Million-Dollar Messages Start with You
Million-Dollar Messages Start with You
If you’ve ever felt nervous about showing up on video — or unsure if your message will truly land — this episode of The Amanda Kaufman Show is the one you need to hear.
I sat down with YouTube Ads expert and entrepreneur Aleric Heck to explore how coaches and creators can show up on video authentically and still generate major results. And let me tell you — this conversation was loaded with gold.
From facing his own fear of being on camera, to building a multimillion-dollar brand rooted in video, Aleric shared what it really takes to succeed on screen — and it’s probably not what you think.
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Be Powerful
One of the most powerful moments in our chat was when Aleric talked about his very first video.
He didn’t like how he looked. He didn’t have a fancy setup. He almost didn’t post it.
And yet — that single video went on to generate over $1 million in sales for his business.
Why? Because he showed up as himself. He delivered value. And he connected.
As Aleric puts it, “People don’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be real.”
Speak from the Heart, Then Add Structure
We also broke down the myth that video content needs to be heavily scripted or overly produced. In fact, the more real you are, the more people can feel your energy — and trust your message.
But Aleric doesn’t just speak with passion — he’s also got a system.
One of my favorite takeaways was his 3-part ad framework:
Hook – Lead with a compelling problem or surprising stat
Educate – Share real value, don’t just pitch
Call to Action – Give clear next steps for your audience
It’s simple. It’s clear. And it works.
Video = Trust at Scale
We talked a lot about visibility — especially how intimidating it can be when you’re first starting out.
Aleric reminded us that even the biggest stadiums in the world can’t hold a million people… but your video can reach that many.
Video allows people to see your face, hear your voice, and connect with your energy — all at once. And that, my friend, is how you build trust at scale.
You’re Already Ready
If you’re a coach, creator, or expert who’s been holding back from showing up on video because you’re not “ready” — this episode is your nudge.
You don’t need to have all the answers.
You don’t need to look like a movie star.
You just need to show up with heart and clarity.
As Aleric proved, your message could be a million-dollar one — but only if you share it.
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Chapters List
00:00 Introduction to Alaric Heck and His Expertise
02:34 Speaking from the Heart: A Personal Experience
06:10 The Importance of Video for Coaches
11:35 Overcoming Insecurities in Video Creation
14:23 Practical Video Strategies for Coaches
18:53 Conclusion and Resources
Full Transcript
Aleric Heck (00:00)
if a picture is worth a thousand words a video is worth a million
The reason for that is it allows people to see you and hear you at the same time.
and when you combine the two of those things together, people can really develop the know, like and trust but also learn from you, see the value that you have
Even the biggest stadiums in the world don't have seats for a million people. So if you want to get your message in front of more people, the most scalable way is with video.
Amanda Kaufman (00:44)
Well, hey, hey, welcome back to the Amanda Kaufman show. And boy, this is such an exciting episode because I got to go to a event not too long ago and I got to meet some of my internet marketing peeps that just seemed to follow me wherever I go. But then I got to meet them in person. And one of those people that just was so impressive, I got to hear him speak, is Alaric Heck. And if you have not been pixeled by this man yet,
You probably will be after this because he is a go-to expert on YouTube and YouTube advertising. So Alaric, welcome to the show. I'm so excited that you're here.
Aleric Heck (01:24)
Thanks so much for having me on, Amanda. I'm excited as well.
Amanda Kaufman (01:27)
I love it, I love it. Well why don't you take like 30 seconds and catch people up on what it is that you do nowadays and how do you help people.
Aleric Heck (01:34)
Yeah, absolutely. So I help businesses, coaches, consultants, experts. I know a lot of the people that listen to the coaches plaza right here. use the power of YouTube ads, YouTube channels and video marketing overall to generate more leads and clients and also grow and scale their impact.
