Transcription
If you want to build a valuable audience that's truly obsessed with everything you make, there's one psychological trick that beats everything else. It's called the power of suggestion. And if you can understand this one psychology concept and how to use it in your content, you will become a master of personal brand building overnight.
Now, I know this works because content is all I do all day long. I have a million followers. I've done billions of views. And I've spent years studying how to use psychology to build cult audiences that keep coming back. So in this video, I'm going to break down the power of suggestion, how it works, why it works so well, and how you can use it tactically in your content to build an S tier audience that's obsessed.
First, let's just define what the power of suggestion actually means. It's very simple. The power of suggestion is an idea that certain words can implant thoughts, feelings, and beliefs inside a viewer's head without them even noticing. Think of it like a persuasion bankshot. When you try to influence someone directly, they often have a guard up, and so your messaging typically doesn't land. But the power of suggestion allows you to go around their guard and subtly influence them without them even knowing it.
For example, if I wanted you to buy something from me and I was being super direct, I might say something like, "I'm the best in the content space. You need my help. Your system is broken. Here's mine. You should buy it." But that comes off as brash, overly salesy, and way too braggadocious. So, most people will hear that, but then they'll dismiss it and not trust me.
Instead, I could use content to approach selling in a more indirect way, where I say something closer to this: "These are the five best content strategies I use to grow these businesses to over 20 million a year last year." After hearing those and the explanation that goes with it, viewers may arrive at the same conclusion that I am one of the best at content, that their system is broken, that I do have the answer, and that they need to buy it. But they came to that conclusion without me needing to say it. This is a crude example, but it makes a huge difference. The power of suggestion allows you to influence someone without needing to directly state what you want them to believe. And the reason this is so powerful is because it turns out when people come to conclusions on their own, they trust you much faster. This is where obsessive fandom actually comes from.
Now, the best proxy for how this works is the movie Inception. In the movie, the main characters go deep into other people's brains to implant ideas they want them to believe. And they do this because they're trying to change the way they think and influence their behavior. It's the exact same thing here, except that instead of trying to influence dreams, we're using content to subtly build trust as the viewer watches our videos.
Now, there are three different approaches for how you can use these bank shots, the power of suggestion, in your content. And each one maps to a different level of how obsessed the viewer will get. I call these the three levels of obsession. Level one is the weakest, all the way up to level three, which is the strongest. If you're able to ascend a viewer to level three obsession, they will most likely watch and buy literally anything you offer. And I know it sounds a little nerdy, but this whole framework is really why certain personal brands are able to build such obsessive fan bases so quickly. It's all because of the power of suggestion. So, for the rest of this video, I'm going to explain those three different levels of obsession and the way you can use the power of suggestion to get viewers into them.
By the way, if you like the way I'm breaking these things down, I also built a similar guide with psychology and strategy about my entire content system. It breaks down how I come up with ideas, how I write hooks, how I do research, as well as how I monetize and go from view to dollar across every platform. If you want to grab it, you can get at the link shortformsystem.co or it's linked below.
All right, let's dive into the framework. These are the three levels of obsession explained.
The first level is called the signal layer and this one is the easiest to tap into. Every single person watching this, if you implement what I say, should be able to get some of your viewers into level one in the next 30 days. In level one, all you have to do is produce content that is higher signal than everyone else in your category. And here's what I mean by high signal: How often does a viewer leave your video thinking it was worth their time having watched it? Let's say you make a 100 pieces of content and 30 of them are valuable for the viewer. That is a 30 to 70 signal to noise ratio. Or in other words, 30% of the time your videos are high signal. The higher that signal to noise ratio, the more consistently valuable your videos are, the more obsessed the viewer will get.
