August 17th, 2020 | Updated on September 28th, 2020
One of the fascinating social media trends today is influencers using video blogging, or vlogging, to build a narrative around their business, pursue their passion, or create awareness on issues they really care about it.
Creating a unique voice, cultivating a signature style, bringing in a fresh perspective are all ways to distinguish yourself from others and cut through the clutter.
By leveraging platforms like Instagram and YouTube, vloggers are some of the most followed influencers today, in eclectic spaces ranging from finance and food to fashion, travel, pet care, and lifestyle.
The most successful vloggers invest a lot of time, effort, and hard work in crafting quality content even though it might look easy and glamorous on the outside. For those looking to start their vlogging journeys, there are some fundamentals to keep in mind, no matter how big or successful your video gets.
So, are you ready to start your vlogging adventures? Let’s delve into the 10 tips to get you started on your journey!
1. Choose A Niche That Excites You
It’s easy to start a vlog. But sustaining it, growing it, and building it takes effort and investment of your time.
It’s helpful to choose a topic that genuinely excites you and that you feel invested in and passionate about. This will keep you motivated even in the times when the response to your vlog is lukewarm.
2. Get Your Vlogging Gear Together!
These days it’s easy to make slick videos just using your smartphone and a free DIY video editing software like InVideo, which lets you get creative and personalize your vlogs to reflect your signature style.
If you’re looking to use specific music, audio, or sound effect, you can use InVideo’s youtube to mp3 converter. Just make sure there’s no copyright issue.
Additional tools like a selfie stick, a tripod, and a mobile gel pad can come in handy while shooting your video. Start simple and then build your gear as the momentum picks up.
3. Choose A Name And Launch Your Channel!
Pick an awesome name for your vlog, something that connects to your story and theme of your video. Invite all your friends, family, and online connections to subscribe to your channel.
Use highly searched keywords around the theme of your visual content before you launch your channel. Make sure you pay close attention when choosing a title for your vlog, so it shows up in searches and is also appealing enough for viewers to click on.
4. The First 5 Seconds Are Extremely Important!
Make sure that viewers are hooked from the start of the video by working extra hard to make it really interesting. A lot of viewers also tend to watch videos without any sound.
So, leverage a free youtube video editor software to make sure your video has subtitles and is visually impactful. You can even add effects, emojis, and other elements to increase the appeal.
5. Post-High-Quality Content Regularly
Decide on the frequency that you will post, and make sure you stay consistent and post regularly. Even once or twice a week is okay as long as the quality doesn’t fluctuate, and you don’t miss even one week.
This also communicates to your audience that you are invested in what to do and that they can continue to learn, grow, and engage around what you are regularly creating.
6. Quality Trumps Quantity Anyway
It’s easy to slip into a complacent mode once you get a good number of subscribers. But to keep growing, you’ve got to keep things edgy, creative, and stay ahead of the curve.
For example, if you run a vlog on a topic like finance, keep thinking about how you can make it interactive. Do your due diligence to find out how you can reach newer audiences, and also learn to predict new trends before they play out.
7. Connect The Dots On Trending Topics
While it’s important to stick to your niche, it helps to connect it to trending topics that influence it. For example, the ongoing pandemic has been a theme that has become relevant to almost all vlogs, from food and wellness, to finance, jobs, and politics. Keep a sharp eye on trends, and visualize how you can connect them to your vlog’s theme.
8. Bring On Your Signature Style!
Your own life can be your biggest inspiration for your vlog. So if you’ve hit a creative block, try to draw from your personal experiences, whether it’s leading a zero-waste lifestyle, exploring your passion for cooking, or sharing how you retired at 35 and want to help others lead a financially conscious life.
Many successful vloggers channelized their personal stories to share what they know and grew a large following by sharing these amazing stories.
9. Keep On Building Your Audience
While it’s great to build your audience organically, it’s recommended to collaborate with other bloggers and vloggers and feature interesting people in your content to reach a larger audience.
You can also comment on the work of your peers, a wonderful practice that helps you expand and connect with fellow vloggers you love and respect.
10. Listen In To What Your Tribe Is Saying
As your subscriber base grows, it’s important to continue engaging with them. Respond to all comments, ask questions, run contests and polls, and feature some of your subscribers on your vlog. If you do a branded video, why not offer giveaways to your most engaged subscribers?
Think of your subscriber base as a consumer you want to serve in a way that really adds value to their lives. This approach is a great way to stay grounded and focused on why you started your vlog in the first place.
Keep Honing Your Craft!
As your subscriber count increases, keep an eye on the analytics of your vlog to make sure it’s always growing. For instance, YouTube offers a detailed analytics report.
Staying on top of these numbers, understanding how to interpret this data and keeping your content fresh, edgy, and unique, will help you grow and remain relevant to your tribe.