Amanda Kaufman (01:54)
So good, so good. And I think one of the things that really impressed me about Alaric, so as we're talking, he is one of those very system brained people, but he has social skills. And that is a rare combo. He does a really good job of just like making it very simple to understand what you're doing, but then relating it back. So if you happen to not be techie or you happen to not be...
you feeling like you need to be on the bleeding cutting edge all the time. Alaric is a great resource because he, like I said, he breaks it down in a way that's very repeatable, but you know, personable. So I understand Alaric, you recently spoke at an event and you just like threw the script out and you had a really big learning from that. Do you want to sharing that little story with us?
Aleric Heck (02:41)
Yeah, yeah. So I was speaking at the Destiny Fest event right here in Austin. So a really great event and it was impact driven entrepreneurs. So it was all people who were looking to create a big impact and really genuinely help people in addition to, of course, you growing their businesses as well. And I remember I had 15 minutes on stage. So it a little shorter than maybe a normal
presentation and
Instead of doing slides one of the things they asked was just to kind of get up there and to share and to provide value to also understand that the audience it's more of general audience, right? So it's not maybe some of the masterminds that you and I attend or going and giving a talk where I have all my slides up and I'm walking through my flip frameworks. I'm walking through my slides. And what I realized is wait a second, you know, when I don't have the slides or I don't have an in-depth script then what do I have? And what I have
is the ability to speak from the heart. And so I was deciding, am I gonna write a in-depth script to prepare? Or am I gonna know, you know, roughly what I wanna...
share, but actually just let myself be in the moment and to speak from the heart and to just, you know, share what I feel like I was meant to share in that moment. And, um, and that's what I decided to do. And it's a little scary. And I posted about this. know you saw my post, you know, on, on, uh, you know, Facebook and a few different places. Uh, it's a little scary, but I said, you know what? I'm going to do this. And what better event than an event called destiny fest, right? I was gonna step into, you know, my destiny there. And I gave that.
and I spoke from the heart and I knew a few things I wanted to share. It was kind of interesting, even as I was saying things, it was almost like, was definitely in a flow state, right? So, you know, I was like, wow, as I was saying, it like, that's pretty good, I didn't even know, you know? And I'm just saying it as I went, and at the end, I still, even though I knew, like I felt in that flow state, didn't know quite how people were gonna perceive that, and Joe Polish was asking,
and so he said great job, he was about to get up on stage. I'm like, oh, that's great, that's great praise. Joe is obviously very renowned and fantastic. And then throughout the people that I talked with, and actually the MC came over and he also said the same thing, and then multiple people at the event that I talked with, they all said just really positive things about it. I was up there with so
Amanda Kaufman (04:54)
Well done.
Aleric Heck (05:20)
many amazing people that I looked up to as well. And so it was definitely really, really great to hear that it really resonated with people. And so from that, I said, you know, I'm not gonna keep this for myself. I'm gonna post this. And I know you saw that post and yeah, and hopefully this helps encourage people to do the same thing.
Amanda Kaufman (05:39)
I hope so, I hope so. I made a decision myself years ago. One of my mentors since I really started as an entrepreneur has been Brendan Burchard. And he's a marvelous extemporaneous trainer and speaker. But he's also clocked so, so many hours.
on stages so many days, so many events, know, pre pandemic, he was doing at least eight events that he personally hosted per year. And he also did this big stadium circuit where he's he's spoke. He has spoken at all these different stages. So anyway, all that to say, I remember, you know, making a decision pretty early on. I'm like, I want that skill. I want that ability to be put on the spot and speak to the topic.
and let it flow. And it's resulted in in my own experience, tens of thousands of hours of video. I've done so much video and I recently got an opportunity to join the cast for Think and Grow Rich, Moms Rising. And part of it was an audition process and I was able to go to my YouTube account and be able to say like, hey, see?
Like I know how to speak. I know how to do that. I would argue, Alaric, that you were able to do that on the heels. Like that it feels like less preparation, but actually you couldn't have done that without all the prep and all the professional growth that you've done over the years. Yeah.
Aleric Heck (07:07)
Yeah, I'd
say that's exactly it. So it's the culmination of all those things that allows you to step into that moment. So I appreciate that.