Now, level one is really simple. It's the easiest because all you have to do is achieve this high signal. And you do that by sharing information the viewer thinks is valuable. In this case, the suggestion part is invisible. You don't actually have to implant any thoughts in the viewer's brain in level one. Just the sheer fact that you're more valuable more often will get them to start becoming obsessed with you. Think about it. If I asked you right now who your favorite creator or personal brand was in your niche, who comes to mind? For me, it's maybe someone like Hormosi or Daniel Dalen. For most of us, the reason those names pop into your mind is because those people are more consistently higher signal. More often, when we see their stuff, we get value from it. And I know this sounds obvious for level one. You don't have to do any of the implantation, but when you get to level two and three, you'll realize how much harder those are, and it will all make sense in the structure. So, level one obsession is the easiest. All you have to do is make content that's consistently higher signal compared to everyone else in your niche.
So, the million-dollar question, to be tactical, if we want our content to be high signal, what does that actually mean? What do we have to do or put in our content to make it valuable? There are three factors that must be true in your content if you want it to come off as higher signal.
The first one is obvious. It has to be relevant to the viewer. And I know it sounds too simplistic, but so many people get this wrong. It's worth repeating over and over. Your content has to be precisely on target for the person that's watching it. Not kind of related, not broadly related. It has to feel specifically like you made it for them. You need to pick topics that specifically apply to your ideal viewer.
Now, the second factor to making content high signal is that the main idea you cover has to be non-obvious. And this is the hard one. It's the one that separates people who just get views versus people who build obsessed audiences. High signal does not come from saying the same thing over and over that other people say with just different editing. It comes from creative outside the box ideas, combining two things that don't typically go together. Creativity is just the merging of two worlds that typically don't collide. So, if you're recycling the same ideas from other people in your space, you might get some views, but you're never going to build an obsessive audience because your stuff is not non-obvious. This is a factor most people miss. In the world of AI content, the only stuff that will cut through is the non-obvious, novel, and unique. So, if you want more non-obvious ideas, you need to spend time consuming stuff outside of your category. Go to tangential niches or completely unrelated niches. See what's working over there and then collide it with a core fundamental framework that you already understand. That's where creativity comes from.
The third factor in creating high signal content is that your ideas need to be validated. The highest signal comes from stuff that viewers can verify to be true and proven to be effective.
Now, here's an example of a piece of content I made that was specifically designed for level one obsession. A few months ago, I invented this framework called Dopamine Ladders and broke down how it works. It's a six-step psychology framework for how to capture and hold attention through storytelling. Now, this video is pure level one obsession content. It's on target for my ideal viewer. It's about storytelling. It's non-obvious and novel. The dopamine ladders framework is something that I came up with and it's validated with data. I use examples and metrics to justify each step in the framework. After watching this video, the viewer will have learned a framework they hadn't heard before, fully understand and absorb it and walk away feeling like their time was well spent. That is all you need to do in your content consistently to build level one obsession.
Now, this is important. In the video, I never once said, "I'm the best person in the world to learn storytelling from." But after watching it, that's exactly how most viewers would feel. This is the invisible power of suggestion at work in level one.
So to summarize, if you want to get started making viewers obsessed and get them to level one, these are the exact tactics you need to have in all pieces of content that you make. At a high level, you have to produce more high signal content than everyone else in your space. And at a low level, these three things is what makes up high signal. Number one, all your topics have to be super relevant to your ideal viewer. Number two, your videos have to be built around a non-obvious or novel frame that people haven't heard before. And number three, whatever you're claiming needs to be validated with proof to justify why they should trust you. Those three things should be the checklist for every piece of content you create moving forward. This will get you to level one.
All right. Level two obsession is called the belief layer. Where level one is simply about making high signal content, level two is about actually changing the beliefs in the internal viewer's mind. If they can walk away from your content having changed their beliefs for the better, then they will start becoming level two obsessed.
Now, what does it actually mean to change someone's beliefs? It means that before they watched your video, they thought about something one way and then after they watched your video, they thought about it completely differently. Not because you told them they were wrong, but because you introduced a new way of thinking that they can't unsee. And this is where the power of suggestion really starts to kick in. Remember that bankshot framework where you're kind of going around their blocker? Well, in level one, that bankshot suggestion was actually invisible. All you had to do is make good content and they would go around the blocker for you. But in level two, you're actually intentionally planting something in their mind. And the effect is as if you went in their dreams and changed their core beliefs. If you can learn to do this consistently, it is way more powerful than level one. And this is really where rapid fandom starts being built. Because when someone just learns something from you, they think you're smart. They like you. But if you can change how they fundamentally believe, well, they're going to trust you at a completely different level. And every time they think of this new belief, they will associate it with you and give you the credit.
