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“Make a video every day. No one will watch at first — and that's a good thing.”
By day, Shane Hoffman is a multimedia journalism professor at Oklahoma State University; his students love him, and he loves his work. But after the sun sets on Stillwater, he becomes Prof Hoff — a game-playing, Oreo-reviewing, dad-joke-cracking YouTuber with over 12 million views.
His origin story is humble. Back in 2017, he was at one of the lowest points in his life: he'd broken off an engagement and was fighting depression. He wanted to spend his time on something he enjoyed and to help people. Most of his free time went to a strategy game called Marvel: Contest of Champions, which he was pretty good at.
Chatting with his twin brother, who suggested he turn his gaming into a YouTube channel, Shane — who'd spent years reviewing Oreos and pizza without much success — figured why not. He recorded himself playing and posted it. To his surprise, the video gathered more views in a couple of hours than his Oreo videos had in three years. The rush he felt was one he hadn't felt in years, so he ran an experiment: make a video every day and review the results.
He invested about $2,000 in a desktop, a laptop, and a gaming microphone. His videos are, in his words, like watching someone play a slot machine — full of luck, strategy, and the anticipation of unboxing surprise in-game characters and bonuses. He does little marketing beyond a Twitter feed, relying on YouTube to recommend his videos, which he optimizes with keywords, headlines, and thumbnails.
The approach grew Prof Hoff from 100 to 32,000 subscribers in two years, reaching over 100 countries. He spends 20 to 30 hours a week playing, editing, and — crucially — talking with his subscribers, answering their questions and hanging out in the comments. Because his content is safe-for-work, advertisers love it and he rarely gets demonetized; he also receives donations from fans. This year he's on track to earn $36,000 — almost his teaching income.
The one downside, as many alter-ego heroes learn, is that YouTube comments can be a cynical place, and he's had to grow a thick skin. But it doesn't compare to the community he's found — he's even been invited to the wedding of a couple who watch him every day. His advice: "Make a video every day. No one will watch at first, and that's a good thing. You want to make your mistakes when no one is watching and find your own voice before you really take off."
