FBC – 184 – How Far Are You Willing To Go For Views?

How Far Are You Willing To Go For Views?

Today, we are going to talk about privacy. What is your limit and how much are you willing to reveal to the world? We are going to look at a few examples and I want you to ask yourself if YOU would do the same thing.

There was this documentary about YouTube. So the documentary was about this Dutch like influencer and stuff.

There was this kid playing video games and he's talking about how much money this kid's making. They have instructions from Google and stuff, not to reveal how much money they're making. But trust me, these kids are making a lot of money playing video games on YouTube.

It is crazy. And what was interesting for me on this documentary was, you know, the how far people are actually willing to go for YouTube views and stuff.

Justin Bieber, for example. He went viral. What you don't know is that the same person is behind all these hits. So, for example, Justin Bieber, it didn't go viral just because he was Justin Bieber and stuff. It was a guy behind like these massive hits who had a strategy.

And his strategy for Justin Bieber was before he actually got them to do like any concert or sign any record deal or anything. He said, you need to stay on YouTube and you need to like keep recording these videos because that's the only way your audience is able to get your music.

And he had all this strategy and stuff around Bieber. I don't remember the name. I think it was the YouTube revolution. I was more interested in how far people are willing to go for, you know, to get views and stuff. And so there was this guy. So this video game player, he went through great lengths to have video views.

So at some point he found his dad. He hadn’t seen his dad in like seven years. It turns out that the dad was terminally ill and he had a brain tumour or something. So he was basically on his death bed in the hospital.

The dude managed to find him and went to the hospital with cameramen and was asking, how is you feeling and stuff. This is my girlfriend. It's crazy stuff.

I'm like, okay. I mean, you know, you find your dad after seven years. It's awesome. I mean, absolutely. Go see him in the hospital and everything. But don't bring cameras, man. I don't understand why you will actually do this.

Then there was this other woman. It was creepy. It was a bit weird. She has a daughter. So her daughter is twelve. I mean, she was twelve when the documentary was shot. I don't remember when the documentary was shot.

She had been recording videos like she has a YouTube channel or something since she was nine. The mom is actually the one behind the camera. You know, shooting everything and helping her with her career. She has her nine year old girl on the Internet.

Nobody knows exactly why some videos are promoted and not others and she was like, oh, you know what? We shot some videos of my little girl and these are the two most popular videos, and we don't know why. So the first one, the thumbnail was the little girl sitting on the toilet. She had a T-shirt. She was sitting on the toilet looking at the camera.

There were some sleazy bastards on the Internet sending some obscene comments and checking my girl out on the Internet. And I'm like, dude, like, how do you not understand? Why did you film your nine year old girl sitting on the toilet? She's like half naked there. And then you're wondering why it’s the most popular video on her channel!!!

You know, some people are willing to go to great lengths. So these are two examples. There are other examples of some of these kids, like, you know, sacrificing their lives, just to get an Instagram picture. A lot of them died.

You know, people climbing a tower on the top of the antenna and stuff to take a selfie or like, you know, climbing on the ledge and doing backflips and stuff. And then they die. And people are like, oh, man, it's a tragedy. So when these people go that far. Am I allowed to go and judge them and stuff? Right. Which, you know, if you ask me now, I I'll say, well, hell, yeah, I think that’s going way too far.

Right. But when do you think about something?

How Far Are You Willing To Go For Views?

If I go back in time maybe six months ago, what I'm doing now, this podcast telling you about my life and stuff to me was impossible. I was a dude like you don't have any privacy. Why do you tell people your life? All right.

So six months ago, I was a different person. So that's when I started realizing I was like, oh, you know what? Well, I'm basically judging these people. I'm saying, well, I obviously wouldn't do this right. And maybe there is a like a universal limit or something. I just think these people went well, went beyond my limits. But, you know, when you when you think about it like, you know, your notion of privacy is yours own.

Right. And people have their own notion of privacy. You have your opinions and stuff. And, you know, sometimes it's clearly visible. That dude went too far. Like, why would you put your dad there on his dying bed, on your on your YouTube channel? I don't understand why you why people would do that. I will never do that. But, you know, six months ago, I never would have taken a step like this and told you about my life.

So what I'm saying here is that before judging people, I always try to ask myself, like some philosophical questions. And see if my way of thinking is universal.

It's because I think that I'm adding value to some of you guys. And this is why I do it. So if you a Kardashian what she's doing, she might tell you that she's adding value in some people's minds. Right. She's entertaining some people and she's teaching stuff to some people.

Some people are convinced that they're adding value. And this is why they're doing it. So in their own mind, they're right. Right. If they're not right in your mind because you're different, they still remain in their own right. So, you know, as much as you disagree and you wouldn't do the same thing, you just have to remember that people have a notion of privacy.

The line I will not cross for views

Early on, I chased attention like everyone else. Then I watched creators burn their names down for a spike in views that lasted a week. I decided I would rather grow slower and still like the person in the mirror. That choice is why I run my business with no face and no personal-brand circus, from 49 countries over the years, and it still works. Views are cheap. Trust compounds. I would rather have 2,000+ students who bought because the systems delivered than a viral moment I have to apologize for later. I talk through this tradeoff on my growth hacking videos, and I go deeper on my Substack. The data agrees that the shortcut costs you: the Harvard Business Review has written on how reputation is an asset you spend only once, and HubSpot Research shows trust, not reach, is what actually moves buyers. Decide your line before the algorithm tempts you. It will tempt you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should solopreneurs chase views over revenue for their content?

Views feel productive but rarely pay rent. Build for the buyer pool you can serve in the next 90 days, not the algorithm. A 50-person email list of warm prospects beats a 50,000-view reel that converts roughly zero point one percent of viewers into paying customers.

How do you measure if your content is actually working?

Track three numbers weekly: email signups, sales conversations started, and revenue per piece. Views and likes belong in a separate column, not the main scoreboard. If your content has 200,000 views and produces no leads, fix the call to action before publishing more videos.

What kind of content stops solopreneurs from monetizing?

Generic motivational clips, copy-paste trend videos, and shock hooks pull broad audiences but attract zero buyers. Niche-specific content with a clear next step (free guide, paid offer, application form) converts at ten to thirty times the rate of viral clickbait built only for raw reach.

When does going viral actually hurt your business?

A viral hit attracts non-buyers, freebie seekers, and competitors who copy your angle. If your offer, funnel, or onboarding cannot absorb a 10x traffic spike, you burn the audience instead of converting it. Build the back end before chasing the front-end spike on any platform.

About the Author

Martin Ebongue is the founder of martinebongue.com, an online business and lifestyle design blog focused on helping aspiring entrepreneurs build location-independent businesses. Since 2014, he has been creating and scaling online ventures across multiple niches , from digital products and affiliate marketing to SaaS and content platforms , while traveling the world. He shares the real-world strategies, tools, and systems that work, with a particular focus on AI-powered automation for solopreneurs. Follow him on YouTube, X (Twitter), and Instagram.

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