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TRANSCRIPT:

*this transcript was mostly generated by AI, please excuse any mistakes

Amanda: Hello everyone and welcome back to the CEO Mastery show with your host Amanda Holmes. This week’s episode my team and i were discussing Organic traffic and how to get more views to our posts on social media and that’s when i remembered an interview that i had done for entrepreneur a couple of years back with Sharon Rechter CEO of

first media this episode breaks down how she gets more shares an average post on her Facebook page will get millions of views tens of thousands of shares organically she hasn’t spent a dime on marketing she’s just gotten really good at using the algorithm and people’s interest in sharing videos and I’m sure all of you would like to have

a million views to your product or service online so… i will hand it over to the Expert here and i think it’ll start with Alan [00:01:00] Taylor of entrepreneur introducing this episode so i know you will enjoy this and make sure you write down the notes of the five part framework she uses for every.

Sharon: Now, here’s your host, Alan Taylor. Well, today I’m running along with the ultimate sales machine herself, the daughter of Chet Holmes, who wrote that book, The Ultimate Sales Machine. Her name is Amanda Holmes. And our guest right now is Sharon Rector. Founder and president of First Media. First Media is a multi platform content publisher dedicated to the do it all millennial woman.

That’s why we’re going to have a do it all millennial woman do the interview. With closing in on almost 2 billion monthly video views on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and their other brands. Blossom, So Yummy, and Bluster, and over 60 million U. S. TV homes, for their TV network Baby First. [00:02:00] Amanda, 2 billion?

Amanda: Wow. You’re right, Alan, which is the best kept secret that happens to have 2 billion views a month. 

Can 

Sharon: you believe it? 

Thank you so much for having me. Super excited to be here with you. Oh, 

Amanda: well can we start with just where did you begin? And, and, how did that road go with having your husband as your partner in crime?

Oh, so you’re already 

Sharon: stealing my thunder? Because we weren’t married at the time. Oh? Yes. Um, so, uh, Guy, Oanie, my partner, and later my husband, and I started First Media, started with baby first. We wanted to launch the first ever cable network for mothers and babies. We didn’t know how hard it would be. I don’t know what we’ve done, had we known, but we didn’t know how hard it would be.

We brought the cable network to 60 million homes. It’s now available through Baby First is available through every cable provider in the country watched by, uh, 55 percent of us moms for an average of 110 minutes a day. Wow. And I’m telling you all that because nobody cares [00:03:00] because as the world changed and cable networks in the cable industry changed, we changed with it.

And when we tried to evaluate two years ago, what is the biggest asset that we had baby first owned, we found that that what we really had was trust. Millennial women and mothers trusted us to provide them information and content, um, in things that were bigger than just their babies. It was about them.

It was about being a woman. It was. It’s about things I could do to better my life. So we started creating content on social media. We realized that the social media space was booming. We started creating content on social media. So April of last year, First Media had 174, 000 fans. Today we have north of 63 million.

Wow. 

Amanda: Wait, and you also said that you didn’t spend a dime doing 

Sharon: this. Zero. Oh, I love that. . 

Zero marketing. We spent money on creating really good videos [00:04:00] that people will love and share, but we spent no dollars on buying viewers paying to be viewed to market our videos. Literally, we said we are going to make excellent videos that people will stop.

Love and share. And today, First Media, with its three brands, Blossom, So Yummy, and Blusher, has the highest share rate in the industry. Um, and are number one in the world in views per post. So I think the strategy is working. Blossom is watched on average by 15 million views per post. So Yummy being the second in the world with 16 million views per post.

Amanda: 50 million views per post. And how often are you 

Sharon: posting? So we post now within our three pages about once a day. Um, but again, it’s not about quantity. It’s about creating videos that actually speak to our millennial women’s audience, that people will actually go, Ooh, wow, that’s cool. I’d want to share that.

And when we face [00:05:00] challenges on how to create those videos, we look at. What, how can we create great content that actually gives you value, real value content? And what can we do to make you stop your feed and actually watch? And we have what we call the three second rule, which we need you to be engaged within three seconds of the video or else you’re gone.

And the biggest, biggest thing is when we create a video, we ask, why would you share that video? And if we can’t answer that question, why are you specifically going to share that video? We throw it away. Because having videos that people don’t share when what you do is count on organic views is really, is really critical.

This is amazing. 

Amanda: So did you have a background in this? Were you at a film school? 

Sharon: Oh no, no, no. Just vanity. A ton of vanity. Thinking we could do whatever we wanted. Being young. Thinking we could do whatever we wanted. Um, not understanding limitations of the market. So both Guy and I are actually, um, ex recovering [00:06:00] lawyers.

What? Yeah. We actually we met when we were both heading strategic planning for ad agencies. We, uh, both were bidding for the Pepsi bid. I lost and wanted a date with the guy who won, so I needed to understand why. And that’s how our relationship formed. Um, but no, we came, we didn’t come from the TV industry and then we didn’t come from the social media industry.

