How I Became a Successful Vlogger
Tips and tricks for starting a vlog channel
It’s 2020 and the Internet culture is stronger than ever! One major staple term of this decade is “vlogging”, which for those few of you who may not know, is filming oneself’s daily life and posting it online. YouTube is a beautiful platform for creativity and there are so many people who upload regular vlogs to their channels.
During the fall season of 2015, I started college on the other side of the country in LA and I started posting weekly videos describing my life to keep track of my adventures and share them with my friends and family back home. As it turns out, that small series called, LIVIN’ CA, brought me far more incredibly amazing adventures than I could have ever planned for. In my second year, I continued the series but branded it slightly more as a vlog series rather than a web series. Since then, each “season” of LCA, is officially an all-out vlog series, which I highly recommend you watch.
But before you do, chances are, you are reading this because you would like to start-up a vlog channel or grow one yourself. While I am no guru in the subject, I have learned SO MUCH about this vlog life and I want to help share my knowledge while still using it myself (in the great words of High School Musical, “we’re all in this together!”).
Consistency is Key
If you’re consistent, whether that means daily, weekly, monthly…being consistent helps! If you want to pre-plan more complex videos, keeping track of what you have done, and managing a similar style will definitely help as well. If you have an “aesthetic”, keep to it! This can go for your channel type, coloring, thumbnails, click-bait, etcetera.
Keep it Casual
I have noticed that the more relatable one is, the easier it is for the audience to better connect. Be true to yourself and avoid nerves and seeming uncomfortable. It should be a casual insight into your life. Talk to the camera like you would to your friends and family.
Entertain!
This one goes without saying, but if you’re being entertaining or doing something entertaining, it is so much easier to grab the attention of others! Plus, it is far more fun and inspiring to vlog when you’re being entertained by it yourself. One in doubt, find something fun to do!
The Equipment
I use the Canon G7X for my vlogs, as many people do. However, DSLR’s, camcorders, and even your phone are all prime tools when it comes down to filming! Editing is also a great way to better your content and there are so many programs and apps available of all different levels. However, keep in mind that the content you make all stems around the idea and the actual content of the video. Everything else is the icing on the cake to make it look and feel more professional.
Growing an Audience
I may have a relatively small audience at the moment, but regardless, I am a believer that a few quality audience members are more valuable than many who don’t really care. That being said, leave comments, tweet, and share out your videos through multiple social media platforms. If you are more connected to your viewers, the more personable your content will be. These days, YouTube isn’t really thriving off of professional big-name content, but more individual creativity and personable growth.
Be Original
It is SO very easy to get caught up in the YouTube cliques and styles. Sometimes, it seems that the only way to be searchable and grow an audience is to keep with the trends and do what other popular channels are doing but those who stay original while still throwing in some click-bait here and there are better off in the long run. Those are the channels that inspire others to copy and draw people in. Add keywords into your titles and description boxes for more searchable results.
Everything Takes Time
Viral videos happen, but like most YouTubers and vloggers out there, everything takes time. Not only does it take time for one to really develop their style and routine, but it also takes time to build up that presence. Make videos for yourself first and understand that even if it seems that you are the only one watching, you’re happy with that.
Live Life
While it is fun and addicting to share out everything that you do, remember to live life in the moments as well. Photos and videos should document your life rather than controlling it.
I hope those tips and tricks helped! If you have any additional thoughts, ideas, or questions, let me know in the comment section below and/or tweet me @sarahfhamilton! You can also watch my videos and the LIVIN’ CA vlog series on YouTube.com/sarahfhamilton.
