Kickstart Your Vlogging Career with These Essential Tips Part I
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Vlogging remains one of the most popular ways for creatives to have their voices heard. In a short two to three-minute video, vloggers can not only showcase a skill or a product, but they can also educate their viewers with visual tips and tricks in their respective fields. For some vloggers, this has become a full-time career. As with any creative career, one will need to constantly churn out new and interesting content to raise the bar for the industry.
In this two-part article, we look into what it takes to be a vlogger, with opinions from Cinddie and Sarah, a beauty and food vlogger, respectively. We have featured them on SNAPSHOT before, so check out their other articles too!
Whipping up a Food Vlog by Sarah Huang Benjamin
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Who can be a vlogger?
According to both Cinddie and Sarah, anyone can be a vlogger! What is important is that you have a story to tell and a passion for your topic of interest. Starting out will be tough, so you need the determination to see it through. For a lot of vloggers, the view counts at the start may be low, and some may give up at this stage. But if you can recognise your uniqueness and showcase that through your vlogs, your viewership will steadily climb.
Other than having a topic of interest, on-screen charisma and personality do help to add a spin to your vlogs. Think of it as a signature of yours that others can recognise. This helps you to build an identity and establish your online presence.
What do you need to be a vlogger?
First and foremost, you need to be able to add value to the topic focus. This means that you must tap into your own experiences and talk or showcase them through your vlogs. This is where Cinddie says that having good storytelling skills will help. After all, viewers are watching your vlogs for your opinions and experience. Being able to weave a well-paced story can help to attract and retain viewers.
Do take note, you need to ensure that whatever you are voicing out on your vlog is factual and justified; it is easy for others to verify your claims online these days, and the last thing you’ll want to be known for is a vlogger who isn't knowledgeable in his/her field.
Managing competition
There are vloggers for almost every conceivable topic, so how can you manage the competition? For Sarah, it is all about owning your voice and identity. In her earlier years of vlogging, she tried to emulate others by recreating their style or content. Over time, she realised that she had her own ideas, and while it was scary to try new and different things, it helped build her brand and individuality.
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On gear
Cinddie uses the PowerShot G7X Mark III, while Sarah relies on the EOS M50 MII. For both of them, having reliable autofocus means that you can operate the gear by yourself. Other than a good camera with accurate colour reproduction (this helps to reduce the time needed on post-processing), good lighting and audio also help to set your video apart from others. For beauty vloggers like Cinddie, a ring light is a must-have as it helps to light up her make-up tutorials, making it easy for her viewers to see the results.
Once your camera has been set up on a sturdy tripod, it’s a matter of hitting the record button and start filming.
For many aspiring vloggers, the first step is always the hardest to make. There is a fear of whether your content is good enough, or if you have the skill to edit your own vlog. Next, you need to consider which online platform to focus on, and how you can generate revenue from there. We will answer these questions in the next part of this series, so keep an eye out for it!