So, how do you actually do this in your videos? How do you make content that literally changes the beliefs inside someone's head automatically? There are three more things you can do in your content to make this belief shift happen more often.
The first one is that you need to present your information with a contrasting frame. And this typically comes from comparing two situations. Then verse now, A versus B. The viewer's current situation is the before and then you frame what the after could and should look like. Framing your points in a relative sense, comparing old verse new, is the easiest way to lock in behavior change. For example, let's say I wanted to change your eating habits. If I just said you need to eat 200 g of protein per day, it would have a pretty limited effect. Very few people would stick with that. But if I frame that point by showing what one person looks like when they eat 100 grams of protein like you are now verse what they could look like if they eat 200, that same visual that would have a huge effect in changing someone's belief. This then implants in the viewer's mind that if they were to make that behavior change, their belief is that the outcome would come.
Now the second factor you need in your content to make this belief change happen is to deliver the message by a relatable character. The viewer needs to see someone that looks like them, who started where they started and then ended up where they want to go. This is what makes the belief shift actually land. Because when you introduce a transformation that happens to someone that's unrelatable, they'll often dismiss it. But when it happens to someone that looks just like them, they can't help but say, "Well, if they could do it, I could do it, too." And that's when the belief starts to shift.
The third factor to incorporate in your content that would drive a belief change is by framing your points with a small cost and a large reward. If the path from where the viewer is today versus where they want to go looks like years and years of grinding, well then chances are they're not going to believe that they can get the result. But if you can frame their journey as a surprisingly low amount of effort to get a huge perceived result, well, they'll start to accept that their belief might change.
Now, here's an example of another video for me that was positioned as level two obsession. I specifically picked this so that I could try to shift beliefs. A few months ago, I made this video about how I went from 0 to 100K on YouTube in just 5 months. Now, this video is pure level two obsession. First of all, it has a contrasting frame. Most people assume YouTube takes years, but I challenge that assumption by offering a scenario where I did it in 5 months. It's also being delivered by a relatable character, which is me. I started at zero in 2024 and then 5 months later I hit the goal. And it frames the journey as a small input to get a large perceived result: just 5 months of effort to get 100,000 subscribers.
Now, my goal was that after watching this video, viewers weren't just walking away with YouTube tips, they would walk away with the belief that fast growth on YouTube was possible. I wanted their internal model for the upper bound of speed to expand. And here's the key. I never once said, "You should believe you can grow faster." I never argued with them about their perceived timeline. I just showed them my story, walked them through the timeline, and then let them arrive at the new belief on their own. This is the indirect power of suggestion at work in level two.
So to summarize, if you want viewers to get past level one and into level two obsession, your content needs to change their fundamental beliefs. And you do that by making sure your content has these three things. One is a contrasting frame that pits their current situation against the desired outcome. Number two is a relatable character that has already gone through the journey that they can see themselves in. And number three, a transformation that has a small perceived effort for a large perceived reward. When you nail these three over and over, the viewer doesn't just think you're valuable, they believe it implicitly because you change the way they see the world and they feel like they figured that out on their own.
Now, if you think that's powerful, wait until you hear level three.
Level three obsession is the action layer. And this is the highest level of obsession a viewer can reach. Where level one is about making high signal content and level two is about changing the viewer's beliefs, level three is about getting the viewer to actually take action and experience a real result. If watching your content compels them to go out and do something that they've wanted to do but haven't been able to, that is what will make them level three obsessed.
Now, here's what makes level three tricky. You might think all you have to do is just go out and tell them what to do. Give them a step by step, be super direct, and they'll follow it. But this actually breaks the whole power of suggestion framework. And it turns out most people don't do what you tell them. Because remember, suggestion is when the viewer arrives at the conclusion on their own. That's the magic sauce when content influences passively. The moment you start commanding them to do something, their guard goes up. It feels like homework and they don't want to take the action.
