Jake Tran is a 25-year-old YouTuber who has 1.82 million subscribers. He has built a successful career on YouTube by making videos about controversial topics and conspiracy theories. His videos have a documentary-style and cover a range of subjects, from the lives of billionaires to feminism.
Jake Tran's unique storytelling approach and thought-provoking content have helped him build a loyal following. Last year, he earned nearly $1 million from YouTube ads and sponsorships.
This article will look at Jake Tran's journey, the strategies he used, and the lessons he learned along the way.
Jake Tran
Early days
From a young age, Jake Tran was inspired by educational YouTube videos that explain complex topics. This sparked his dream of becoming a successful YouTuber and making a living through the platform. However, it wasn't until Jake Tran dropped out of college and started working as a web developer that he discovered the book that would change his YouTube career - "Blue Ocean Strategy." This book taught Jake Tran how to enter a crowded industry, like YouTube, and find a unique niche.
By applying the strategies from "Blue Ocean Strategy" to his YouTube plans, Jake Tran developed his signature video style. He started creating 15-20 minute documentary-style videos that explored controversial topics and conspiracy theories. This unique approach helped Jake Tran stand out in the competitive YouTube landscape.
Jake Tran's love of reading has also heavily influenced the actual content of his videos. For example, after reading about the topic of war profiteering, he became fascinated by it. This led him to create a video in 2020 that explored the history of war profiteering, and it ended up becoming one of his best-performing videos, with over 1.5 million views.
Overall, Jake Tran's success on YouTube can be traced back to the influence of books. The insights he gained from "Blue Ocean Strategy" allowed him to carve out a unique niche, while his wide reading fueled the thought-provoking topics covered in his popular documentary-style videos.
Creating a unique style
One of the key factors that sets Jake Tran apart from other YouTubers is his distinctive storytelling approach. Rather than appearing on camera himself, Jake Tran takes a more mysterious and enigmatic style. He compiles clips of recent news and historical footage, and then records voiceovers to explain his thought process. This approach allows Jake Tran to explore controversial topics and conspiracy theories in an engaging and thought-provoking way.
Jake Tran's videos cover a wide range of subjects that are often quite controversial. Some examples include videos about the sad lives of billionaires, how Mark Zuckerberg repaired his public image, and even why feminism is allegedly a scam. By tackling these sensitive and thought-provoking topics head-on, Jake Tran has managed to build a loyal following of viewers.
His audience is drawn to Jake Tran's unique perspective and his willingness to explore the darker corners of society. Rather than shying away from controversial subjects, Jake Tran leans into them, offering his own analysis and insights. This willingness to dive into the complex and the taboo is a big part of what sets Jake Tran's content apart on the crowded YouTube landscape.
Overall, Jake Tran's distinctive storytelling style, combined with his ability to tackle controversial topics in an engaging way, have been key factors in his success on the platform. His loyal viewers appreciate his unique approach and perspective, which has allowed him to carve out a successful niche for himself on YouTube.
How Jake Tran has been able to monetize his controversial content on YouTube
While some creators might avoid controversial topics out of fear of alienating sponsors or advertisers, Jake Tran has embraced them as a key part of his monetization strategy. Last year, Jake Tran was able to generate an impressive $820,246 in revenue from YouTube ads and sponsorships - a figure that was verified by Business Insider through documentation provided by Jake Tran himself.
Jake Tran's willingness to tackle controversial subjects has clearly paid off financially. Rather than shying away from topics that some might consider taboo or risky, he has leaned into them as a way to build a loyal audience and attract lucrative sponsorships.
Jake Tran's success on his original YouTube channel even prompted him to start a second account called Evil Food Supply, which has already got 275,000 subscribers. This demonstrates his ability to diversify his content strategies and find new ways to monetize his controversial approach.
While Jake Tran has experimented with posting on other platforms like TikTok and Instagram, YouTube remains his main priority. He finds that the platform's emphasis on longer-form video content is well-suited to his documentary-style format and ability to deeply explore complex topics.
