Cinematic Music Composer Christopher Siu Teaches Building an Audience with Content

Jeremy Deighan
What's up everyone, thanks for coming on the show today. We have a special guest, Christopher Siu with us, who is an expert in cinematic music creation and composing music.

And we're going to get to hear his story today into his online course journey. And so I'm excited to have you on the show. How you doing, Christopher?

Christopher Siu
Very well. Thanks for having me, Jeremy. It's a pleasure.

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, definitely, this will be a lot of fun. And I love music myself. I've been involved in music for a long time. I played music in middle school in high school. And it's always been a big component of my life.

And I think this is a really, really cool topic cinematic music for I guess, like movies and things like that. So just walk us back to the beginning, like what were you doing originally?

And how did you get into music and composing? And then how did you eventually end up in the online course world?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, so I basically started out, as you know, usually any kid would start out with music, my parents kind of gave me a choice of what I wanted to play, you know, piano, violin, whatever.

So I go with piano. And I think growing up, I took a lot of classical piano lessons. And then eventually, I went to university for a classical piano performance, actually. And so when I was in, I think my second year of university, I started my new YouTube channel.

I previously had some other ones on different topics. But I knew that this one I really wanted to start because at the time, I was starting to get into production music, or getting into, you know, just producing other computers. So that was a lot of fun.

And I kind of wanted to share my own thoughts on that. And so I started the channel. And I basically made a commitment to myself to upload at least once a week. And I didn't know you know why at that time, but I knew I wanted some sort of structure in the channel.

So that was about four years ago now, starting at the end of 2017. And yeah, ever since I've been able to keep up with that demand I put on myself, upload at least a video a week. And during the pandemic, that gave me a lot of clarity because the pandemic basically shut down a lot of my in person teaching business.

And so it gave me a lot more time to sit back and really think about what I wanted to do. And then I realized that yeah, I'm starting to build an audience on YouTube, I could really help them further with some in depth material. And so that's how I came up with the idea of the course.

And I knew I wanted it to be like a flagship course that really goes over my entire composing process, and how to produce music orchestrated on the computer, produce a result that you're really proud of, etc. And it was also really good timing. Because at the time of university, I discovered another channel called Recording Revolution.

And Graham, the host of that channel, started his business channel teaching how he started his own online business based on his YouTube journey. And I really resonated with his message and how he was doing things. And so I've basically followed a lot of his teachings down to a tee. And I'm starting to see the results of myself.

So that was a couple of years ago. And yeah, it's just been a lot of fun ever since just to see things happening and stay consistent with YouTube and learning along the way. It's just been a really fun experience. And so, yeah, I'm really looking forward to the future and seeing what things have in store.

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, definitely. And we'll talk about some of the strategies and really get into things that you've learned along the way and things that have helped you out on your journey.

First, I would you know, like to ask you, would you say that posting consistently on YouTube once a week for the past four years, has helped you grow this business? And what is it about that consistency that you think really helps with that business growing?

Christopher Siu
I think first of all, just being consistent is a mental thing in and of itself, right? Just because establishing a certain routine is not easy for everyone. And especially for us who are naturally disorganized, myself included, I think it really gave me an opportunity to put my foot down and say like, "Okay, I really want to commit to this thing."

And so once I knew I wanted to commit to that I, you know, started to execute it and over time I saw that the audience was starting to grow. I never had a video really pop off super hard or go viral or anything. But I think my most popular video is you know, 60/70,000 views or something.

Over time over the course of these four plus years now it's it started to grow that audience, slowly but surely, and then a couple of times I did like a video a day for an entire month, I actually am currently in the process of uploading a video a day for three months in a row.

So I'm nearing the tail end of that. And I'm starting to see the results of that. But building that audience and then translating them to my email list was really the biggest thing that I wanted to take away from the channel growth.

Because yeah, having the green numbers, you know, having big numbers and all that is always nice. But it's not really going to translate to monetization very much unless you find a way to monetize them. And we all know that YouTube ad revenue isn't that great unless you have you know, that hundreds of 1000s or millions of subscribers.

And so I really wanted to take that audience and bring them behind the wall, bring them onto an email list, and then sell them my products through there. And it's been working really well since. So I definitely do not regret putting in the effort and the time to doing that.

Jeremy Deighan
So thinking about to when you started four years ago, and today as you create content, what has changed? So are you doing anything different? Are you researching keywords? Or are the way that you are producing these videos? Has that changed?