So in level three, the suggestion in your content also has to be a bank shot. You're not telling them what to do. You're showing them proof that is so overwhelming that if all they do is replicate it, they might achieve the same result. The viewer watches your content, sees the evidence, and then they complete the puzzle on their own. And when you do this, they end up walking away from your content with the thought of, "Well, that makes total sense. I'd be stupid not to try that." And when they go out and try it and actually get the result they've been looking for the whole time, that is when the deepest level of obsession actually kicks in. Because now in level three, you're not just somebody that taught them something. You're not just somebody that changed the way they think. You're the person that influenced the action they've wanted to take this whole time.
So, how do you create level three content that subliminally bankshots them into taking action? There's only two factors that really matter.
The first one is that you need quantitative proof of the result that they want. This is the most important thing. Not vague metrics, not broad claims like "this will work." Specific, actionable, defendable stats proving that whatever your concept is will work. For example, if you're teaching growth strategy, don't just say, "This will help you grow faster." Show them how this exact strategy helped somebody grow from two to 15,000 followers in 6 weeks. Give them the specific data mapping to that specific result. Because when the viewer sees hard proof attached with specific numbers, it removes all ambiguity. They won't have to wonder if their action and effort will get the result. This proves that it will, and that is what will nudge them towards action.
The second factor that really helps is to share steps that are tactically implementable. This means broken down steps to the atomic unit. Not high-level strategy, not "focus on your hooks and you'll be good." Specific actionable steps that they cannot mess up. Now, this isn't telling them what to do. It's using data and then showing them what you did so they can connect the result to the input. Most creators mess this up because all they do is teach at a strategy level and they don't actually know how to teach the granular tactics or they're afraid of giving away the secret sauce that makes their paid stuff valuable. But here's the thing, the more granular and tactical your steps are, if accompanied by data, the easier they are to follow to get someone the result. And once you get them the result, that's when they come back and become obsessed.
Think about it. If you've ever watched any of my videos, chances are you've probably been able to take some of the recommendations, use them, and then get the result in the content world that you were looking for. I see this all the time in the comments. People say, "I grew from 2 to 20k subscribers just by watching your videos," or "I got millions of views just by following your frameworks." This is level three content from me, and I'm doing that on purpose. I'm giving the road map on purpose so that people can take action because I know as soon as someone takes their first action and gets the result they want, they become level three obsessed with me and keep coming back over and over.
Now, here's an example of content I made that is level three obsession content. I made this video breaking down exactly how to write a YouTube script. Now, this is pure level three. It has quantitative proof with a bunch of stats that map to all the things I'm saying. And it has the step-by-step tactical workflow that I personally use to get those results. Now, my goal was that after watching this video, viewers wouldn't just think, "Oh, that was valuable," or, "Oh, I see it now." But that they could actually apply, take action, get results, and then attribute that back. And here's the key. I never commanded, "You need to go rewrite your scripts right now." All I did was show my tactical framework, show the results I got, and let them complete the puzzle on their own. That is the power of suggestion at work in level three. The proof suggests action, the action creates results, and the results drives obsession.
So to summarize, if you want to get your viewers to the highest level obsession, level three, you need to make content that drives them to take actual action. And you do that by making sure your content has qualitative, defendable proof and the tactically implementable steps that got to that proof. When you nail these, the viewer doesn't just think they're valuable, they associate you as being the one that got them the result they wanted. And this is the deepest form of obsession there is.
All right, so before we end this video, let's just make sure all the tactical action steps are super super clear. This is where it all comes together, cuz if you zoom out and see all three levels of obsession, there are really five components across all three that you need to include in all your content. If you do every piece of content with these five, you will get through that obsession ladder faster than everyone else. Think of these like the universal inputs for the power of suggestion.
