Introducing Snapstorms.com. Why, oh, why Snapchat?
For the past few months I’ve been doing nearly daily “Snapstorms” or short videos with startup advice released on Snapchat.
Today I’ve made all of them available on Snapstorms.com.
Among the most comical things to me in the past few years is just how much it annoys some people that I use Snapchat. Not since the initial popularity of Twitter in 2007 has a product so befuddled people. I remember the same disdain from people when I started blogging or using Twitter. Why would a VC do that?
If you’re not on Snapchat — but still want video advice — Snapstorms.com is for you. You don’t have to log into the app, you just have to get used to the less-than-professionally produced quality of the videos I put out. The writer, director, actor, and cameraman is all the same person — me.
I think that’s what people actually like about it. It’s not overly produced but it sure is authentic. A bit like a blog that is put out regularly but not overly edited or self-conscious about word choices or typos.
Here’s an example of a recent Snapstorm on negotiations:
So for the people who still don’t get why I’d use Snapchat — in no particular order let me say:
- I enjoy doing it. It’s a quick, easy way to share advice to masses of people. If I can help thousands with 5 minutes of my time daily — why the fuck not?
- I LOVE writing. I prefer it to any other medium, which is why I love Medium. But writing takes more time and some days I don’t have that. Snapchat is faster and easier.
- Snapchat has a built in audience. Today’s post got 9,000 views in 24 hours.
- Now here is the important thing for you to understand — many of my target customers — entrepreneurs between ages 21–35 — are on Snapchat! And virtually none of my competitors — VCs between the ages of 35–55 — quite understand (or have the desire) to put out content on this media channel. So it provides me with a less crowded audience than publishing on: blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. where everybody else publishes. (I do these, too. Just that Snapchat is less crowded. And I fund non-Snapchat users or people over 40 — I promise! — I’m simply pointing out that by numbers more startups are founded in that younger demo).
- I know it drives you nuts that the video disappears in 24 hours. Why would Suster do that!! Well, I like the “immediacy” of it. Some users like knowing that they can predictable watch a short daily video and get it first on Snapchat. Other users prefer to binge watch when they have more time. Snapchat is perfect for the former and Snapstorms.com is perfect for the latter.
- I love the authenticity of Snapchat. I don’t have to put on airs and graces. I can just be me and try and be helpful.
- Snapchat currently isn’t great for me for engagement. There isn’t a time-efficient way for me to engage with the audience. If I follow you, you can send me a comment and I always respond. But for other people engagement has to happen on Twitter, where the engagement tools are easier.
What’s next for Snapstorms.com?
- Today we have all of my past videos with categories so you can more easily explore topics like: fund raising, HR, VC advice, negotiations, sales, marketing, etc.
- I will add links to videos where you can find the relevant articles I’ve written on BothSid.es if you want a deeper dive.
- I will add a place to submit ideas you’d like to see for future video topics
- Maybe I’ll provide a podcast version for people who prefer just to subscribe and listen in the car?
- I know that some of the videos have the voice / video out of sync. This is a Snapchat encoding issues and we’re working on improving these videos. We’re going to try and do some post-production if we can.
- I likely will not add a place to provide comments. Only because I don’t want yet another place to check comments. I do that already on Medium and Twitter.
- If you have other suggestions of how to make the website more useful — I’m all ears.
Huge thank you to Kerry Bennett and Kyle Taylor for helping me get the website off the ground. I really appreciate it.