Like, if someone were starting a channel today and they wanted to start off on the right foot with their YouTube channel, what would be some recommendations that you could give?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, I love that question. I think a big thing is really starting with what you're passionate about. And then eventually, over time, you start to really see what intersects with what people find valuable, you know?

So I knew when I started, I really loved you know, composing music and producing music, but I didn't really know how many people would find that valuable. And I was pretty fortunate to have a pretty vocal audience.

And whenever I would upload something, usually within a couple of days, I would receive a couple comments, usually either affirming what I would do, or asking for, you know, follow up videos, or critique or whatever it is. And listening to all those comments is always a good idea, because you start to kind of refine your content strategy based on what people want, essentially.

And so yeah, I found that over these four years, especially in the past couple of months, actually, I've really started to see in the backend of my analytics, what people are enjoying the most and what they're clicking on. And I I've kind of found these common themes.

Like people really enjoy product reviews, they enjoy orchestration tutorials, like how to use certain products. And so I think for the remainder of the year, I'm really going to try to hone in on those specific overarching areas and start to create more content there, because I know that's going to guarantee more results.

And if I can help people there, then I know, I'm going to get them more results. And then as a result, I'll build the audience the email list and of course, sell more products. So that's all in the game plan for sure.

Jeremy Deighan
Okay, cool. And I know you mentioned, you know, listening to the audience in the market and hearing what they're saying and what they want to create content. But do you have any ways or methods of choosing what videos or what types of videos it is that you're going to record for your channel?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, I think a couple of years ago, I started creating content buckets. Like I knew the the ideas I wanted to put out. So usually, I would come up with four overarching ideas. Like, for example, one on composing one on product reviews, one on music theory, for example.

And I would try to create a video a week, but very adept. So I met each of those topics, once a month. And so over time, I kind of branched out that way and made sure that I covered different bases.

But yeah, I found out like the over these couple of months, these two topics of product reviews and orchestration tutorials really seem to work the best for my channel. And I don't know if it's specific keywords or something.

But I found like those specific topics seem to resonate with my audience the best. And so I'm kind of brainstorming right now, like, what can I do to really give them the most value from those topics?

Maybe giving some additional topics as well, to spread out. But overall, I think I'm going to go in and focus on those more because they're just showing the best results so far.

Jeremy Deighan
Very good. So you are creating this channel, you're producing consistently, you have the schedule that you are sticking to and getting videos out, you've got these content buckets, where it gives you a little variety.

And I think that helps you know, with the person watching that it's not just the same thing all the time that they are getting to see different aspects, you know, of the niche. And then you you said that you created a lead magnet. So you created some kind of freebie to take people from YouTube into your email list.

So could you take a moment to explain what is the lead magnet? How did you come up with the idea? And then what is the purpose of getting them onto that email list?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, so I think the very first lead magnet I put together was actually while I was still on MailChimp, and it was, I think it was called like "10 Steps To a Clear Orchestral Sound" or something.

So it basically takes the composer through 10 unique steps that they can take to make their production sound as good as they can from things like composing tips to orchestration tips to mixing tips. And I knew that was a you know, a kind of all encompassing lead magnet because it's it is valuable for the right person.

But then the second lead magnet I put out was called "My Cinematic Orchestral Libraries Guide." So it basically is like a buyer's guide for the composer who is getting, you know, getting into composing, but they don't really know what options are out there on the market in terms of virtual instruments.

And so that guide is specifically catered to them who wants, I guess, like a curated collection of virtual instruments that I personally recommend, and I use on a regular basis. And for people who follow my channel, we already talked about how it's a big topic for me, that's kind of the lead magnet I usually push the most.

And a lot of my videos are based on product reviews. So I'll usually share that lead magnet in every single video I make in that topic. And so once they download that guide, I think in total, I have close to 20 lead magnets at this point, because they're just a lot of fun to put together.

And of course, it's free. So it's really low barrier to entry, people seem to lap it up pretty well. But yeah, after they go in, then I pitch my product over a few days, I give them more value, over-deliver. And then over time, I pitched my flagship course.

And if they don't purchase, that's totally fine. Then they go into my regular broadcast list. And then I can send the regular updates regular value every week, and then eventually offer them something if I think it will help them.

Jeremy Deighan
Okay, and out of the 20 lead magnets or so that you've created, would you say that this plugin guide that you've created has been the most successful one?

