After relaunching Harpoon Capital, Robin Simon entered a competitive segment of property lending focused exclusively on investment properties.
In a market where lenders often offer similar products, Robin sees marketing as a key opportunity to stand out. His strategy is to build a library of useful content that answers almost any question a prospective borrower might search for.
Video is a key part of that strategy. Robin wants to answer 500 common questions about lending for investment properties and publish short videos every day across the main social media platforms.
HeyGen are helping him produce that volume of content without having to film and edit every post.
Creating videos from hundreds of customer questions
Robin's approach begins with the questions prospective borrowers are already asking.
"What are the most common questions on the subject, and how do we answer them?" Robin said. The aim is to "post that every day on all the main social media platforms."
Previously, creating short-form video meant filming new footage or producing a longer YouTube video and editing it into shorter clips.
"Before, we would have to make a long-form YouTube video and then cut it into shorter clips, or film something and edit it," Robin said.
With HeyGen, Robin can turn those answers into short videos using his own avatar, colleagues' avatars and AI-generated presenters.
Robin has also found a workflow that keeps his personality in the finished video. He often records his own voice and combines that performance with his avatar rather than relying entirely on a generated voice.
Even the small imperfections in his delivery are intentional.
"It sounds almost more real, even with the little mistakes," Robin said. "That's been one of my favourite parts about it."
Creating enough daily content for three years
HeyGen have changed how far ahead Robin can plan his videos. Rather than thinking about what to publish next week, he's building a content pipeline that spans years.
"We have a couple of years' worth of daily posts in the queue," Robin said.
His broader strategy is to publish one video a day for around three years. By creating videos in batches, Robin can build up a queue before travelling or turning his attention elsewhere.
For Robin, the goal isn't to make every post go viral. Harpoon Capital operate in a high-value sector where the average loan is approximately $400,000, so reaching the right person matters more than maximising views.
"I'd rather one person who's a good fit watched a video, visited our website and spent 15 minutes reading," Robin said.
Reducing the time spent filming and editing each post
Publishing daily has traditionally posed a production challenge. Each new video can mean another filming session, another edit and another piece of content to prepare before it can go live.
HeyGen helps Robin publish more without having to film more.
Rather than appearing on camera every day, Robin can create videos in batches with his avatar and schedule them in advance. This makes publishing daily over three years much more manageable.
It also gives him flexibility over who appears in the content. Robin can use his own avatar when he wants the message linked directly to him, feature colleagues, or include AI-generated presenters to add variety.
And if Robin wanted to publish more often, production would no longer hold him back.
Preserving his voice in AI video
Robin doesn't see AI as a replacement for the person behind the content. He sees it as a way to bring that person's ideas and expertise to a wider audience.
That's why he prefers what he calls a hybrid approach.
"It's always that hybrid approach where you're getting 95% of the way there," Robin said. "Record it with your own voice, try a few things out, make sure your brand kit is right, review it manually, and I think it works really well."
For Robin, that combination is what makes HeyGen useful. He can scale up video production while still deciding what to say, how it should sound and whether the finished product represents his brand.
That approach supports a broader ambition for Harpoon Capital. As more people turn to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram for answers, Robin wants his videos to be there when someone starts researching finance for investment properties.
With hundreds of questions being turned into videos and years of daily posts planned, HeyGen are helping him build that library without spending the next three years in front of a camera.
