2-hour Newsletter System
As you guys know, my first business is Superhero Jacked, a fitness business that mixed fitness with nerd and pop culture.
I have been in the fitness industry for over ten years; so when I say Jeff Nippard is one of my favorite fitness creators, it means a lot!
It's extremely hard to stand out, with thousands of people wanting to break into the fitness industry every day as influencers, gurus, writers, etc. - but Jeff was able to do it by leading with science, and quality.
Jeff 's main source as a creator is his YouTube channel, but he has also found his place on Instagram and added on a few other layers we'll be discussing.
Jeff Nippard Breakdown
As I mentioned, Jeff is a YouTuber, but he also has a large following on other social platforms, on top of some massive sponsorships from PEScience, RISE gym gear, and more.
Jeff's niche is written right in his bio section: Science-Based Bodybuilding.
And although I love the science of marketing and behavior science/nudges, that's not the only reason he stands out; with over 4 million others tuning into his incredible signature series.
Let's get into some stats:
- Facebook: 358,000
- YouTube: 4+ Million
- Instagram: 1.1+ Million
- Total Views (YouTube): 478M+ Views
- Estimated Total Income: 7+ Figures a Year
- Estimated YT Income (Just on Ad Rev): $20-30K+ per month
Jeff's achievements as a natural bodybuilder are also massive milestones to share, which he writes on his YouTube bio section here:
I'm a Canadian natural pro bodybuilder and internationally-qualified powerlifter with a BSc in biochemistry/chemistry and a passion for science. This channel is dedicated to providing science-based training and nutrition information and journaling my own fitness journey. I've been training for 15 years. I hope you enjoy my videos!
Jeff is humble, to say the least, and the quality of his videos and research are going to be a big part of what we're dissecting in this one.
Jeff Nippard's Signature Series
Jeff has one signature series that has gone on for 55 videos, and then two other massive signature series that have gone on for 27-32 videos/weeks.
He also breaks down his larger 55 video signature series into smaller playlists, which I'll explain, and we can consider those minor sub-niches within his larger "Science-Based Bodybuilding" niche.
What Are Jeff Nippard's Signature Series?
As I mentioned, Jeff has three prominent signature series that I'm going to be covering, one of which stands out a bit more and he breaks into smaller layers.
He has also done some testing in other signature series, but I'll be breaking those tests and layers down in the next section.
Let's start with the three main signature series:
- Science Explained Series*
- Technique Tuesday
- Myth Bust Monday
I watched all three of these pretty religiously and they are so good, even as a big creator in the fitness space I was ALWAYS inclined to site Jeff as my source whenever I mention anything related (and send a link) - because his research and quality is just THAT good.
Jeff's unique differentiator is the quality and research of each and every one of these incredible videos that tie directly back into his overarching main niche.
*The Science Explained Series is the signature series that I make mention to that has 55 total videos (the most of the three), and gets split into smaller categories that I'll discuss in the next section.
Signature Series Deep Dive
Jeff's signature series "The Science Explained Series" has multiple videos with well over a million views, but for this part I'm going to be diving deep into one of his most viral videos: "How To Build Muscle And Lose Fat At The Same Time: Step By Step Explained (Body Recomposition)" - (13 Million Views)
I mean that right there kind of already has you wanting to click, right?
Jumping into the video, Jeff wastes no time and asks the question that he's going to be answering (and that we're already wondering): "How can you build muscle and lose fat at the same time?"
He says: "A lot of people on the internet think the answer is simple: you can't. If you want to build muscle you need to do a proper bulk, and if you want to lose fat, you need to do a proper cut. I think this idea has made it's way into the mainstream from old bodybuilding lore where it was thought that you needed to be in a massive caloric surplus to build size, and then trim down for competition."
So he's telling us what the normal thought process is, all while jumping in from him at his computer, to Ronnie Coleman eating a ton of calories (famous pro bodybuilder), and even Bro-Jeff (Jeff dressed up differently as a "bro") on the couch eating something as well.
But this is where Jeff really hooks you in.
Here's what he says next: "But recent scientific evidence has challenged this idea. For example this 2013 study from Garth and colleagues found that even when they overfed subjects by 600 calories per day they actually didn't gain significantly more muscle, but did gain over three times the fat mass. So nearly all the extra bulk came as fat."
All the while Jeff has the study popping up on the screen for a great visual representation of his research, and then he pans us back to him at the desk and begins tell us a story.
But it's too late.
We're already hooked. We need to know more. Tell us more studies. Tell us how we gain muscle and lose fat. We trust him. We believe him. We need more.
Jeff has a way of not only hooking us in with his value, quality and research, but also telling incredible stories that don't bore us, but rather takes us through a journey of why he is just the teacher in all of this and doesn't dislike the opposing view (usually), but is going to show us what the science says.
And, because he uses his signature series, he's able to replicate all of this throughout tons and tons of videos and optimize each and every time - getting better at the research, the quality of editing, and how he teaches and keeps us hooked.
Hook, Story, Curiosity Gap
One quick thing I do want to touch on before we move into some more Signature Series Layers and marketing levers is just a tiny bit more about Jeff's build-up.
