We’re all going to die.
I’m not saying that to freak anybody out, but it’s a fact. We’re all going to die one day, and that means that we have a limited number of days in this life.
We’d better find something great to do with them.
How are you spending your time? What gets your attention? What are your values? What is most important to you?
My guest today has spent a lot of time thinking about those questions. His name is Hank Green, and chances are you’ve heard of him because he’s done a little bit of everything. He’s a YouTuber with millions of views, #1 New York Times bestselling author, successful entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He’s been a major player in the online space for over fifteen years. As a content creator and businessman, he’s become an expert in building online communities and promoting values of equality and charity.
As a content creator, Hank is very interested in and passionate about the way online content shapes us. He’s very intentional about what he makes, and he is dedicated to his audience. He knows that the way we spend our time matters, and the things we give our attention to are going to influence us. (In fact, he’s written two novels on the subject, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing and A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, which you should totally check out!)
In this interview, Hank and I get into some deep stuff. We talk about our attention, and how and why we monetize the attention we get. We also discuss the crucial importance of staying curious, and how asking the dumb questions actually makes us look confident. And finally, we talk about some awesome creativity hacks to get you working on your passion and why building your personal reputation is more important than building a business brand.
Who Is Hank Green?
Hank Green is half the famous YouTube duo known as the Vlogbrothers. Back in 2007, he and his brother John started a year-long video project — one year of daily video blogging back and forth. At the time, the brothers had no idea their little project would grow to a worldwide following, but they soon amassed legions of dedicated fans.
Today, in addition to maintaining the Vlogbrothers YouTube channel, which can boast millions of views, Hank is a producer behind the educational YouTube channels SciShow and Crash Course. The content on these channels has helped students and lifelong learners worldwide understand topics ranging from biology and chemistry to history and literature. This guy is a major player in video production! He even co-founded VidCon, an annual convention for video creators and fans to celebrate and share video content.
But Hank doesn’t just create awesome videos. He’s branched out into almost everything! As I mentioned earlier, he’s a novelist. His new book, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, comes out on July 7th. He’s a musician with four studio albums and one live album. He co-hosts not one but two podcasts, Dear Hank and John, with his brother and Delete This with his wife, Katherine.
And besides being a prolific content creator, Hank has major business skills. He’s the Co-CEO of media company Complexly and co-owner and CEO of the record company and online retailer DFTBA Records.
And in addition to all that, Hank is just a really good guy. He and his brother are the co-founders of the annual Project for Awesome, which encourages content creators to make videos promoting their favorite charities and then raises money to donate. Recently Hank, John, and the Project for Awesome have worked in partnership with Partners in Health to support maternal health in Sierra Leone. When Hank and I talked about his charity work, he told me:
“… We do a lot of charity projects, and people are always like ‘Hank and John are such good folks.’ … I’m just buying the world I would prefer. It’s the exact same as a new shirt. I just would prefer a world in which fewer moms die … I think it’s a more stable world for like the future and for my … child.” – Hank Green
What a good guy. Hank truly believes in the value of human life, and that’s reflected in his work to educate, entertain, and improve the lives of others. I’m so grateful to get to talk with him and share our conversation with you today. Let’s get into it!
Where Is Your Attention Going?
The term “social media influencer” is a big buzzword today. On some level, we’re all trying to get attention online. That’s what Instagram and Twitter are all about — who can get the most likes, the most followers, and the most buzz. But what does that mean? What does it mean to be an influencer? And what does it mean to consume internet content from influencers?
“… I’m very aware as a person who makes content … my job is often to capture someone’s attention and hold onto it for as long as I can, whether I’m trying to teach them something or just make them laugh. … [And] more and more, every person is becoming more aware of the ways in which our attention is being attempted to be captured. And we are really wary of it. … We’re really culturally sensitive to authenticity.” – Hank Green
Authenticity is essential to growing an online presence. We can all tell the difference between someone who is honest and authentic and someone who is not.
And who are you going to give your attention to? The people who are authentic, right? They are the ones who gain the most significant followings. They build up an audience who trusts what they say. And when content creators and influencers decide to monetize their audiences’ attention, they can affect real change in the world.
“If you can build up the capturing of attention, that … sort of relationship with an audience and actually provide them with value, and they trust you … there are ways to turn that into money. But ultimately, I think that money doesn’t need to be the goal because I think that there are lots of values to having that attention that aren’t money. … You could be shifting the world in a way that you prefer. I mean, I think that this is ultimately why we want money … it’s to create a world that you prefer …” – Hank Green
We’re all giving our attention to someone. Consider who you give your attention to. How are they using your attention and money to shift the world?
And if you’re an influencer, consider what you’re doing with the attention you get online. What is the goal of growing your online presence? How are you shifting the world? Our attention is important, and every person only has so much of it to give. We need to make sure we’re using it wisely.