Amanda Kaufman (07:18)
So talk to me a little bit
about video for coaches. Like, why is this so important? I just mentioned, I'm like, I've got 10,000 hours. I think a lot of people would be like, that sounds horrible. Especially if you're starting where I did, which was, I hated how I looked on camera, I hated how I sounded. Still sometimes I can get very critical.
about like, hey, did you know that your face kind of droops this way and that the top part of your lip doesn't seem to move? Like you can get really myopic about it. And so what would you say to a coach who wants to have a meaningful impact with what they do?
Aleric Heck (07:53)
So first I'll share the value of video and then I'll talk about it because I also face some of the same things that you're talking about. Everybody does. I mean, it's very small group of people that doesn't experience at least some form of kind of being nervous about putting themselves out there or on video. There's different things that come up for people, but it's a lot. But at the same time, here's why. Video is a platform that really has that know, like, and trust. And actually at that event, I didn't know exactly
what I was gonna say right at the beginning but what came out was if a picture is worth a thousand words a video is worth a million right it and thank you
Amanda Kaufman (08:31)
That's good. I like that. So why is
that? Why is the orders of magnitude more valuable to have a video than a photo?
Aleric Heck (08:39)
The reason for that is it allows people to see you and hear you at the same time. They can see your expression. can see you sharing your expertise. You get to show up as a video authority, right? Somebody that's actually getting in front of people. They're on video. They are seen as an expert and also, or they are the expert, but they're also seen as the authority in that space because you're showing up as yourself. You're an authentic authority. You're the person that you are, but you're also sharing your
expertise and when you combine the two of those things together, people can really develop the know, like and trust but also learn from you, see the value that you have and with whatever it is that you're looking to encourage people to do, they're gonna trust you a lot more. I actually said this at the event as I was speaking, right, I really think the best way to connect with people is going to be being up on stage or meeting them face to face and sharing your message, you're right there with them.
The thing is that's not scalable, right? Even the biggest stadiums in the world don't have seats for a million people. So if you actually want to get your message in front of more people, you are going to need another way that you can leverage yourself and the next best way, but the most scalable way is with video. And so that's why I love video so much is it simulates you actually going and connecting directly with people at the really the next best thing,
much more scalable. And so that's the power of video. And to answer the second part of your question, I also, and people, because they see me on stage or on YouTube ads or video ads and they think, Alrick, like you never had any kind of problem getting on camera. And they'll also hear my backstory too. I started out on YouTube over 15 years ago with the AppReview tech channel. I built that up to about half a million subscribers. Then I got to the ad side about 10
years ago, but here's the thing, when I did all of that, you couldn't see my face. It was like a faceless channel. I had my hands, I was showing tech products, I was teaching people how to use the iPhone for the first time, so showing them, hey, here's what you do, here's how it all works, and I got a lot of success with that channel. You could hear my voice, you could see my hands on the phone, and then even when I started running YouTube ads about 10 years ago,
I was running it for other people before I started doing it for myself. So I wasn't necessarily putting myself on camera.
About seven years ago. I filmed my first ad for myself following the same framework I'd helped other people with but now I was there in front of the camera and I remember Watching that video back in and almost deleting that video. I just I didn't really like how I looked You know, I was I mean this like seven years ago So, you know, I like acne on my face. I was you know about 50 pounds heavier than I am today I was like I didn't like how
was showing up, you know, I also hadn't learned about like, you know, put like hair wax or gel, you know, so it's like my hair, it was just like, I was so in the business side that, you know, I was like, wait a second, I was looking at this like, this, I don't know.
video, we'll see. But I'm so glad I published that ad because here's the thing. That video that exact video was the first ad to make me over a million dollars in my business. Yeah. And I think Yeah. Yeah, I know. exactly.
Amanda Kaufman (11:58)
Wow, first time, fluffy hair, feeling fluffy in your physique, right?
