3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUTUBE LOVE YOU

Nervous about taking the leap into YouTube, thirty minutes before publishing her very first vlog, our client Raya Clark sent us the below message.

Three days after jumping into the unkown, Raya received the most beautiful YouTube comments from strangers as far afield as Australia. Most critically, Raya's online audience grew across all her online platforms following her YouTube debut.

The question, then, is how do you create YouTube videos that not only connect with strangers, but inspire them to be your biggest cheerleader and support your journey?

Long before Raya pressed 'PUBLISH' on that first video, we knew her content would capture hearts and minds for these three reasons:

1: Do it for the right reasons

Very soon into her Eurovision journey, Raya told us that she was a huge "YouTube geek" - watching hours of it in her leisure time (Casey Neistat being among her favourite YouTubers)

Instantly, we knew the most critical of all boxes was ticked - the 'PLEASURE' box. Psychologically,  few things are a bigger turn-off for viewers than watching someone vlog without pure motives. From the outset, Raya wanted to vlog not to grow her audience, be more visible or become a YouTube millionaire, but simply because she thought it looked fun.

If the prospect of vlogging ignites the fire in your belly from a creative storytelling perspective, that will translate in your videos and viewers will share your enthusiasm.

2: one person, not one billion

Who's your best friend? Whoever that person is, next time you hangout, make detailed mental notes of how you talk to each other, while asking yourself these questions: 

"do I start each sentence with "right" ?
"do i refer to him/her as "guys"?
"do I say "umm..." a lot?"

The most engaging vloggers talk to the camera in an identical manner as they talk to their friends. They don't concern themselves with how many people are [or aren't] watching, because as far as their on-screen delivery is concerned, they're simple having a chat with one person: the viewer. With that in mind, using terms like "right guys" or "hi everyone" is counter-productive in cultivating a one-to-one relationship.

NOTE: In the above sentence, we used the word 'viewer', not 'viewers'. Always imagine you're having a natter with just one person. It makes the process less daunting for you, and significantly more intimate for the viewer. From a subconscious point of view, viewers feel a greater connection to a one-to-one style of delivery.

3: make a meal of it

Everyone likes toast, but toast is better when served with a complimenting spread of joy; be it peanut butter, jam, or if you're feeling adventurous, Nando's. Our point? Give your videos toppings. By 'toppings', we simply mean bring your video to life by adding sub scenes that assist your storytelling. 

In Raya's second video [see below], the bulk of the vlog takes place in Costa Coffee, but her narrative is amplified by opening and closing with footage from other parts of the day. Watchable as Raya is, an eight-minute video of her talking to camera is merely toast, but an eight minute video of her entire day brings added Nutella.

In our next blog, we'll share the quick, free and simple tricks you can apply to your videos to give them an extra boost - heightening the chances of them being discovered by people desperate to watch your story, message or insight. We applied these exact methods to Raya's videos, and the results were immediate.  

Until then, what do you think makes a great vlogger? Who do you love watching and why? Share your thoughts below.

Happy vlogging.

header image courtesy of PEXELS