I mentioned how he hooks us in and then moves into his story and leaves us wanting more. Jeff is mastering the curiosity gap.
This is the space between the information that he gives us in that hook (and headline), and the information that he's not telling us yet (the fact that we now need to know the answer to that initial question, and trust him enough to know it's coming).
This is something you'll want to be utilizing in your own content, whether it's short form video, long form video, or even written content on X, LinkedIn, and your email newsletters.
He builds enough intrigue and utilizes the curiosity gap so well that we continue watching through - similar to what we've seen from another master storyteller: Deep Pocket Monster, who earns upwards of $50,000+ a month opening Pokemon cards!
Signature Series Layers, Creator Type, Borrowing Authority and Leveraging Familiarity
I already told you about two of the layers when I mentioned he has THREE main Signature Series.
These three series I mention above make up 114 of his videos within his main signature series that came out on repeat within specific categories.
As another layer to Jeff's Science Explained Series, he also breaks them down into smaller segments like:
- Full Body Science Applied Workouts
- Science Applied 2 (Upper Lower Split)
- Science Applied Series (Push Pull Legs)
Which are specific to different types of training splits for people who would like to use a specific type for themselves (and learn the optimal ways to use them based on science).
On top of that, Jeff also has a few other playlists that he has done like MASS Review Series and The Ultimate Push Pull Legs Series (2023), among some other smaller ones (like his Mountain Dog Training Collabs).
Jeff is a master of leveraging signature series, but he's also a master at using some other levers in his content as well.
Let's discuss...
Borrowing Authority And Leveraging Familiarity
Obviously Jeff is extremely accomplished, but he's also not afraid of borrowing authority to build more of his own, and leveraging familiarity to drive growth.
For example, within less than a minute into his video Jeff had already showed us Ronnie Coleman and began leveraging the authority of the research done by Garth and colleagues.
Jeff knows he doesn't need to be the world's leading expert on ALL things fitness.
He still has millions and millions of followers trusting his advice because of how thorough and unbiased he is in his research.
Actually, ironically enough, the fact that Jeff knows he doesn't have to come off as someone who knows EVERYTHING about the industry is exactly what makes him so great (his scientific research is just that: research).
The massive takeaway here?...
You don't have to know everything to come into a niche and begin providing tons of value. Don't pretend to know everything a second after you read it in a book or watch it in a video. Leverage the authority of the person you're learning from and share it with your growing audience.
Similarly, Jeff knows the power of leveraging familiarity.
Showing us Ronnie Coleman was both borrowing authority and leveraging familiarity, but leveraging familiarity is even more powerful when done in your hook - which Jeff does well.
If you scroll through Jeff's videos you'll see he has collaboration videos with fitness influencers like Matt Ogus, "The Best Natural Bodybuilder in The World", as well as responses and breakdowns of other authorities/influencers training advice and methodology like:
- Is Dorian Yates HIT (Low Volume) Training Good For Size?
- Is Workout Volume Actually Killing Your Gains (Athlean-X Response)
- OVERRATED: Explaining Controversial Fitness Topics
- OVERRATED: The Worst Fitness Advice Ever
And on each of these OVERRATED videos we see some of the largest fitness influencers stacked up with Jeff ready to critique.
Leveraging familiarity and building intrigue at it's finest!
And yes...we may very well be seeing the making of Jeff's next signature series: OVERRATED!
More Signature Series Layers and Scaling
One thing is quite clear in all of this...
Jeff LOVES what he does.
He loves his research, he loves the Science Of Bodybuilding, and he loves learning more from experts in the field.
You can see it in everything he does. His content, his editing, his research...
Notice: he LOVES all the things that make up his unique differentiator.
So, naturally, Jeff isn't done there, he also has his podcast channel that he adds to sporadically when he has conversations with other authorities (nearly 50K subs), and his YouTube Shorts where he does more of what he's good at like "Is Sam Sulek's Training Dumb?"
Adding in millions of extra views by tacking on a layer of what he is already known for, and what he is already doing within his main signature series.
Just what we love to see (and learn from).
How To Replicate Jeff Nippard's Success
Jeff is a master of using his signature series and layers to dominate one of the most saturated industries on the internet, but there is also one massive takeaway I want to touch on before we get into a full list.
Jeff is not afraid to borrow authority, even though he already is one.
Borrowing authority and leveraging familiarity are both so powerful, while being some of the easiest growth levers to use to begin building your own authority in your niche.
That said, here are some clear takeaways from Jeff Nippard's Creator Case Study:
- Lead With Value
- Borrow Authority
- Leverage Familiarity
- Hook, Curiosity Gap, Story
- Add Layers and Continue Optimizing
Signature series have been a driving force for Jeff, and we continue to see him test and begin to tack on even more when he notices a new one taking off.
And the best part: Jeff loves what he does.
When you love what you do every single day it makes it easier to take advantage of delayed gratification and slowly optimize over time.
Add that in with signature series and psychology based marketing levers as your secret weapon, and you'll be unstoppable.
So remember: Build a business you wake up excited about, to live the life you dream about.