The first element, as we talked about at the beginning, is that your content needs to be relevant and relatable to your ideal viewer. And this applies across all three levels. If you feel like the topic is not relevant, then you shouldn't make that video because you will not have someone accrue obsession. Now, here's where most people mess this up and how to avoid it. Most people pick topics that are way too broad. They kind of apply to their ideal viewer, but they also apply to lots of others cuz they're chasing views. The fix here is very simple: narrow your topic coverage all the way down because the more specific you feel like you are to your ideal viewer, the more it will feel like you're reading their mind. And that feeling is the first layer of suggestion.
Now, the second element your content must have is that it must feel like small effort for large reward. And that shows up in both level two and level three. The viewer needs to believe that the gap between where they are today and where they want to go is manageable to cross. If your content makes this solution feel super complicated and hard to achieve, they'll think it's cool, but they'll never act on it. Now, here's where most people mess this up, and even I am a victim of this sometimes. We frame our solutions as overly complex because we think complex equals valuable. But the truth is, it's actually the opposite. When the viewer sees complexity, they check out completely. It's simplicity that gets someone to actually take the action and then associate that result with you. The fix is to simplify your solution all the way down in a way that the most possible people can take the action.
Now, the third component of your content if you want to ascend this ladder is that your ideas have to be non-obvious. This is probably the hardest one. It's the key differentiator in level one and level two. Non-obvious ideas create obsessive audiences. Tattoo that to your head. If you're framing the same points as everyone else in your niche, you are just a regurgitated voice. You might get views, you might get followers, you have no real obsessive audience potential. If you want to fix this and you want to actually be novel, spend time outside your niche. Collide two things that don't typically go together and you will become more unique. This video is a perfect example. The power of suggestion is a psychology concept, a deep, deep psychology concept. I'm bringing it and colliding it with content growth that makes something new, non-obvious, and novel.
Now, the fourth element for your content is that your ideas need to be validated with proof. This showed up in both level one as what makes your signal trustworthy and level three as what makes the action worth taking. Without proof, you're just another person with an opinion. But with proof, you're a source of truth. Now, here's where most people mess this up. They just share frameworks and strategies that don't have any data to validate their reality. The fix is to first get the proof, then make the content based on the proof, not the other way around.
The fifth and final element for your content is that you need to have tactically implementable steps. And this was obviously the core driver of level three. If a viewer can't take the steps to get the result you showed, they're never going to be able to take the action. When you do this effectively, the viewer doesn't just consume their content, they actually get a result because of it. And that's where they get level three obsessed.
So that's the full framework. Five elements. Every piece of content you make from now on should have all five of these. Use this as a checklist. Relevant and relatable to the viewer. Small effort, big reward, non-obvious frame, validated with proof, and tactically implementable action steps.
Now, here's the thing. The creators that build the most powerful personal brands, the ones with truly obsessed audiences, they hit all five of those in every piece of content. When you do that, the power of suggestion is working in all three ways all the time. The viewer learns stuff they didn't previously know, their belief shifts, and they're compelled to take action. At that point, your content isn't content anymore. It's literal mind control. You are influencing the way they think and act. And the best part is the viewer will never realize it's happening. They'll just know in the back of their mind that whenever they see your face and watch your stuff, good things happen and they'll keep doing it. And that is the power of suggestion.
All right, guys. That is all I've got for this video. We got a little nerdy on this one. Every four or five videos, I like to go super deep on a psychology concept that nobody's covering. Hopefully, this gave you tactics and suggestions for how to tweak your content to kind of build more of this obsessive nature. As always, if you're a business owner trying to learn how to use content, how to build content systems, how to get more traffic into your business for free, this will be the best channel that you ever follow. Please make sure to subscribe, check out some of the other videos, I'm doing everything I can to really give you the non-obvious sauce that most people don't cover.
As I mentioned earlier, if you want my entire content system, everything from ideas, how I write hooks, how I do my research, all the way through my monetization funnels, literally turning views into dollars, I just posted that for free. shortformsystem.co. You can get it for free at the link below. If you have any questions, as always, feel free to drop them in the comments. We use the comments to inform our next video. So, if you want anything, make sure to drop it there. All right, we will see you guys on the next one. Peace.