The Shark Tank of Social Media

When Shark Tank first aired back in 2009, it took the nation by storm.

REAL Entrepreneurs, soliciting REAL Billionaires for REAL Investments.

Now in its 13th season, there have been over $150M in deals,

More than 530 pitches aired,

And dozens of celebrity guest Sharks.

The elements of are objectively engaging:

• Introduction to shiny new products, services and inventions

• High stakes negotiations amongst BIG personalities

• A clear-cut win/lose outcome

It’s a winning formula, and the 3-4 pitches per episode cadence was a perfect fit  for a prime time hour of television.

Past Elite Video Marketing guest Jon Shanahan pitched the Sharks for over an hour before he got a deal. But the producers of the footage down to a set of highlights that total less than 10 minutes of screen time. 

It begs the question, why not feature just one or two pitches per episode and gone more in-depth on each company and the negotiation process?

Sure, but this is prime-time TV. The producers had to cast the widest net possible to reel in a larger audience. By including 3-4 pitches per episode, the show is fast-paced enough to comply with limited attention spans AND offers more opportunities for people to connect with (and buy from) these entrepreneurs. They appease many demographics.

Plus, each pitch usually has a tense cliffhanger moment, which is an ideal spot for those big bucks prime time commercials.

Shark Tank has mastered the balance between business and entertainment in traditional media.

But who is filling this niche in social media?

Learn more about how to create compelling video content for your business at InhouseVideographer.com

New Training Modules include a TikTok Editing Suite Explainer & Coaching Subjects on Camera.

Alex Lieberman

Alex Lieberman is the co-founder of Morning Brew, a daily business newsletter that has soared to 4+ million subscribers.

Last year, he sold the company for $85 million and stepped down as CEO of the new media upstart. 

With the new room in his schedule, Alex has begun to seriously focus on video. .

This year, Alex started a series on TikTok called 60-Second Startup and is taking aim at the Sharks.

The 60-Second Startup is Shark Tanks’ cooler younger brother.

• 60 Seconds on the clock

• Fast-paced pitch from a real entrepreneur

• A set number of canned questions 

• A win/lose outcome that invites audience participation at the end

Already, Alex’s channel has garnered millions of views across TikTok and Instagram.

His questions provoke the exact information you need to know about each company so that YOU can answer his final question:

“Would You Invest in this Business?”

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand times: Limit yourself to ONE Call to Action per video. Sometimes people ask for a like, follow, or share. Alex uses the space for his Call to Action to start conversations among his viewers.

The question posed to the audience is smart. It maintains viewer retention for a second loop of the video while they’re typing out their answers, which in turn boosts video performance in the algorithm.

Alex has managed to pull off the Shark Tank play: perfectly combine business and entertainment for a show that will stop you in your scroll.

Final Thoughts:

A winning show formula is, at its core, simple.

Take a look at some of your favorite shows in traditional media and try to piece apart the structure. Then see if you can recreate it in your own content. The results might surprise you.

Have an ELITE week,

Hannah