How to shine in social media: Top content creators share advice

MANILA, Philippines — YouTube is the digital place to be these days. You can gain massive following, which you can monetize round-the-clock.  

Like all popular platforms, however, YouTube is teeming with digital nomads scrambling for the most views and followers.   

Below, popular vloggers offer advice on how you can shine in this go-to platform. They shared these views via a recent online forum, "Digiskareng Pinay":

Find your voice

This is on top of the list for obvious reasons. You have to know your reason for being. Do you want a vertical content covering and classifying a variety of topics? Do you prefer branding elements that define a channel’s identity? Do you want settings that let creators monetize content and create livelihood, or analytics that gauge performance?

“A good first thing to consider asking yourself is how would you like to have an impact? Are you there because you want to share something specific? Do you have a passion for something, or a talent that you really want to get out there?” advised Andrea  Romualdez, YouTube’s Strategic Partner Manager.

Her number one advice for creators is consistency. Set a sustainable release schedule to build a strong presence. Fans and followers go for constant releases. They can sense when new content becomes random and sporadic.

Make do with what you have

You don’t need the best equipment to come up with excellent vlogs. You can always use accessible, affordable devices like a smartphone and produce high-definition content.

“The best equipment you can use is the one you already have,” said Lyqa Maravilla of Team Lyqa. “The thing is, you have the ability to create quality content simply because you are able to consume content right now. We all have a smartphone, and what that means is you have in your hands the power to be a content creator.”

She explained that it’s far better to learn creative production methods using tools at one’s disposal than handling state-of-the-art equipment and setups you’re not familiar with. The Internet is always there to guide you on the right way of shooting and editing techniques.

Just do it

Follow Hollywood actor Shia LaBeouf’s advice: Just do it!  If you run out of content, document every single movement. Don’t worry about netizens’ reaction. Discard the filters and be yourself. Fans love authenticity and genuineness.

“Sometimes it’s like, I don’t feel like making a video right now. Sarah will feel lazy. But no, it’s the movement–so record,” said Tanch of Team Tarah. "Do it, do you. It’s hard to edit if you don’t have material, if you don’t have enough videos.”

“What we really do is just document ourselves, just being real. We came out, we shared our story, we were brave to show the world who we really are, that’s when viewers started relating to us. Eventually, we grew a family and community on YouTube. That’s the thing about content creating–first you do you, then you listen to your community.”

Be original

Authenticity is the key. Popular vloggers Vern and Verniece Enciso believe you don’t need to curate posts and content releases to attract brands for partnership. You just have to stick to who you are and what you have.

“Once you’re being yourself and you find your little family on YouTube, the brands will just come,” stated Vern. “You don’t have to pressure yourself. When you’re just really being yourself and you’re listening to your audience and community, the brands will come naturally.

“It’s really okay to take a lot of videos, just put it out there – at the end of the day, you’re going to find the niche that would really like the content that you put out,” added Verniece. This strong engagement is also more important for potential brand partners, who will likely succeed more with a dedicated and supportive audience.

Once the creator gets a brand partnership, he or she must try the product or service and form an honest opinion about it. Followers can sense if the creator is pushing something he or she isn’t familiar with. This will defeat the goal of being authentic and genuine and turn off followers.

Practice self-promotion

Self-promotion is key in women’s social media success. This is the reason why Google launched its "I Am Remarkable" global campaign. It aims to empower underrepresented sectors to promote their achievements.    

Miami Cabansay, Google’s Global Content Manager for Pixel and "I Am Remarkable" Champion said self-promotion can be done by correctly attributing ideas, recognizing accomplishments and asking incisive questions to encourage others.

“A great way for experienced YouTube creators to practice supporting up-and-coming creators is to mention them in your vlog, attribute their content, and encourage them with your own stories of how you started and what your struggles were. It will help create the culture of repeating one’s stories and magnifying them through your network of subscribers,” Cabansay explained.

RELATED: How Donnalyn Bartolome grew 7M Facebook followers in 1 year