You don’t need to live in Maldives or live as expensive as a celebrity does before you start your vlog journey. It even gets worse if your role model vlogger is always living the life, going to some lavish destination, having a perfect backdrop, travelling countries, eating the best cuisine, and having a perfect summer. Their lives look pretty incredible, right?
What if I tell you that there is a good per cent that their lives aren’t always that rosy, and aside from their interesting travels and memorable events online, they also live pretty normally, and do the same exact things you do. Work, hang out at home, spend time with friends and family, and so on.
The only problem is that you watch their vlogs and always tell yourself you can never get to their level instead of watching their vlogs to be inspired to start something on your own. You doubt yourself and think that your life is too boring to be filmed.
Well, that’s a big lie. If you want to get your vlog journey started with me, then stick around. This guide has everything you need to start a vlog even if your life is super boring.
Key Points
- A vlog is a video blog that shares personal experiences, opinions, and interests.
- Vlog types include lifestyle, tutorials, reviews, and gaming.
- Engaging with the audience builds community and loyalty.
- Monetization methods include ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.
What is a Vlog?
A vlog is a short form of “video blog”. Just as a blog is made up of written content, a vlog consists of video content. You can also say that a vlog is a video documenting the life of a person. To create a real vlog, you’d have to film your thoughts, opinions, and interests for an internet publication and your online audience.
Vlogs are being created in various categories and niches ranging from travel itineraries, beauty routines, and cooking tutorials to tech reviews, gaming livestreams, and marketing tips, which should always be visually captivating and engaging, hence offering a long-lasting intimate connection with viewers. Popular platforms like YouTube and Vimeo are widely known for sharing these vlog content.
There has also been a wide introduction of short-form videos normally present on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. With that being said, vlogs can easily be made by anyone with a camera, personality, creativity and unique storytelling insights. It can be shot in one take or expertly edited.
Types of Vlogs
There are diverse types of vlogs that can be explored by anyone. The two most popular ones are the talking head video, where the camera is set in front of the vlogger and a certain topic is been talked about. The second is Follow Me Around where the vlogger takes the camera along with them as they make clips about their day. For me, it’s the latter.
A vlogger can also choose to explore a wide range of topics and ideas. The most popular ideas to explore include:
- Lifestyle vlog: This particular type of vlog is usually more rampant and vloggers just end up documenting their daily lives. They feature activities like cooking, shopping, travel, exercise, and more. This type of vlog is mainly to inspire and motivate their followers by giving them a glimpse of what their favourite influencer is up to.
- Tutorials and how-to guides: Just as its name signifies, this type of vlog focuses more on how to get things done on a particular niche the vlogger seems to be an expert on. The viewers always anticipate for this type of video just to learn something new.
- Vlogs about news: Some videos also just specifically talk about news or current events happening around a particular niche, which can be tech or crypto, or an environment in general.
- Review vlogs: This type of vlogger purchases popular products and shares honest reviews on them so that their audience wouldn’t have to. These type of vloggers take their time to review products, services, or experiences.
- Gaming vlogs: I have seen tons of these types of vloggers on TikTok. They are always so dedicated, coming on live, streaming with a clear network and discussing video games, often with commentary and gameplay footage.
- Beauty vlogs: Shout out to my niche! I love this niche and as a vlogger, I enjoy filming anything beauty which includes, hair, nails, lashes, makeup, fashion and even beauty tips. It’s so much fun to guide my audience on how to get a perfect style without spending so much.
- Comedy/sketch vlogs: There are also a lot of vloggers in this niche. They make funny videos and skits with the intention of putting a smile on the face of their audience.
What’s the Purpose of Vlogging?
Vlogging is very versatile and can be used for many purposes including promoting a business, documenting everyday life, teaching topics of interest, raising awareness about important issues, and many more. It’s more than having a career, it’s also a passion.
Personally, I love the camera, I love being able to capture sweet moments of either myself or my family. I love making memories and it won’t take me anything to make a living from my passion.
Moreover, vlogging can be a fantastic way to connect with your online community and gain new fans and followers before you know what is going on. By vlogging, you can also show off your creativity and artistic side to your audience. One can even end up building strong bonds on personal terms.
How to Vlog with a Boring Personality
Not to worry, I know your intent and I know how much you want to make this vlog thing work and I’ve got you even if your life has no interesting events going on. Let’s get right into it:
#1. Discover why people watch vlogs
Before anyone wants to even watch your videos, they want to be sure they are benefiting from it. Most times, when people watch your videos, they are looking at either its educating, entertaining, or the both (edutain).
So what are you promising your viewers? What would they see when they come to your vlogs?
At first, they are first time viewers, they have no idea who you are and that is your chance. Your chance to prove that you are either very entertaining, educationing or even both.
And even after you grab their attention, it’s quite hard to even keep them or get them to follow and come back for more. With that in line, having a unique personality is also a way to go. Regardless of not having a nice vacay or house or whatever glittering thing.
#2. Learn How to Use Creative Filmmaking
This is where your creativity sets in. In this section, you will find out that your videos won’t save you except it’s creative enough to make them stay and intrigued.
Making talking head shot videos is not all that bad, but when all the clips are about that, it tends to be a problem.
You can make the same video by walking around, showing different scenes, different angles, showing your neighborhood and all of those things that will keep their attention span high.
You don’t even need a complicated and expensive camera. Your iPhone or android can do the work completely fine. Just be creative.
#3. Watch other creators
Before starting a vlog yourself, I already know you have seen one or two creators in your niche that are in the same field as you. They inspire you and all. But let it not stop there.
If you don’t know where to start or what to do as a beginner, then go ahead and watch those creators closely. Every of their videos is an opportunity to learn, get ideas, get better and be inspired. You’d notice that when you eventually start, you will be referencing back to all you have seen on their channels.
