ASMR Chess Interview
I had a few people request we chat with ASMR Chess and I am so glad I did!
I have to say I didn’t know about how ASMR and chess would work together but now I do. I guess ASMR can work with many things. Just need the right angle.
I was fascinated with some of the answers such as machine vs machine chess (who won?!) and some really great advice on when and how to deal with Channel Sponsors – don’t get ripped off!
Also, some top equipment info and watch out for collabs coming up this year.
The unique and excellent ASMR Chess channel is here: ASMR Chess
Tell us about ASMR and your YouTube channel
How would you describe your ASMR channel?
You either tingle, fall asleep or learn about the beauty of chess. Or any combination of the three.
Why did you get into ASMR?
Insomnia
Your favourite types of ASMR?
Educational, witty, fun, well produced and narrative ASMR. I think we’ve only seen an inkling of what ASMR could be.
How does ASMR make you feel?
Comfortable
Do you still watch ASMR Videos?
All the time
What are the main benefits for viewers from watching your content?
You can legitimately become a much better chess player by watching my channel. In addition you’ll learn about the fascinating 1000+ years of chess history.
What makes your ASMR Videos different from many others?
They are all about chess.
The most memorable thing to happen making a video?
Okay this is a bit technical, so bear with me. On my channel I have different chess computers play against each other.
In one video I had a chess computer from 1989 play against the most modern and advanced BEAST of a chess computer.
The difference in strength between them is vast. I can quite easily beat the machine from 1989 and no human in the world can beat the modern one.
But something strange, nay, something impossible happened. The 1989 machine drew the game. And I have it all on video.
What is the most enjoyable part of creating ASMR content?
Interacting with the viewers. Sitting calmly by myself with a chess board.
What is the hardest part of running a YouTube channel?
I work insane hours to make it happen.
Do you read all the comments?
Every. Single. One.
What’s the best comment you have read?
“This is so f**king problem. This is unbearable the man this is oh this is not good man. You dont do that voices in real life. This is **king video.”
I have it memorized. I even have it on a t-shirt.
Any plans for collaborations?
Yea I’ve been speaking to Dido ASMR, The French Whisperer, Chess Me ASMR, Queen’s Gambit ASMR, Decaf Math and a couple others about collabs, but nothing concrete yet.
What is new on your channel this year?
Well we’ve welcomed 40k new subscribers, so that’s new. I’ve also been increasing my output from 1 to 2 videos per week and I’ve begun taking shorts more seriously.
What do you see trending in your area of ASMR?
For 8 years I was the only Chess ASMR channel on YouTube. This past month 2 new ones have popped up! So now we are 3 with hopefully many more to come.
Where do you see ASMR content being in 5 years?
No clue.
Best tips for someone starting an ASMR YouTube channel?
Do it. Gear doesn’t matter, content matters. Be safe about your privacy, take it seriously. Be sustainable – much better to make smaller videos you KNOW you can finish than to do grand projects that will burn you out. Slow and steady wins the race.
If you get to around 30k views per video, you’ll begin to receive sponsor offers. They will ALWAYS lowball you on their first offer with insane demands for very little money. 30k views is worth at least 1000 USD.
Vet your sponsors carefully and never try to mislead your audience or sell them a bad product for short-term financial gain. Your work is not the sponsors, your work is your audience. Talk to other creators. Have fun!
Making & Marketing an ASMR Video
How long does it take to record & edit one of your ASMR videos?
12-24 work hours.
Which is your favourite piece of equipment for recording content?
My mic setup is a Schoepps CMIT5u for voice and a pair of Sennheiser MKH50 for left and right ambience. I am… a gear freak.
What do you think is the most important factor of the YouTube algorithm?
Retention rate and click through rate. In other words: Make good videos that people want to watch and make the titles and thumbnails interesting enough that people click on them. It is that simple.
How do you drive most of your traffic to the channel?
Organic youtube algorithm magic.
Which social media channels do you use to market your content?
None
How do you see AI such as ChatGPT impacting ASMR in the future?
Language models like ChatGPT are able to generate scripts for ASMR videos.
Deepfake voice AI are able to get that script to sound like any creator who has put out a body of work. Probably we will also see deepfake videos become easily available. It is super scary.
