Haaland broke every YouTube rule

Erling Haaland just broke every YouTube rule.

And yet still got 5 million views in just 4 days.

I have never seen something do so well that breaks EVERY rule of YouTube.

Terrible thumbnail.

Unoptimised title.

No storytelling.

By every metric we use to measure YouTube success, this video should have flopped.

It looks like something straight out of 2014 YouTube - and that's probably why it did so well.

When you're one of the best footballers on the planet, the algorithm bends to you, not the other way around.

But what's interesting about this is Haaland's video proves something I've been saying for ages - fans are craving behind-the-scenes access from footballers, and that goes for anyone with celebrity status.

They just aren't getting it.

And when they do get it, even if it's poorly executed by YouTube standards, they'll watch it anyway.

Now just imagine if he partnered with a team that actually understood YouTube.

Imagine if he understood thumbnails.

If he grasped storytelling.

If he knew how to hook viewers in the first 3 seconds.

The potential is absolutely massive.

Because he already has the hardest part figured out - he's Erling Haaland.

People want to watch him.

He's got the audience demand that most creators spend years trying to build.

But right now he's leaving millions of views on the table.

Maybe tens of millions.

Because while being Erling Haaland gets you 5 million views with a bad thumbnail and no structure, being Erling Haaland with actual content strategy could get you 20 million.

Or 50 million.

The gap between what he's doing and what he could be doing is enormous.

And it's obvious when you think about it.

Look at what Drive to Survive did for F1 drivers' profiles.

Suddenly drivers who were relatively unknown became global personalities.

Look at Bryson DeChambeau's hole-in-one challenge going viral.

He understood that golf fans wanted to see something they couldn't see anywhere else and he gave it to them in a format that worked for YouTube.

Even look within football at Ben Foster.

He had literally retired before returning to play at Wrexham.

Would that move have happened without his social presence?

We're in an era now where your career can be defined by more than just how you play.

Your marketability, your social presence, your ability to build an audience - they're all factors.

Not just in how much money you make from sponsorships, but in what opportunities come your way.

When a player at Haaland's level actually partners with people who know what they're doing?

When they commit to consistent, strategic content instead of occasional posts?

They're going to dominate the entire conversation around athletes and media.

Because the demand is clearly there.

The blueprint is there. Drive to Survive proved it works. Bryson DeChambeau proved it works. Ben Foster proved it works.

Now we're just waiting for someone at the absolute top to put all the pieces together.

Remember, the creator mindset is all you need to grow 🌱

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