What a year it has been. At the end of 2019, I was certain that 2020 was going to be one for the ages, but not in the way that it was. It’s been difficult for so many for reasons I won’t touch on here. All I know is that it’s been a year that many would rather forget. But take solace—2021 is on the horizon!
Check out last year’s Best of Gentleman Within 2019.
GENTLEMAN WITHIN: YEAR IN REVIEW 2020
As for Gentleman Within, the year was off to a rip-roaring start. In January, BC—(before Corona)—things were looking up. First was a weekend trip to Austin, Texas to hang with fellow entrepreneurs at what we call ManCamp.
A week later I visited home (Vietnam) for the first time in 7 years and celebrated the Lunar New Year. I remember exactly where I was (in a taxi) when I learned of the first case, but I didn’t think much of it at the time.
And then in February I had the honor of speaking at the final Menfluential Conference hosted by Antonio Centeno of Real Men Real Style and Aaron Marino of Alpha M.
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And then the pandemic hit the US like a ton of bricks, seemingly out of nowhere. I imagined it would be a major blow to content creators and especially those in the fashion space. Who really cares about style when you’re forced to stay home all year long? Thankfully, ecommerce was booming.
By March, I was spiralling out of control and fell into some bad habits. I literally stopped creating content for months. And I’d say for a good 6 months I was in a massive rut.
Until I wasn’t. Later in the year (around September) things started improve. I corrected course, developed positive habits and started creating content again. In turn, I had some of my best months financially during one of the worst imaginable times. I was lucky and to say it was a volatile year would be an understatement.
And now—keeping with tradition—the Best of GW 2020.
Page Contents
BY THE NUMBERS
Numbers don’t tell the whole story, but I think it’s good to see my production in comparison to previous years and where I can improve my workflow.
- 57 Blog Posts
- 32 YouTube Videos
- 46 Instagram Photos
- 16k subscribers on YouTube
- 10.5k followers on Instagram
- 42k followers on Pinterest
- 2.7k page likes on Facebook
- 1k followers on Twitter
- GW turned 4 (no write up this year)
The Blog:
My blog posts were down this year, no surprise considering the amount of time I spent inactive, not working on any content at all. For months at a time I was stagnant, not creating.
Thankfully my older content started to rank better in Google search and traffic to the site increased this year, though it’s nowhere near where I’d like for it to be. I have a lot of work to do in 2021.
YouTube:
Just like with the blog, I produced much less content on the YT channel. I grew less this year from 11k to 16k. Last year I was approaching 1 million video views. This year I’m 3/4 of the way to 2 million lifetime video views across my channel which is still pretty crazy to me.
I worked on a few brand sponsorships for the channel throughout the year, but it was less than 2019 which is no surprise since many brands cut back their ad spend this year due to the pandemic.
Instagram:
Instagram growth is stagnant again. I posted less than I have in any other year since I started the account in 2016. It’s still a great platform to communicate and engage with my audience via DMs which is great.
And stories always gets more engagement than posts in the feed. Reels is a TikTok copycat and it’s really annoying how IG is trying to push it so hard. All in all, organic growth on the platform still sucks. But you’ll still see me around on IG in 2021.
Pinterest:
As much as my Pinterest grew last year, it grew even more this year. I went from 18k to 42k followers. It’s become a great secondary driver of traffic to the blog behind all-important SEO.
It’s a platform that I’m going to continue dedicating time towards because it’s driving more ROI than other platforms like Instagram and Facebook.
Facebook:
As for Facebook, what can I say that I haven’t already said before? Facebook has been pay to play for a while and so any type of organic reach is non-existent. As with last year, all of my Instagram posts also go to the FB page and I’ve been consistent with publishing any new content as well.
From time to time, I’ll share older content that I’ve refreshed throughout the year. There’s still not much engagement, but I feel it’s important to stay top of mind and continue publishing where my potential audience might be. The GW Community on Facebook is growing nicely though.
Twitter:
Another year of no growth on Twitter. I’m just over 1k followers and don’t really have much engagement on the platform. I only post updates whenever I have new content, but it barely drives any traffic to the site. Perhaps I should change that strategy in 2021.
TOP 5 ARTICLES
Here are 5 of my favorite or most popular articles published to the blog for 2020.
1. Best & Worst Men’s Fashion Trends of the Past 10 Years
Everyone follows trends and if someone tells you they don’t, well then they might as well be naked. Over the past decade we’ve seen a myriad of men’s fashion trends come and go, some are still going strong and some on their way out.
In this article I run down my list of 20 of the best and worst men’s style and fashion trends from the past 10 years. In the 2010s, we saw everything from male rompers and pretentious accessories to minimalist and sustainable fashion.
2. Best Men’s Jeans Brands 2020 (Finding the Perfect Fit)
I love jeans—they’re everyday staples that are—equal parts stylish and comfortable (if you have the right pair). As for jean styles, they are very much a personal thing. For me, the slim jean is my favorite style to wear. It’s well-fitting, comfortable & stylish.
