This is the fastest path to building a cash engine on the internet

Today's Tip: Short-form video is the most underrated way to build an internet cash engine.

When I started making content in 2022, I was stuck between starting with one of these three video formats:

1. Short-Form

2. YouTube

3. Podcasts

I had just watched Joe Rogan get $200M from Spotify. Alex Cooper (Call Her Daddy) got $60M.

These people were cleaning up with podcasts…

But I knew podcasts were max difficult to grow. Starting a podcast in 2022 was playing the internet media game on hard mode.

So I crossed podcasts off the list.

This left me with YouTube and Short-Form as my two content options.

In my gut, I knew YouTube could be the launch pad for an incredible business…

But I was scared of the mountain of new skills I would need to learn in order to win (storytelling, scriptwriting, editing, thumbnails, titles, idea generation).

It was too much to bite off as a complete beginner.

This left me with short-form video.

And out of necessity, because I wanted to start something immediately, I began down the lonely path of a solo creator trying to figure out short-form.

At first, my goal was just to use short-form as a way to become proficient at video storytelling & editing.

Even though the styles were different, I assumed some of this would be translatable to YouTube.

Then, as soon as I was ready, I would jump into making YouTube videos.

And this was my strategy because I assumed I couldn’t make meaningful income from short-form.

But I was dead wrong...

I’ve since grown multiple short-form channels, winning on every platform (IG, TikTok, LinkedIn), and making six-figures from brand deals alone.

I've now realized that short-form is the easiest path to build an internet cash engine that spits off $10K/month.

Here's what I got wrong when I underappreciated short-form originally…

When you're trying to build a new skill, fast feedback loops are everything.

Think about other forms of video content:

• A YouTube video takes 20+ hours to create and at least 1 week to get complete feedback. Typically can only make 1 per week as a beginner.

• A podcast requires scheduling, logistical coordination with guests, recording, and 2-5 hours of editing. Typically can only make 1 per week as a beginner.

But with short-form…

• Takes just 2-4 hours to make

• You know within 24 hours if a video is working

• You can post 1-2 times daily as a beginner

This means you get 5-10x more short-form shots on goal compared to other formats in the same time period.

Suddenly 1 year becomes 5 or 10. You simply get better, faster.

And if you don’t believe me, this is the compounding difference in learning if you get just 1% better each video:

• (365 short-form videos in a year) - 1 X 1.01^365 = 37.8

• (52 YouTube videos in a year) - 1 × 1.01^52 = 1.68

You get 22.5x better in the same year period when you’re improving 1% daily vs weekly.

This is a massive advantage.

So it was clear to me that my learning and skills were improving faster, but here's what nobody tells you about short-form monetization…

Think of each piece of content as an "ad unit."

In every video, you have the potential to:

• Rent that slot to brands (brand deals)

• “Use” it yourself (promote your own stuff)

• Run zero promotion (build trust for later)

The point is that every ad slot has a cash value. The bigger you get, the more that slot is worth.

With short-form videos, posted daily, you create 5 potential ad slots per week. With YouTube, you only create one.

What I realized is that if I take one brand deal out of every 5 videos, especially when they aren’t dilutive to my audience, I could build up to $10K/month in brand deal income extremely quickly.

And this is the monetization advantage of short-form video…you win with volume.

You learn faster, grow faster, increase your earning potential faster, and have more ad slots to sell.

Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe in YouTube as a strategy (long-term, it’s much stronger than short-form video).

But when you’re a beginner, and you’re trying to unlock your first $10K/month, short-form is the faster path to do it.

I know this because it worked for me.

Short-form video lets you play on easy mode and generate cash that funds everything else you want to pursue.

Don’t ignore it.

P.S. If you want to shortcut your path to becoming world-class at this, reply “cash engine” and I’ll send you details on joining Short Form Academy before everyone else.