As Jake Tran himself explains, "It serves as a nice outlet for me to get paid for learning how the world works." By delving into controversial topics and shedding light on the darker aspects of society, Jake Tran has managed to turn his passion for learning into a highly profitable career.
Overall, Jake Tran's willingness to embrace controversy has been a key factor in his ability to monetize his YouTube content so successfully. His loyal audience is drawn to his unique perspective, and advertisers have been willing to partner with him despite - or perhaps because of - the provocative nature of his videos.
The Power of sponsorships
While YouTube ads have certainly played a significant role in Jake Tran's success, he has also found sponsorships to be an equally profitable stream of income. As he puts it, "You can make just as much money, if not more money, than YouTube ads."
After Jake Tran started averaging 50,000 views per video, he began working directly with companies to incorporate sponsorships into his content. These sponsorships usually involve 60-90 second ads that he scripts, records, and edits in a similar style to his regular videos.
Jake Tran is able to integrate these sponsored segments seamlessly into his videos by making clever Jake Transitions that tie the ad into the overall topic of the video. This way, the sponsorship doesn't immediately stick out to his viewers as an interruption.
Last year, Jake Tran earned $390,937 just from sponsorships on his main Jake Tran YouTube channel. Some of his highest-earning sponsored videos tackled controversial topics like scams.
For example, a video where Jake Tran argued that the weight loss drug Ozempic is a scam earned him $8,000. Another video claiming that oat milk is a scam generated $2,500. And a video saying that breakfast is a scam brought in $3,900.
Scaling production with a team
As Jake Tran's YouTube channel grew, he found himself overwhelmed trying to do everything on his own. That's when Arvid Ali, the president of Jordan Belfort's company, reached out to Jake Tran. Ali advised him that he was working too hard and needed to start delegating tasks.
Taking this advice, Jake Tran began outsourcing small jobs like hiring a virtual assistant and an audio editor. The biggest challenge was finding a video editor, since Jake Tran had been editing all his complex videos himself up to that point.
Jake Tran ended up building a team of over 30 people, including assistants, writers, voice actors, producers, and video editors. With this team in place, Jake Tran was able to significantly scale up his video production.
Whereas Jake Tran used to only make one video per month on his own, he is now able to produce 12-13 videos per month with the help of his team. Delegating tasks has allowed Jake Tran to be more efficient and not burnout from trying to do everything himself. Overall, building a dedicated production team has been crucial for Jake Tran to keep up with the demands of his growing YouTube empire and maintain his unique, high-quality content on a more frequent basis.
As Jake Tran explains, "If you imagine the process of making a video as an assembly line, kind of like for a car, that's how we operate. We have people in every position."
Lessons learned
Jake Tran's journey to YouTube success offers valuable lessons for aspiring creators looking to achieve their goals and make it in the competitive world of online video. Perhaps the most important lesson is the power of finding a unique niche and storytelling approach.
Another key takeaway is the importance of diversifying one's income streams. While YouTube ads can certainly be rewarding, Jake Tran's success with sponsorships shows the value of exploring other monetization strategies. By working directly with companies to combine ads into his videos in a seamless and engaging way, Jake Tran was able to make significant additional revenue.
Finally, Jake Tran's experience building a team highlights the importance of delegation and scalability. As a creator's audience grows, so too do the demands on their time and energy. By outsourcing tasks and building a team of skilled professionals, creators can scale their production and focus on what they do best: creating engaging and thought-provoking content.
Conclusion:
By creating a unique storytelling style and tackling topics that other creators might avoid, Jake Tran has gained a loyal following of 1.82 million subscribers and made nearly a million dollars last year.
Although Jake's journey has had its challenges, his success offers valuable lessons for anyone looking to make it in the world of online video. By finding a unique niche, diversifying income streams, and building a skilled team, creators can turn their passion for learning and storytelling into a successful career.
It's clear that Jake Tran's popularity will keep growing. With his unique take on controversial topics and his dedication to his work, Jake has become a significant figure in online video. As he continues to explore and reveal the darker sides of society, his influence is sure to be felt for years to come.