Christopher Siu
Oh, absolutely. Yeah, this one for sure. And then I've tried, you know, promoting a couple of others here and there. But this one has definitely converted the best. And I'm definitely not surprised. Yeah.

Jeremy Deighan
Okay. And awesome. And I'm assuming that in this guide, are you also putting affiliate links in there? So when you recommend a product, people purchase it, and you can get a commission off of that, too?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, that's an interesting topic, right? Because when it comes to the niche of orchestral music production, a lot of companies are still more traditional in that nature. And they haven't really, I guess, embraced or taken on the affiliate system yet.

And this is something I'm trying to work out with specific companies. I've partnered up with some of them to give my students for example, discounts if they enroll in my course. So we do that.

I don't have too many affiliate links going on at the moment, just because again, the the developers themselves or the companies haven't really been using that model yet. But that might change in the future, of course, just depends on their team, I guess, you know?

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, it's an interesting idea that I've seen used to success before, because it gives you another way to monetize your your products and your services. So anyone who is creating an online course and is thinking about using that type of lead magnet, if you can interject some affiliate links in there, it gives you another way to make a little extra cash on the side, which is already nice.

Okay, cool. So someone comes into your email list, and you're growing that email list. What do you do once they come in there? Are you nurturing them? Do you have some kind of automations set up that sends out you know, handful of emails, like what do you do after someone enrolls?

Christopher Siu
As soon as they sign up, basically, they are taken to a webinar page, which is an auto webinar, like it just on all the time, it's evergreen. And so I basically over deliver with a full masterclass on how to make their orchestral productions even better. And then at the end, I share my flagship course there.

So even if they don't watch the whole thing, they'll still get a lot of value from it. But in terms of emails, I will basically send them their guide right away, separate email, and then I will do the overdeliver pitch at the same time, so I'll send them the guide, but I'll also send them an email containing that masterclass that webinar.

And then the next day, I will send them just an over delivery email with some additional material, but also a credibility email. So I'll share some of the things I've done, and what they can kind of expect from me in the coming days. And then the second day after that is another over deliver an email with more value.

And then the third day is where I transitioned into the pitch. So I'll you know, promote the course I'll share the benefits of it, what they'll receive, etc. And then days, I think it's like four, or five and six are all kind of different twists on the same pitch.

So one of them is a testimonial email, one of them is sharing one of the bonuses, etc. Let's see, yeah, I'm using a little bit of scarcity here and there with a bonus that kind of goes away after the first few days.

But then at the end, they will receive one more email saying do you want personalized feedback on your music and that gives them a chance to join my waitlist for my private community, which I usually promote a couple times a year.

So it's all in all it's like a 10 day pitch over deliver first and then pitch the product and then at the very end just give them a chance to sign up for the waitlist, but then after that they get put into my regular broadcast email list.

Jeremy Deighan
So, let's talk about the webinar because you said that you went from the lead magnet into a webinar first. So my question to you would be why did you create a webinar and how does that help sell this course?

Christopher Siu
The entire mentality is like if someone is, you know, finding my content and then downloaded the lead magnet, they've basically consumed at least two pieces of content. And then now that they're on my list, I just want to give them even more.

So the webinar is essentially like a full 45 minute class on a specific topic in the composing niche, and it goes way more in depth, that gives them super practical information that they can really just run with and use right away.

You know, even if they buy or don't, I want them to feel like they got value out of the class. And I strongly believe that, you know, whatever you put out in the world, it comes back to you in a good way, if people appreciate it, if they find value in it, it's really important.

And so I'm trying not to hold back at all, when it comes to this stuff, you know, I really want to give them the best. And if they like it, if they use it, then naturally they'll be more likely to buy because they want to go deeper, and they want to really take it seriously.

So that's the whole point of the webinar there. And, yes, they could access it really any time because it is evergreen, but it's not like I'm sharing it every single week on my broadcast list or anything, or I'm not sharing it publicly, but it's something they receive right after opting in. So I just want them to feel loved, I want it to feel like something special that I'm giving them because it literally is some of my best stuff.

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, definitely. And I agree with you that you should be sharing loads of value up front like this. I feel like the people that I've talked to the people I've had on my podcast, you know, dozens of people I've interviewed or talked to in the online course world, those that are successful seem to do that.

They seem to provide tons and tons of value, and really, you know, help out with that relationship building with the audience. And then when they have a product to sell, they usually have an easier time selling that product versus the other person who has that scarcity mindset, and they try to hold everything, and they don't offer that information.

