Are Vloggers the new celebrities?
We are currently witnessing a big market disruption i.e. shift in the world of media, last this happened from Radio to Television and now the shift is from Television to the Internet and this has been gaining momentum for over a decade now but the timing is almost right with the introduction of new players like Jio providing fast and cheaper data services the total Broadband subscribers in India as on 30 Sep 2016 has touched 192.30 Million of which 90.4% are mobile users.
Technology and internet penetration has enabled some passionate vloggers to become the new age movie makers and celebrities who are making millions and getting a huge fan following;
With mobile Internet penetrating deeper, getting cheaper and working faster it’s almost as if we have discovered a new planet with all the new connected beings wanting on-demand news, shows, vlogs, live chats and this is fast becoming the main source of media consumption, education and Entertainment.
Let’s look at some innovative people who are using this medium to become rich and famous and have found a new career option.
Some very successful vloggers world over
India too is witnessing this new trend and a couple of them have found success
It's not going to be easy or even remotely possible to become an overnight sensation but if you are really passionate about showing something interesting, inspiring or educational you will definitely start getting a fan following which can eventually lead to your vlog becoming your main source of income.
All you need is;
1. A Good vlogging camera
Infact a mobile phone with a good HD or a 4K Camera will also do but most vloggers eventually do invest in a good camera which is slightly on the expensive side, but a decent quality mobile phone camera or an entry level point and shoot camera should be good enough to start. Most of the vloggers always add in the description about the camera gear that they use and they often give valuable tips in their videos you can watch a video from Casey Neistat one of the most successful vloggers providing some good tips on the vlogging gear.
2. Tripod / Handheld stabilizers.
After sorting out your Camera and depending on how you would like to vlog whether it is seated, standing or walking you might need to invest in a tripod, unless you would like to be innovative any use your daily furniture or a stack of books but you can easily get one from any of the camera shops or from your favorite ecommerce website. You can choose based on your budget, if you will be vlogging from your house while sitting or standing then you can select an inexpensive tripod, however in case you will be vlogging while travelling you would want to have a very stable and good quality tripod which will protect your expensive camera so that it does not tip over easily. For the more adventurous vloggers who would like to vlog on the move like while cycling, skiing etc you may want to buy yourself a handheld stabilizer like the DJI Osmo mobile which turns your smartphone into a smart motion camera, It lets you Shoot cinematic videos, capture stunning motion timelapses , a handheld stabliser essentially allows you to automatically keep your smartphone facing you as you move. You can watch a video review from Iphonedo to see a detailed review of Osmo Mobile and its features.
3. May be a Drone
Who does not mind watching those cinematic and beautiful aerial shots of waterfalls, buildings, lakes, beaches? Drones enable you to add that extra zing to your videos and make them look and feel more attractive to watch and also make the experience of creation more rewarding. Drones are not bulky and expensive anymore the latest products from Go pro (Karma) and DJI (Mavic) have literally made it possible to carry them in pockets if not a backpack. Drone flying in India may be a bit of a challenge as special regulations need to be followed. In case you wish to fly your drone any time soon you must read the guidelines on the DGCA website here. Similarly other countries have their own set of rules which need to be followed in case you plan to use your drone outside India.
4. Your crazy project or fun ideas including a story/idea/hobby you are passionate about
Once you have figured out all the equipment you now need to concentrate on the content, remember this is what will get you the subscribers, your fans, so you need to think responsibly and ensure you are not infringing any copyrights and are actually creating original content which is either educational, entertaining, or news worthy and which could connect you with an audience. Easiest way to start here is to have the content revolve around something you are good at, it could be as basic as product or restaurant reviewing, painting and cooking or it could be your passion to teach online e.g. Khan Academy being one of the most successful free online learning platforms created, you can check out some of the videos created by them here to get an idea.
5. Some decent editing skills
Once your content is sorted the next step is to edit and make the whole experience meaningful and worthy of sharing, editing these days has become quite simple and can be done using free mobile apps or desktop apps like imovie from apple or splice from Go pro but for the more complex editing you may want to invest in learning final cut pro or use Hitfilm which also has a free version. You can add or sync music from within these apps. Some vloggers also use sound cloud and download royalty free music from here to use on their Youtube videos after giving due credit to the artist and following the terms of usage check here.
6. Your social media marketing strategy
When you are finally ready with your video, your success will now depend on how well you use your digital marketing skills, it will be good to get yourself familiar with some techniques of how and where to share video’s whether it is on Youtube, Facebook etc. and once you have your channel up and running you need to upload regularly which could be a challenge at first but after some practice it becomes enjoyable and rewarding.
8. Lastly patience
It may take a while for your videos to get noticed but if you are determined to show something interesting, informative, and funny or simply worthy of watching you will eventually get there and this could well be the best job you will ever find and your golden chance to be the next big celebrity and as your subscribers grow you eventually start making money via ads and online promotions with brands and related companies who would want to get associated with you.