Aleric Heck (12:06)
Yep. so
it didn't matter. Like to cure us the lesson. It doesn't matter who you are, what you look like, what you sound like. You know, all that matters is that you're showing up as your authentic self and you're providing the value and the gifts that you have to share. And your people are going to resonate with that. They're not going to care about all the things that you're insecure about.
Amanda Kaufman (12:28)
It's so true. know, I went through all those same feelings, all those judgments. And I think the thing that video does just from a personal development perspective is it is a mirror. You do see yourself not correcting for it real time, like in a real mirror, but you see how you really said that, how you really sound, how you really move. And that reality can be
jolting, jarring a little bit. It's, know, I remember the very first time that I was recording a voicemail, you know, when you listen back to the voicemail and you're like, God, do I, do I sound like that? Because when you're speaking, you know, the audio is definitely different, you know, in your own ears. So then when you hear it played back, you're like, really? no. And you know, that led me to getting vocal training. I worked on stage presence. I'd like, there were all these
areas that I saw on video that I was like, oh, I don't love that. Like I think I would like to improve that. And so then it actually inspired me to do so. But you don't have to fix yourself to finally be ready to do the video. Like I think about video as being a skill like anything else. I speak way better than I did when I very first started. I'm much sharper about putting together frameworks and all this
kinds of things. And I just see so many people who certified at the same time that I did, you know, or declared that they were starting a business around the same time that I did. And they never turned the camera towards their face because the insecurities won. You know, so that's a huge personal development opportunity, I think, is to allow yourself to be seen for who you are, where you are, when you are, and just let that be documented.
and use it as fuel for the growth. Like if you really do have that insecurity, I love it. So, you one of the things I really like about video is I prioritize my life. I love being in a business that allows me to have dinner at home most of the time. And you know, when we're tracking our statistics, you know, and I have no idea if this is good or bad, this is all I know, is while I'm having dinner with people,
I've got like 60 hours or so of video that's happening outside of a paywall, right? 60 hours or so of video that's being watched by people. And I don't have the biggest audience by any stretch, but like think about how exhausting that would be to go meet with people for 60 hours a week. There's no time left to deliver. There's no time left to build. There's no time left to vision, you know? So,
What do you see as the biggest video opportunity that someone who's maybe newer to it, what should they do right now today, before they finish listening to this episode?
Aleric Heck (15:13)
Yeah, so that's a great question. And I think that there's two big areas that I would look at. I do want to give some of the ad frameworks by also you all have a resource that can help like a little bit more, you know, on that because it gets a little bit more technical and in depth. But when it comes to the actual video side, I'm to give some frameworks on how to craft a winning video ad, how to craft a successful YouTube video. There's a lot of parallels there. And then I'll give kind of a framework on how to grow a YouTube channel and also framework on
on how to run ads. So it's a few things, but I can actually do it pretty quickly. And here's the thing that I think is really important to know. The frameworks actually aren't that complicated. It's like what you were saying. A lot of people overcomplicate certain things. Now, there is a beauty in the execution, and that's where, you know, getting like being able to learn the process and really master it. But when it comes to the frameworks, they're tried and true. So when it comes to an ad, and then we'll talk about organic video you might publish to YouTube channel,
An ad has three main components. There's a hook that draws people in.
The educate section, which is the most common thing that people leave out. You want to provide value in your ad, demonstrate your expertise. I know, you know, everybody here coaches, consultants, experts, like you're an expert. Let's share that knowledge. What can give people an aha moment? So I'll break this down in a second. And then a call to action. So hook, educate, call to action. The hook typically that's one of a couple of things. Either it's a problem that people have that you're going to be able to solve, or it's a crazy statistic.
or thing that you can dive into. And that's designed to pull people in. Then the educate section. That's where you're providing real genuine value.