So I really like that you said that. I feel like that's super important. Now, on the webinar, just out of curiosity, do you find a lot of people or any people who download the lead magnet and then go to the webinar end up purchasing right away? Like do you ever see that? Or does that just help with the nurturing aspect?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, yeah, I think the way I see it, I, I basically do it for the nurturing aspect, I actually don't track the analytics for that. I don't really look and say, "Oh, this person watch the webinar, and then oh, at the, you know, 15 minute mark, they clicked buy" or whatever.

I literally just kind of go through the analytics to see the conversions sometimes. So I'll see like, okay, you know, 100 people signed up this day. So I'm expecting, you know, one person to convert, like that type of thing. And I'm going with a very general metric.

So as long as the funnel seems to be converting well, that's, that's all I really care about. I don't really Yeah, have a way of really tracking how the webinar itself is converting, because again, I just see it more as like an over deliver and something they can go and run with.

And hey, if they purchase after watching it, then that's perfect. But if not, that's totally fine, too, because I can still have an opportunity to offer it to them over the next week or so.

Jeremy Deighan
Very cool. So let's talk about your launch strategy, because you mentioned that there's a waitlist. So I assume that this is not an evergreen course someone can buy, it's something that you're launching multiple times a year, how does that look?

Christopher Siu
This course, in particular is actually evergreen, they could purchase it on my website. But if they join my list, they do get a discount offer on it as a thank you. So that is there. In terms of the waitlist, that's actually for my private membership community that I open a couple of times a year.

Yeah. So that one there, I do want it to feel exclusive, because again, I'm interacting with my students there every week, and I want them to feel like I'm giving them my attention and not spreading it out super thin.

And so I'll open that, you know, two to four times a year, depending on how things are going. And yeah, I find that that's kind of a win win for all of us. So if they don't purchase, but maybe they want exclusive access, then they can join that waitlist, and they can make that decision when I do open it.

But if they do want the course then they can also purchase it anytime as well. It has options for both sides. You know?

Jeremy Deighan
I see. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Okay. And do you ever bundle these two together? Or is it always two separate things that they have to buy so that you can buy the course and by the community or just buy the course or just buy the community? Like, how do you have that setup?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, so I'm currently using Kajabi. So it basically has the regular offer where you can attach the product, but then the community I'll usually add as an upsell. So after they purchase, I will offer them the annual plan so they get two months free.

And if they want to join that then they are basically added to that as well right away. And so I found that yeah, that usually converts maybe a couple percent from the people who purchase the course a few of them add it to the upsell.

But yeah, it's just a really good way for them to get access to a community of composers right after they purchase something that's going to help them directly with their music at the same time. So it's something nice for them and yeah, a few of them do take me up on it.

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, I like this. And I like how you have streamlined it with Kajabi. So it makes it pretty simple to sell it and, you know, offer a secondary product, basically, you know, for someone else.

So when someone signs up for the community, what is it that you offer to them? What are they getting. First of all, what do you use? Is it Facebook? Or is it one of these other platforms like, you know, Circle or minor mining networks or something,

Christopher Siu
I'm using both the Kajabi membership and the Kajabi community together. And so I've kind of connected them and sync them up so that when someone purchases the membership, then they get access to the membership product, which contains all of the content and like monthly master classes and live coaching calls every month.

And then there's also the community aspect, which, you know, they can interact with each other there. And they know that it's exclusive. So I'm not going to, you know, be sharing that with everyone and not anyone can join it any time. So it's just a nice place for them to just chat and grow with one another.

And it gives me a really good chance to also see what kind of content my paid customers are looking for. And what I can really create for them to take take their training to the next level. And it's also great because I can take that information and also apply it to my free content.

Because I know if my pay customers want it, then my free customers will probably want that, too. And yeah, it's a it's a great way to do some market research, I think.

Jeremy Deighan
I love the community aspect. You know, I just like the fact that you have a place where you can, again, talk with people build relationships, build trust, and authority, like you said, ask questions. That helps make your program better, it helps with your marketing, like there's so much that goes into that.

I also like that you're using Kajabi, it's one of the platforms that I recommend, because of it's all in one functionality. So just real quick, usually I don't go too deep into you know, technology and software, because I feel like anyone should use what they have available to them.