Pick their tips and go ahead to create your own version.
But note! If you always watch people’s videos, you might end up copying their work instead of using them as an inspiration.
When you feel down, just go ahead and watch their videos, get inspired and stop. Then go shoot.
#4. Create Vlog Content You’re Interested In
As a new vlogger, you should focus on creating videos you are interested in and not the one that has high search volumes, potential Mõnëy to be made or even no competition. It doesn’t even exists, sorry to say.
You need to learn to create according to what you love. Why would you even invest in creating videos just because you feel the is a good one. No interest, no nothing! How do you think you can be able to pull that off? It’s no magic. Your interest comes first and others follow.
And when you are passionate about something, people will always see it and want to engage. Cause they are seeing that you are genuinely happy and your personality is so obvious to see as well.
#5. Learn How to Tell a Story
One thing that can’t be overestimated is the power of storytelling. There is the popular saying- “Master the Craft, Not the Form”
The form consists of being an actor and the craft in your contents is as a storyteller.
The essence of so much of life boils down to story. That’s the only way you get to engage people, build rapport and keep them glued.
As a good storyteller, you can make your boring life very intriguing and irresistible. You don’t even need an expensive vacation or resort or background. And don’t even say “I don’t have any interesting stories”. You do!
With storytelling, you do. You have your life, family, hobby and it can be turned to a reality tv in less than seconds. Master the art of storytelling and you will have a swell time.
How to Build a Connection with Your Viewers
Learning how to vlog is getting one part of the job done, cause you will need more than that for this career to work out for you. You must learn how to foster a strong connection and engagement with your viewers or followers or people who are interested in your content. Get them to stay and they will support you throughout your journey. But how can you even get started with that, I will let you know:
#1. Engage with your audience
Once you can interact with your audience then you will definitely end up building a community in the long run. You can engage them and interact with them by replying to comments, commenting on other creators’ videos, and asking your followers for feedback on your videos. Just let them know that you are a friend they can come to for answers.
#2. Optimize search for each platform you use
Depending on your type of video and where your target audience is, you need to master the platform you want to use. Aside from that you will also need to recognize the presence of relevant keywords or phrases in connection with your type of content. Just research with keywords your audience is looking for and include them on every angle of your videos including the title, captions and even hashtags.
#3. Have a unique brand
Branding your channel and video is also quite a way to go in this journey. There are tons of other creators in your niche and the best way to stand out from them and do what you know how to do best is to brand yourself. Use thumbnails, consistent designs, fonts and titles. Even when someone reposts your content, and someone that is familiar with your videos sees it, they will recognise it.
#4. Get your viewers to join your email list
You can also make things more professional by having a mailing list. It will help you even understand your audience more. You can get viewers on your list by creating an opt-in incentive related to your video and then going ahead to set up a landing page to deliver the incentive and then promoting the landing page’s URL in your videos.
Vlog Platforms Worth Considering
Every content creator knows that YouTube is the king of user-generated video content and aside from that, it is quite easy to navigate through. There are also many social media platforms today, still in existence where any vlogger can share content of all kinds and grow within any desired level as long as there is dedication and a full understanding of how the platform works. Some of these other popular platforms include:
- Vimeo
- Facebook Live
- Instagram Stories
- Instagram Live
- TikTok
- Twitch
Like I said before, just be sure that any platform you are trying out is based on the type of content you are publishing. Make sure it’s compatible and your audience is highly present there. This template right here covers all you need to know on all platforms:
Types of Vlog Platform.PDF
How to Generate Revenue Through Your Vlog
At first, I wanted to start my vlogging channel just for the fun of it and because I enjoyed filming myself while talking gibberish, but when I became serious and gave it all my time, strength and whatnot, of course, I started thinking about how to monetize my vlogs and earn some money for myself.
During my research, I discovered that there are quite some good ways I can make money for myself that don’t even include selling myself into a pay-per-view boxing match. And before you can even think of making money from your account, you need to follow some important steps which include, learning to use the best SEO practices across your vlog platform. Also, you will need to learn how to market your content across social media. Lastly, you will also need to optimise your watch time by making your videos irresistible. Once you get an established audience, you can optimize any or all of these revenue streams:
- Ads: The first way you can monetise is through ads. These are short videos automatically surfaced by Adsense on your vlog platform if you link it to your account. You can research and learn more about it and how it can help you generate some penny for your vlog channels.
- Affiliate partnerships: Once you see the word “affiliate” just know that it has a lot to do with selling something. Amazon has easy affiliate opportunities, but you can also do deals directly with brands where you get paid for each product you sell, either by reviewing it or being a UGC creator.
- The sale of your own products: You can also sell your own personal products. Once you have a large following, you can detect their pain point, create a product around it and sell to them. They will be glad to buy.
- Sponsored videos/brand ambassador: Once you get visible and consistent with your loyal following, you will notice that brands will contact you to help promote their product and services. And of course, it ain’t free.
Conclusion
As a content creator, the honest truth no vlogger will tell you is that at the beginning, no one had an idea what they were doing. We were basically starting a journey with the intent of sharing our daily lives. With no prior experience aside research, we were all clueless at first. But the more we kept showing up regardless, the more we perfected each step.
It all starts from just getting out that camera and just vlog. You don’t need to be perfect. Keep showing up and one day, you’ll become someone else’s role model. I’m rooting for you!
Related Articles
- What Is a UGC Content Creator? A Guide to Becoming One in 2024
- TikTok Video Length: A Simple Guide to Posting on Tikok in 2024
- How to Create a Strong Personal Brand on Social Media.
- Best Practices for Mastering Digital Market Research in 2024
References