What we did know is how to engage with people and what we pride ourselves at First Media. is that we listen to our audience. We’ve always listened. We listened with Baby First, and we listened with First Media. So, the way I like to say it, you see me. I’m no Martha Stewart. I’m far from perfection. And I embrace that.

I’m a mother of four. I run a business. I still want the perfect birthday party. I still want to host the most wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. Not doing it on my high heels. I’m not doing it with perfect hair. And I need hacks. So what First Media does throughout [00:07:00] its three brands is we’ll always give our millennial women a solution.

We’ll either save them money, save them time, give them a healthier option, or make them look good in front of their 

friends. 

Amanda: Sharon, I have been sitting at the edge of my seat for days waiting for this, so I can’t wait. And everybody listening as well, every entrepreneur wants to know, how do you make content go viral?

Can you share with us some of your secrets? 

Sharon: Yes, I can. I’m excited to do it. And we like to think of it as six steps. Every video has to go through six steps. So the first one is you should really know your audience. You don’t create videos in the same way if you’re trying to reach mothers, or millennial women, or cool guys, or auto lovers.

You have to create a video that that you know your audience. You know what makes them tick. You know what’s interesting to them and what they will share. So, uh, I’ll give you an example. In a video we did for Bed, Bath and Beyond. Uh, which was seven things you didn’t know your slow cooker could do. This, this [00:08:00] video generated 65 million views and was number one most successful video, um, in, uh, branded video on Facebook in 2017.

Um. Wow. Again, wow. It was fun. I can’t say it wasn’t fun. It was very fun. Um, so what we did was we said, who’s our audience? Our audience is this video, in this video, is a homemaker. Our audience is somebody who, um, works in the kitchen, but is looking for a hack. How do I make my life easier? And she didn’t know she could do so many things with a slow cooker.

So did you know you could make fondue with a slow cooker? Did you know you could bake cupcakes with a slow cooker? Did you know you can bake a hundred hot dogs in a slow cooker? You didn’t know all that. So that woman who is looking to host, and we did it, I believe, right before Super Bowl, Um, got to see all these amazing things, and that’s why they shared, and this video reached 65 million views.

So the first thing is know your audience. The second thing is know your platform. Every platform behaves differently. So on Facebook, if you [00:09:00] think about it, when do you use Facebook? You’re sitting at the dentist, maybe you have some time to kill, maybe you’re not even watching with sound because you don’t want to disturb 65 percent of people who watch Facebook videos, watch them without sound.

So when you’re preparing a video for Facebook, you should look at it differently than when you’re preparing a video for YouTube. On YouTube, people come to search for content that they’re actually interested in. So, the platform is different, therefore your content should be tailored for the platform.

It’s not the same video that works well on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, or Snapchat. So know your platform. The third rule that we have is, we ask ourselves, what is so great about our video? That people will want to share it since we rely 100 percent on sharing and proud to say that we have the highest sharing in the industry.

Um, at First Media, we always say what in this video is going to make you say either, I’m definitely going to do this 95 percent chance you won’t, but at the moment you actually think you could do it. And that goes into even the [00:10:00] ease of the video. So is it something that you can perceive that you could do, even if eventually you won’t do it?

At the moment, do you think it is so cool that either your friends would want to know about it or you would do it and therefore it reflects on you? Because when you think of all the engagement possible on Facebook, liking something is easy. Commenting is a little more work. Share is literally putting yourself behind it and telling all your friends, I believe in this.

How humiliating if you did wrong, right? So a video really needs to be great for people to share. The fourth thing is, how do you get people to stop? Because you get a ton of things on your feed, and you scroll down. What will make you stop? Our rule is, it has to be interesting in the first three seconds.

If it’s not interesting in the third three seconds, first three seconds, we have lost you. 

Amanda: You know what, that’s so interesting that you say that, because the attention span is now half what it was ten years ago, and that’s the equivalent of a goldfish. Which is three [00:11:00] seconds. Yes. So it we are lines exactly.

Yeah, 

Sharon: we’re goldfish. You know what? I’m gonna change the name of that rule to the goldfish rule. Yes. Thank you Thank you for contributing to my six rules and I am going to give you credit for it. Oh good So we’ll call it the the goldfish rule. Number five would be if you’re integrating a brand Really use the value of those brands really Uh take advantage of what this product and brand has to offer To give your consumers So you can’t just go on camera and say let’s take our Ford F 150 and drive to work Because that’s not seamless integration But what you could do and what we’ve done for example for Dollar Shave Club who was trying to reach millennial women I don’t know if you know but 80 percent of razors are bought by women I love it was to really show how cool and useful their products were to help you save time on your day.