But let's just talk about Kajabi for a quick second. So, do you have everything set up through Kajabi? So is it your email, marketing, your community, your membership? Like is everything done through there?

Christopher Siu
Yes, 100% of everything is on Kajabi. I used to use MailChimp only and that was before I had any courses. You know, I was only trying to build my list. And I think once I got to the, you know, 1800 mark or so I knew I would start have to start paying once I got to 2000.

So I then switched to ConvertKit. And I realized that Yeah, I actually once I get to that point, I do have to pay as well so okay, fine. I was kind of more attracted to ConvertKit's workflow, and it seemed to be a better fit at the time.

And then I realized as I continued to build more automations, the visual editor started to confuse me a little bit. And at the same time, it was a little difficult to get hold of the live chat support, I have to admit. So that was one of the things that made me a little weary of it, even though it worked very well.

Some of the functionality was actually a bit too advanced. For me, I think I'm a very simple person. I'm not techie at all. So I just want it to work right away. And sometimes it got me frustrated.

So what I ended up doing was, when I went over to Kajabi, I basically switched everything over. And so now I don't have to add any like external tags, I don't have to do any weird integrations, everything just works within the platform. And it just it just works.

Like I really love the email editor because it uses that, you know, when then if system and there's no visual stuff to get in the way, it really is just a simple set of rules. And the automations are very powerful. And I found that I can do really anything I want right now using the platform.

Jeremy Deighan
Let's talk about your course. So going back to when you first started. I want you just think back to like the beginning like when you first started putting the course together and we're gonna take someone through the journey especially if they're a beginner level listening to this and they are creating their first course.

Or they're kind of struggling in that beginning phase. What was it like for you in the beginning? Like, how did you put your course together? And how did you figure out how to get everything working?

Christopher Siu
I guess, so one of the reasons why people maybe have trouble building courses, sometimes it's because they have that nagging feeling of, "Am I building something that people will actually resound with and find valuable," right?

And you don't really know the true answer to that until you have an audience, or you have people to ask, even if it's just friends and family, or people you think, who might be interested in your topic, you can always start to put out some feelers and ask, you know, is this a topic you might be interested in?

Where are you feeling stuck? What would you like to be able to achieve with a certain skill and really getting into the minds of certain people or your ideal customer that can really give you a nice indication of, you know, if you're heading in the right direction of your course.

And so for me, I had been working on my channel for two years at that point, and I kind of knew what people wanted to know, in a certain way. Even though it wasn't as clear as it is now I kind of had an idea.

And I knew I wanted the course, to be my flagship all in one course. So I essentially put, I don't know, like five or six courses all in one. So it kind of talks about equipment, what you need musician mindset, music theory, composition, and orchestration, mixing, mastering all that stuff into one course.

And yeah, I mean, that's my flash, of course, it's doing great, because again, it's in the funnel, so naturally converts. But I've heard from a lot of students that they've really resounded with it.

And I think it's because I was able to outline it with the exact topics that I knew I wanted to cover, but also topics that I knew people would really find valuable and helpful because of my YouTube stuff. And I knew the topics that they wanted more help with.

So I think creating that outline is super important, making sure that you have a very clear idea of how you want to progress with it, the initial stages, all the way to the end products, like what transformation you want that students to have, because it really is all about them, you are just guiding them along the way.

They're the heroes. So they have to make their way through from A to Z, you just have to hold your hand to them and guide them through one step at a time. And if you can do that, then you're pretty much guaranteed to be successful, I think.

Jeremy Deighan
Perfect. Yeah, great answer. So what are some strategies that you implement into your course to help get them that transformation? I know that one of the big problems with online courses and in this industry is completion rates, getting people to sometimes even take your course, can be a challenge.

But once they get get in there, you know, getting them to complete the curriculums and the modules, what are some things that you do inside of your course to help that student along?

Christopher Siu
That's always an interesting question, because I actually don't really check on the student completion progress too much. I really care about, of course, the fact that they're inside, and they made a great decision. But then what I want to do is give them a welcome video right off the bat to tell them and affirm them that they made a great decision.

And then I also want to give them a step by step plan of how to progress through the material and make it so clear that they cannot get lost, you know, I want to make it so like, "Oh, you're studying from module one, you're gonna make your way all the way down to module nine, watch every video in order. And yes, if you already know some of the stuff, you can always skip around. But generally, you want to follow this framework."

