Fatih Topcu, Turkish sporting YouTube star

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to create a sporting lifestyle and liveable income from your passion, as Turkish YouTube star Fatih Topcu shows us.

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As much as we may dream of becoming the next Kilian Jornet or Chris Froome the fact is that very few of us will ever reach those extreme elite sporting highs, and even if we do turning that talent into a viable career is another matter all together. 

Times have changed, and thanks to the internet and social media there are now many opportunities out there for the “not so elite” athletes to turn their passion into a financially sustainable lifestyle. That’s not to say that it’s easy, not by any means. But if you’re prepared to think outside of the locker room and put the effort in then there are ways to do it, just as Turkish YouTube star Fatih Topcu has done. We sat down and chatted with him at the recent Salomon Cappadocia Ultra Trail race to get a glimpse into his world, and to find out how he makes it all spin.

His sporting life started with media and the internet, as he explains “I made a sports news website, the first in Turkey – a bit like Sky Sports. I’m a coder and graphic designer, and I learned to write and make the reports. It became very popular, and after many years I sold it to a bigger company and then stayed on to manage things.”

He’d always had a passion for the outdoors, and that transitioned into competitive sport; “I was a rock climber and mountaineer at first. I wanted to become an Ironman, but I’d never run or cycled in any race, so I started looking for events and 4-years ago did my first marathon in Antalya. I thought if I can do this then I can do an Ironman, that’s where it really started.”

It was a year later that he decided to start producing YouTube videos and create his Asladurma blog (meaning never stop). “Triathlon was my main thing then, and I didn’t really want to do any trail running, but I had already attracted sponsors and one (Suunto) wanted me to start ultra marathons. As I’d always been a climber and liked nature I thought I’d try it, and as soon as I started running in these natural environments I knew it was for me.”

The accompanying vlog style Asladurma YouTube channel was taking off, and he started mixing the content and disciplines too; “I now do a lot of cycling races, swimming, Ironman triathlon, ultra marathons, road marathons and 10k’s. I have 30 races every year, but trail running is definitely my favourite.”

There are thousands of sporting YouTubers out there, so what makes his channel stand out? “I looked and researched a lot, and although there were many channels out there, they were all in English – nothing in Turkish. At first I started writing stories for my blog, but nobody was reading them. I don’t think people like to read here, so I did one or two vlogs about how could I start in triathlon, and people really liked them.“

Turning the project into a survivable income took around 2-years, although unlike many his income does not come directly from the channel, and he’s clearly not what could be described as a typical influencer either, as he explains “From YouTube there’s very little income, it’s mainly from sponsors and events. Some events contact me and pay me to come (and get exposure from my videos), other times it’s partnerships with expenses that benefit both sides.” 

These days brands are a little tiered of the influencer trend, and that’s not how he goes about things “I approach brands and ask them or show them how I can help them. I don’t say give me shoes and I will run. I say give me shoes and I will run and promote them. I don’t advertise. I go around and use them and make videos on how to use them properly, not saying that you need this brand of shoes or bike, that’s just what I use – but that you can use any brand. I don’t recommend specific products, I just use them, which works for all concerned.” 

Ultra running and cycling gran fondo events only really started to take off in Turkey a few years ago, and are now thriving. Initially there were very few channels about these sports in Turkish, as Aydin Guney the promoter of the Cappadocia Ultra Trail and numerous cycling events explains “Everybody was curious about these things, and wanted to hear about them in their own language (Turkish). As he was one of them, and not a star with a big history in sport, that’s why his YouTube channel got so much interest. The other thing is that when he does this he’s very friendly and natural, and is always upbeat. He also speaks slang and the young kids love him. There was a hunger for something like this in Turkey, and people like his style – which is very important for him and sponsors.”

His in-race coverage is also a huge part of the appeal, as Aydin continues “He always films with an action camera during the race too. For example he came to a gran fondo last year and made a report, and immediately he had 1000 new followers from the event.”

Appealing to the regular athlete on a level standing without the usual sublime big sell or ego has been paramount to his popularity, and to his value “There are a lot of people out there like me, and they want to know how to do these sports. There are others out there who have tried to do similar channels, but some; maybe they show off a little. I prefer to be real and regular, and honest. If I don’t know something or things take a twist then I’m open about it and work with things to find out or make a different vlog than I’d imagined.“ 

The internet is flooded with vloggers and influencers telling us how to become instant stars, yet Fatih see’s his attitude as the key to success “The most important thing is to be friendly and natural. Be yourself, and always tell your viewers to have fun in doing this, even if the sports can be tiring and tough at times. When you talk to the camera talk to it as a friend, not like someone who’s making a vlog.“ As one of his supporters Aydin underlines this; “He never says I; it’s always “we”, and he doesn’t push the brands he uses. This is a big part of why he’s so popular, especially with young people.”

Although his main returns don’t come from YouTube or social media it is still at the core of his success he tells us “YouTube is my platform. Other social media, not so much. Instagram, yes (to a degree) but mostly as advertising for my YouTube videos, and also to say immediately where I am. Facebook, for me it’s done.”

In such a new marketplace putting a value on his services can be tricky; so he stays flexible “I never announce a fixed fee or price, mostly I get travel and goods. I also have brands and events who pay, and the amount depends on the brand and situation.”

As an elite athlete your time window of earning potential is often very short, and as a YouTuber, well – as yet nobody knows yet how sustainable it will be although he does see longer term benefits in building is brand “Asladurma is becoming a brand, a strong brand. In the future, if I can’t do this any more, then I am also a cycling and triathlon coach and I can use the brand to find clients. I may start to do less races and more coaching videos too.”

From the outside being a YouTuber and following your passion can seem like a dream scenario, yet anybody who has done video editing at a good level knows the amount of time and effort that it takes “I make 5 videos a week – every weekday. Early in the morning I train – running or bike, and I document this. Then in the middle of the day I spend around 3-hours editing and then upload the video.” On top of this comes the other promotional work, meetings and travel, which can mean up to 2-months at a time on the road travelling between races.

When it comes to content and popularity, ironically it’s not trail running that gets the most hits “The race videos are the most popular, especially the cycling event videos.“ Even with the heavy workload involved Fatih is more than happy with things “I live the perfect lifestyle, and nobody can beat that.”