This comprehensive guide is going to feature mainly slim fit jeans. And now without further ado, Gentleman Within’s list of 20 best jeans brands for men in 2020.
3. How to Work from Home Sustainably: 10 WFH Tips for High Achievers
In this time of unknowns and discomfort, more of us than ever are being forced to develop new norms for our daily lives. We’re learning to grocery shop with social distancing, connect with our friends & family without being physically with them, and limit the way we live our lives on a daily basis, among many other things.
You’re probably feeling trapped in an endless cycle of “wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat” that will inevitably end in burnout. Well my friends…it doesn’t need to feel this way! There are very practical things we can be doing to help ease the stress, gain some structure, and regain your control of the circumstances you can.
4. Best Colors to Wear for Southeast Asian Skin Tone (Men’s Style Guide)
Alright fellas, as a Southeast Asian man, I feel like I’m in a pretty good position to talk about what I think are some of the best colors to wear for Asian men.
This article focuses on color coordination and how to put together well-balanced and thoughtful outfits for Asian men with medium/olive skin tones. Furthermore, I’ll mention a few colors in which you’ll want to proceed with caution, and how you can still wear them.
5. The Gentleman Within 2020 Holiday Gift Guide
This year’s gift ideas have a little bit of everything for every man. It’s all the good stuff that’s been tested, vetted and gifted.
So go ahead and kick back with a warm drink and comfy slippers as you shop for your family and friends and admit it — yourself 😉
TOP 5 PHOTOS
Here are my hand-picked favorite photos posted to my Instagram page in 2020 — either for the image, caption or both.
1. Long Live Menfluential
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2. Missing Vietnam
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3. The ManCamp Guys
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4. A Historic Election
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5. Turning Negatives Into Positives
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INSTAGRAM BEST NINE
And of course I couldn’t leave out the Best Nine square grid for 2020 that’s become an end of the year tradition for IG users.
TOP 5 VIDEOS
1. Channel Update: I’m Leaving
- 116 likes
- 10 dislikes
- 2,031 views
- Uploaded: 1/20/20
My most clickbait-y video yet. It was the start of the year that held so much promise. Little did I know at the time how much of a 💩 show it’d turn out to be.
Although we’ll mostly remember the negatives from 2020, there has to be some good things too. For me, it was this trip back home to Vietnam.
I got to escape winter, see relatives, and eat the best foods. Although it was hampered by the virus, it was a reminder that home is just a flight away. And that maybe I’ll be back sooner than later.
2. 10 New Year’s Resolutions to Change Your Life in 2020
- 61 likes
- 0 dislikes
- 827 views
- Uploaded: 1/14/20
Sure, 2020 changed all of our lives in a way we never imagined. But I’m still holding strong to these habits. I can proudly say that I’ve implemented all of them into my daily routine and feel a million times better because of it.
3. Best Minimalist Sneakers Under $250
- 435 likes
- 11 dislikes
- 12.3k views
- Uploaded: 4/18/20
I spent a lot of time on this video. The thumbnail is one of my favorites, although the video didn’t do nearly as well as I had imagined. Ah well, ya never know what’s going to pop off on YT. Either way this was one of my favorite vids of 2020.
4. AllSaints Leather Jacket Review | Milo Biker (Best Leather Jacket Series)
- 378 likes
- 25 dislikes
- 28.6k views
- Uploaded: 4/22/20
I included this video because it’s the start of a special series called the Best Leather Jacket series. I intend on trying out many more leather jackets in pursuit of quality leather jackets and the perfect fit.
5. Thursday Boots Captain, President & Duke Long-Term Review (4 Years Later)
- 990 likes
- 25 dislikes
- 27.8k views
- Uploaded: 11/11/20
I knew this video would do well the moment I posted it. The 2 year update video is actually the most viewed video on my channel at a hair under 100k views. In under 2 months, the 4 year update is just under 30k views, so it looks like another successful review.
THE BIG ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LAST YEAR IS COMING…
I’ve been so bad with this. Last year around this time, I was supposed to have a big announcement. A project that I’ve been working on since 2019. I’ve come up with every excuse in the book not to proceed with it.
Sure a global pandemic wreaked havoc on us all, but I still can’t use that as an excuse. No more holding myself back. I’m challenging myself that 2021 is the year I’m taking the next step on this journey. You will see what I’m talking about soon. 🤞
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WRAPPING THINGS UP
And that’s that on 2020. Good riddance, although I’m choosing to look on the bright side. I learned and grew so much through the adversity and I hope you did too.
As always, the reason that I do these writeups is because 1. it’s a open diary for myself and 2. I want others who are doing something similar to be able to get inspiration by delving into my mind a bit to see the process. In the end, if I can help a fellow creator out then that’s a win win.
Cheers & Happy New Year!
Here’s to justice, health and peace of mind as we choose an attitude of possibility and resilience in 2021.
-Khoi
Gentleman Within Founder & Creative Director
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