And then at the very ends, I'll also give a you know, I'll do a conclusion video. And then I'll also ask them what their biggest takeaways were, what were their biggest wins. And that tends to get them thinking of, you know, what they took from the course. But then all the way through, I'll also give them homework steps, like practical stuff to follow.

And I think just giving them doses of encouragement, every so often is very important. Because if they don't feel like they can do it, then they're not going to take action on it. Right?

So I think I'm using my most recent course, as an example, I just released a course on how to play the piano for composers. And so in that course, I have my welcome video welcomes them.

But in the very next post before the actual content, I shared a little bit about myself, and then some objectives for them taking the course. So I'm like it by the end of this course, you'll be able to do this, this, this, this this, and then that that post actually garnered the most comments, and people are like, "Oh, let's do this. I'm so happy to be here. Like, let's take action," etc.

Because I think that they actually felt like they could do it. And I kind of laid it out in a clear manner for them. And think that's super important. So if it feels intimidating for the customer, then they're probably not going to take it.

But if it feels approachable, and if it feels like they could do it, and you are on their side, then I think that they'll definitely at least take a chance. And yeah, they'll they'll start to see results if they take the material seriously.

Jeremy Deighan
Great answer. So you have your YouTube channel set up that kind of helps drive the traffic that sends them to the lead magnets, which is kind of a free offer to get them into your world. You redirect them to a webinar.

The webinar just helps build that trust and that authority and that relationship. You nurture them through a sequence, and then you promote your online course at the end, it sounds like a very solid funnel and a great way that you have set everything up.

So I guess my next question is, are you doing anything outside of that funnel recently that you see that's working really well? Are you trying any other traffic strategies? Have you tried ads or social media or or anything else that's working right now for you?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, I mean, ultimately, I think that the content marketing strategy has been the strongest. I've tried posting on social media. I've tried the occasional ad for one course launch back in, I think it was 2021 for one course launch. But I don't think it helped that much.

I honestly think content marketing is great. I mean, even though it does take commitment and time, you know, that you're putting stuff out in the world that actually helps people. And at the end of the day, that's, that's the best feeling, right?

So I don't think you have to have ads in order to scale your business. It can certainly help to, you know, to find the right customers. But at the end of the day, if you want your stuff to be found, then I think offering it is better than just appearing randomly on a certain page.

So what I found did work recently, though, is I've been trying to do some giveaways. And I partnered up with a couple companies now. So this is back to the product review stuff, they'll send me a library, but I'll also say like, "Oh, are you willing to maybe give one or two copies away to my subscribers?" Yeah, they say, "Yes."

So what I did for this most recent product review that I did was, I mentioned, "Yeah, I'm giving away a couple of copies of this library. But all you need to do to enter is number one, join my email list!"

But I didn't really say it that way. I was like, "Oh, you just have to download this guide, because then you're going to be on my email list. And this is where I can share regular free content with you and exclusive stuff that I don't really share publicly" and all that.

So it actually gives them an incentive. And also tell them I'll announce the winners, you know, via email as well, so that they know that they're part of an exclusive thing. And then secondly, I'll say, "Oh, yeah, leave a comment in the video telling us what you would use this library for. What kind of music you would make with it," you know, just to drive some discussion.

But at the end of the day, I do want them on my list, because again, I can refer them there. And of course, give them my best stuff. But I found that yeah, I was comparing, or I was looking on my analytics and Kajabi.

And I found that my opt ins really bumped up that day. I think the price the week prior, I was getting maybe 20 opt ins a day. And then that day, I launched a video I got like 60. So that seemed to work. And then yeah, it stayed up there for this week.

And I'm looking forward to continue trying of these different giveaways and offering incentives and all that. And yeah, it's been a lot of fun just to see how it's been working so far.

Jeremy Deighan
Awesome. Very cool. Yeah, I like that a lot. So thinking about the beginner, the person who's just, you know, starting out on their journey and trying to create an online course, what would be your number one piece of advice that you would like to tell that person listening to this podcast today?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, I think what's really important is honestly to define your strategy in terms of content. I think content marketing is probably one of the stronger ways to do it. Because it's authentic, it helps you build credibility and trust.

And it just helps people discover you in a very organic way. So I would say define what your content strategy is. And then don't worry about creating the product yet, just make sure that you are delivering something that people actually want.

And then you can start to refine your vision and what you want to build from there. Try not to build a product before you build content, because then you could be building something that no one actually wants. Just make sure you kind of hone in that vision over time, create that content, and then start to refine more and more what your people are looking for.