And that works. And that’s why that video generated north of 15 million views because people thought this [00:12:00] video gave them value. It didn’t feel like an ad. And that’s the most important thing with social media. People won’t share something that feels like an ad. They’ll share something that they believe gives them value.

Amanda: We haven’t even talked 

about the fact that you’re from Israel. You didn’t even understand the culture as you came into this. And you just made your own imprint on what it means to create things that people care about. And, and be able to monetize a whole empire around this. So, can you share a bit?

Because sometimes we get wrapped up in the content and we need followers. But, how do you build a business around creating content online? What, what does First Media look like? As a business and once I get that answer then we have to tie it down with that last six step because I know everybody’s waiting in anticipation.

Sharon: So, so thank you at first. I’m blushing from all the kind words and I wish we could spend all day together because you’re making me feel so good. Um, but First Media really has three pillars. So we have the cable network, Baby First, uh, that is watched by 60 million, uh, is available in 60 million [00:13:00] homes and watched by every second mother in the country.

We have social media that generates 2 billion views and is monetized either by mid rolls. Facebook allows certain publishers to include mid rolls or by brand integration. And we have our third pillar of the business, which is a JV between, uh, First Media and Zumba. You probably know Zumba, the biggest fitness company in the world, where we created mommy and me classes for mothers like me who have four kids, don’t remember what a Zumba class looks like, but now can bring their kids and do it together.

And that business has grown to we are now in a thousand locations within a year of launching that business. What we like about adding that pillar, A, it was a test for us on can we actually drive action from our media? Uh, so that was phenomenal for us to see that our media actually can build a business and building it to a thousand locations within one year, uh, we’re happy.

Uh, but what it also gives us as first media looks at itself is a way to interact with women and millennial women through every platform. So TV gives us long, long form engagement. People who are [00:14:00] really engaged with the baby first brand. Social media gives us. That’s how to people, 2 billion people a month, short engagement, but really, uh, but really impactful.

And Zumbini gives us a way to actually meet women, shake their hands, listen to them. And if we wanted to demonstrate a product, also show them that. So when we look at where First Media is going into the future, today we offer great content for millennial women that helps them and makes their life easier.

As we grow, we’re also looking at commerce. How do we create products? That really make a difference. Products that help cut some of the stress that we all have in our day. And make our life just a little bit easier. Um, and more manageable. That’s where we’re going. But, I owe you a six. I owe 

Amanda: you a six. But I have to give it to you that the fact, you said a thousand locations in one year?

Sharon: Yes. And what I love about it personally as a woman entrepreneur. Is that, when we looked at who would [00:15:00] start those businesses, who would become a Zumbini instructor, We, we didn’t know, what’s the profile. And what we found out, it was a baby first mom, who maybe didn’t have 50, 000 to start a business. But she could start a business with 400.

And to me, I would say on a personal level, it is so inspiring to see that we have a thousand women who are now starting their own small businesses in their local towns, in their church, in their temple, in their home, and they’re teaching moms and kids how to dance. We’re giving them guidance, but I think of nothing better that I can say about what we’re achieving than actually helping women start their own business.

So I’m very grateful that we’re doing that. I am so 

Amanda: grateful for that. And this surge of female entrepreneurship is coming up. I mean, me, I run a company that has 80 percent male, because we serve CEOs. So to see female entrepreneurship, and we’re an entrepreneur, I’m just so grateful that we’re doing this.

So can you tie us [00:16:00] together, and come back to that sixth step? What is it? I’ve been 

dying to know. 

Sharon: It’s simple. It’s the simplest one. Your video has to be engaging all the time. You cannot create boring, long videos. Every second in that video, and I would say First Media has brought it almost to a science, every second on Blossom So Yummy and Blusher has to be engaging so we don’t lose you.

And we work really hard. We spend a lot of time on each and every video making sure that you won’t leave us because we’re putting an ad in there. You won’t leave us, and we keep you on your toes with, Huh! I didn’t know I could do that. And, um, that’s our secret. It’s as simple as one can be. And I think, especially today, with the Facebook algorithm changing, and a lot of change in the world, in the world of social media, I actually salute the Facebook people for wanting engagements to be more meaningful.

And for making con wanting content providers to create [00:17:00] content that people would actually enjoy. feel something about and, um, do something positive in their lives. And I think First Media is very well positioned to play that game right now, because that’s what we’ve always done. As I mentioned to you, we’re like Michael Phelps.

We swim let the others look inside. 

Amanda: Oh, I love it Oh, what a beautiful note to end on because I really think that what you’ve provided today for the entrepreneur community is that Every moment was just jam packed with such great advice on how to take something and just make it meaningful for people Yes, and I feel your heart from here that I think that is what makes me To know that the good guys are winning.

That’s 

Sharon: what it’s about it for this hour of the program alan taylor. Thanks for listening. We’ll see you next time

[00:18:00]