inside of your ad. So you want to make sure that you're giving people an aha moment. You're busting myths, you're sharing things that they can do, and you're educating them in the video. And then you've got a clear and concise call to action at the end to get them off of that video to take action wherever you want them to go. We found sending people from a YouTube ad or video ad to another video, but they might have to put in their information. you know, name, email, phone number really quickly get access then to a
video like a video sales letter. We like a video conversion training over sales letter because I just want to provide more value. Let's have this be another value based video. And at the end, if they're interested in more, then they're going to be able to take action from there. You're going to lead them to that spot, but you're also going to provide value, value in the video ad value in the funnel. So that's the framework for the ad.
the framework for the YouTube video just adds two more components. So you have a hook at the beginning. You do want to hook people into your video. The biggest drop off point is right at the beginning of the first 30 seconds of your video. So you need to align your title, your thumbnail, the sparks curiosity, the title gets people interested, thumbnail sparks curiosity gets them to click. And then the first 30 seconds gets them to actually commit to watch. So why should they watch it? What's the hook? Then you actually tell a story next. Now, by the way, some people with
they'll do hook story, know offer or CTA. The thing though is I've actually found that education helps convert people better because you're teaching them something versus just telling a story. That said with a video that's where you do want to tell a story right? How did you uncover this? You know it just pulls people in more.
Amanda Kaufman (18:28)
Mm-hmm.
Aleric Heck (18:37)
Then you educate, right? So you don't want to just tell a story. You need to actually teach them. You're the expert. You want to provide value. You want to teach them. And by the way, the story and the educates could be a little bit longer because maybe this is a 10 minute video, whatever it happens to be, it could be longer, shorter. And then you summarize and distill the information. So what are their takeaways? How can they actually like implement this? Let's summarize it, especially since a longer video, you're summarizing what they should have learned. And then you have a call to action at the end of that video as well, whether that's always
adding some kind of you know call to action whether that's to get them to continue to consume your content watch another piece of content or it could be to take action depending on the video on your site or wherever you're looking to send people so it's the hook story educate summarize call to action on the video side
Amanda Kaufman (19:24)
I love this. This is good. mean, and kudos. You got through that in like four minutes. That was an amazing, and that's the power of structure y'all. Like seriously. And I think that's one of the reasons why, you know, I stopped by and kind of fangirled you a little bit at the event is because, you you can tell that somebody really understands something when they have.
that repeatable structure that makes sense that you can then follow as a bit of a blueprint. And that doesn't sabotage your creativity, by the way. Like you have so much creativity in like the way you tell a story, what the story is. There's lots of performance quality that can come through. But by having that predictable structure, it helps you to build your content way faster, because it's a little more like coloring and painting by numbers than it is staring at a blank piece of paper, right? I love it.
Aleric Heck (20:13)
Yes,
exactly.
Amanda Kaufman (20:14)
So Alaric, if people
really want to learn more about how to use YouTube, how to, how do they follow you? What's the best way to connect with you after this show?
Aleric Heck (20:23)
Yeah, and it's actually a great segue because when it comes to the advertising side and actually being able to learn how to target the ads, that's actually where you're gonna be able to learn that and a lot more inside of our 19 page YouTube ad strategy PDF. It's my gift to everybody here. You can go to adoutreach.com slash gift. That's just adoutreach.com slash gift. You get the full PDF and a video training to go with it too.
Amanda Kaufman (20:47)
Of course. mean, it has to have a video training. My goodness. I love it. Well, you know, thank you so, so much for joining us on this episode, Alaric. I really appreciate it.
Aleric Heck (20:49)
Of course.
Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me, Amanda. This has been amazing.
Amanda Kaufman (21:00)
Yes, my pleasure. And hey, dear listener, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss another valuable episode. And if you've got like a few friends who are thinking about their dabbling with the video thing, they're building their their business up, be sure to grab the link to the episode and send it to your three friends. You can send it over DM, you can send it over text. And hey, while you're at it, if you've got 30 seconds.
just taking a moment to rate the show because if you rate the show and you recommend it, then people might just decide to stop by and hear something super valuable as they're growing their business. So thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for being here again, and we will see you very soon on another episode. And until then, do what matters.