And then take that feedback, that ongoing feedback loop as a result, and then funnel that into a training that you think could really help people and take them even deeper. And then once you start that content strategy, stay consistent with it.

Because again, this is your marketing, you don't have ads running for you, you don't have other people shouting your name, like you literally are your own brand and your own, you know, content. So you have to be delivering it consistently. And people have to come to depend on it.

Because that's kind of how humans work, right? We see something we like and if it's consistent, then we kind of think about it. And we're like, "Okay, she's going to upload on Monday. Okay, I'm going to tune into that."

And so over time, you start to build that audience, take that audience, capture their email, give them something super valuable in return. And then you can start to nurture them further on your list and then eventually, pitch to them and offer them something awesome. So really define that strategy and stay consistent with it is what I would say.

Jeremy Deighan
Very good. That's some great advice. And the one about, you know, building the product before you have talked to your audience or figured out what they're interested in seems to be such a major one.

Something that I've heard over and over again, is, you know, people go out and they create that thing, that product and they try to sell it and have no one to sell to or they create the wrong product because they didn't listen to the audience.

I feel like that's super important. So thank you for saying that. And you know how having that consistency and making sure that you're showing up every week and showing people that you're there, and you're there to help them, I think is also very important.

So just looking at your business and what you got going on now, where do you see yourself in the next, say, 5 or 10 years? Where would you like to take this company or grow your company?

Christopher Siu
Yeah, so my company is officially just over one and a half years old. As of now I've made around, let's say, 70/80,000 total. And I'm hoping this year specifically, I can scale to six figures because I have a stronger promotional calendar, I kind of know what I want to share.

And I kind of know what I want to build next year as well. And so just with the increased amount of traffic, and the amount of products and stuff that I'm sharing and promoting, I think I might be able to reach that goal. This launch that I just had in February was the most successful one yet that I had. I guess I just hit the right niche there with a piano course.

But I'm looking forward. And I'm hoping that I continue to have things to offer every single year. And I definitely want to ramp up my audience with the content strategy, really refine again, find the topics that really resonate the most with the audience.

In terms of an actual number, I don't really have one, I just want to be able to support myself 100% from my online business, and that would mean the world to me. And so I'm on that journey every single day.

I know you've already reached that many times. So that's always something to look forward to. But yeah, I think just taking one step at a time and being patient with it is is definitely important not to rush things and make rash decisions.

Jeremy Deighan
Yeah, definitely. And you'll get there, I think you're doing great things, I think you have the foundation set up. And that to me is one of the harder parts is the beginning, you know.

Starting out, not knowing what your audience wants, you don't have, you know, Kajabi set up with all the things, you don't have the automations, you don't have a system, you don't have consistency, a schedule, you know, you've built all that.

And now that you've laid the foundation, you can build upon that foundation, and you just had a successful launch. But that's because you've learned so much along the way. And every time that you, you know, create a new course or you refine your product, it's just going to get better and better and better.

And then you'll start seeing exponential growth, it just won't be linear, it'll be exponential. And I really do think that you're gonna blow it up. And I think you're in a great fun niche. And I know that you got some great content.

So I just appreciate you coming on the podcast today. And if anyone wanted to check out your online course, or whatever you have going on out there, where can they do that?

Christopher Siu
Thank you so much, Jeremy. Honestly, if you're interested in composing music, or using virtual instruments, feel free to check out my channel and YouTube Christopher Siu. And, yeah, if you enjoy the content, feel free to download any of the guides.

Again, the most popular one is my Sample Library Buyer's Guide, which you'll see under every single library reviews. And yeah, that basically categorizes all my libraries into specific sections, and it has all the prices included, and also personal recommendations of how to actually use those libraries.

So you kind of know what you're getting into. A lot of my students have found that the most digestible guide I think I have, and I can definitely recommend that. But yeah, definitely check out the channel if you are interested in that stuff.

And if you want to go further, definitely download the guides. And then you might find the course useful as well, if you want to go even deeper.

Jeremy Deighan
Perfect. Well, I'll make sure that I link everything up in the show notes for people. So you can go check that out today and click on those links and go check out what Christopher has going on.

Again, thanks for coming on the podcast today, you dropped some really great knowledge and information for our listeners out there. I know that people are gonna find it really valuable. And I just hope you the most success going forward in the future.

Christopher Siu
Thank you, Jeremy. I appreciate it.