month—and show how you did it, you cut through that noise much more easily. The key is to do it without bragging; come across as genuine, not ungrounded. Based on our interactions in Maker School, you’re not that kind of guy—you’re good. For me, it’s more about reputation than follower count; I care about the strength and quality of each follower, not just the number. I’m not missing out on money by focusing on goodwill; in fact, I’m accumulating more goodwill than pretty much anyone in the industry by doing this. Thanks for the advice—you totally get how to play the game.

social proofreputationgoodwill
youtube ↗Lead Generation

If I had $1,000 and your knowledge, what business would you start from scratch and how would you grow it?

If you have $1,000, it's effectively the same as having $0 when viewed from a high enough level--there's no real difference. My advice is identical for anyone with zero or $1,000: start a daily consistent outreach habit, regardless of platform (social media, email, etc.). Choose a simple daily target--for example, talk to or get in front of 10 people each day for your business. Over a year that's 3,650 contacts; even a tiny conversion rate can generate significant capital because luck stems from preparation plus opportunity, and you boost luck by maximizing outreach. Most people struggle because they lack such daily habits; the real bottleneck in almost any venture is soft skills, sales ability, and marketing. You could build a product like Netflix tomorrow, but without marketing you'd have zero viewers. Practical ways to hit your daily goal: send 10 Upwork applications daily, send 10 cold emails per day on behalf of your business, or reach out to your favorite YouTubers (like me or Ali Abdal) with a custom pitch each day. Alternatively, list the top 10 creators, identify their problems, and offer to solve them--doing this for a month yields about 300 high-quality touches, each taking only 5-10 minutes, which can drive real results. Begin this habit now and maintain it for months; the compounding effect will create the bulk of your long-term capital.

daily outreachhabitlead gen
youtube ↗Marketing

How should I approach content ideas for a small SaaS brand when I want to start a YouTube channel?

My recommendation is to first grow the SaaS a bit before you start a YouTube channel. Instead of advertising $2 K in MRR, frame it as a $100 K‑a‑year business. That kind of headline is more interesting to viewers. If you’re still early and don’t have impressive results, people won’t be inclined to spend time on your content. The key is to focus on what you’ve achieved that’s better than 99.9 % of the world. When you have a tangible outcome—say you’re consistently making $8‑10 K a month—you can use that as the hook for your videos. Spend time improving the SaaS, develop strong skills, and once you have a modest success metric, start talking about it. Use that achievement as the basis for your content and you’ll be able to attract an audience.

content ideassaasbranding
youtube ↗Lead Generation

Skibidi Mama asks: I’m using LinkedIn Sales Navigator for targeted outreach limited to ~20 prospects per day, which feels underwhelming. I can’t afford expensive cold‑email tools, so I have time but don’t know what to post without being repetitive. How can I hyper‑boost my outreach pacing? Have you considered all the ways to reach out to people you’ve never met to pitch a product or service?

If you haven’t considered it yet, let me walk you through it. LinkedIn is just one of many platforms; you can copy the same approach to virtually any other social media site. For example, on X you can skip the connect request, which would double your outreach, and on TikTok you could triple it. Facebook, Instagram, and other Meta platforms work similarly. If you’re running out of outreach capacity but still have time, simply expand to other platforms using the same method, making minor platform‑specific tweaks. On Instagram, a common hurdle is getting funneled into message requests; a strong opener like an open‑ended rhetorical question—e.g., 'Hey, do you do one‑on‑ones?'—can move prospects into your chat box. The core strategy stays the same; only the tactics change. Beyond social media, think about email, phone calls, or even walking up to a local business. With so many channels, a rational person could easily fill an 8‑hour day just reaching out. So, get after it—put the pedal to the metal. If you finish your outreach in the first hour, you could easily 7× your current volume, and with more reps you’ll gain efficiency and effectiveness.

linkedinoutreachsocial medialead generation