Your Guide for a successful logging career VBest Practices with Examples 1 INDEX 1. What is Video Blogging ........................................................4 2. Pre Prep - TOOLS you need for vlogging............10 3. YouTube channel optimization..................................13 4. How to do video interviews........................................17 2 What is Vlogging? 3 n today's digital world where every aspect of your life can be lied about - your real Iname, how you actually look and talk; showing your actual face even in the virtu- al world can make people trust you more. Since the inception of the internet, millions of people from across the globe have been expressing their opinions, conveying their thoughts and giving useful tips to others; using platforms like Blogs and Social Media. However, YouTube was probably the platform which was a Game Changer. Video blogging changed everything! What is Vlogging? A video blog/viddeo log/vlog is blog format in which video is the medium instead of text. Vlogs often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metada- ta. It can be uploaded on any popular Social platform that supports video. However, YouTube is the go-to place for almost all. Vlogging is for Everyone You don’t need a professional camera or high quality production equipment to create an interest- ing Vlog. All you need is a good sense of humor and an ability to freely express yourself. House- wives, teenagers, teachers, sportsman..almost anyone with a penchant for creative self expres- sion can give it a shot! Business Vlogging is another trend that it fast catching up. Uploading interesting and informative vlogs about your business and company culture can give customers a sense that they really know you and can trust you. How to get started? Before you start creating vlogs, you need to wisely choose the platform where you want to show- case them. Arguably, YouTube is the best platform to get started. It has a vast user base with all kinds of people and is also easy to use. Some of the other platforms that you should keep in your mind before taking the decision are: 4 Making Money ($) Allmost all the platforms mentioned above have a revenue sharing model with the content cre- ators on their platforms. YouTube shares 55% of the ad revenue with the creators. Of course this can be miniscule in the beginning stages of a vlogger’s career andmight not suffice to cov- er even the production costs (if you have to build custom sets or buy costly editing software etc); it’s a start nonetheless. And setting everything up is pretty simple to! All one needs to do is enroll for the YouTube Partner Program and connect their Google Adsense account. Types of Vlogging For any YouTuber, one of the fundamental ways of building a fan base is through consistent video uploads. But coming up with a new idea every week can be incredibly difficult! If you have an understanding of different types of content that is popular with people, it might get a little easier to conceptualize. So here are the different types of vlogs that people follow: 1.Fashion Sharing beauty tips and reviewing fashion products is a big thing on YouTube! Some of the popular vloggers who are into this type of content are: Michelle Phan, Zoella, Bethany Mota, Carli Bybel etc. Just dropping the name of a beauty product in their vlogs can get them pay- checks worth thousands! That’s how popular they are! EX: Michelle Phan has the ability to turn herself into Princess Ariel to Khaleesi with simple brush and strokes. Phan is being hailed as the beauty mogul who recently started her own beauty line called “em” in collaboration with L’Oreal. Last year she raised $100 million to value the company “Ipsy” at over $500 million. When you talk about beauty with a brand, Michelle Phan is the first name that strikes immediately. 5 2. Culture: Most countries from around the world have their own unique culture. There are several vloggers who showcase such uniqueness to people from other parts of the world through their videos on YouTube. Casey Neistat, Casper Lee and Damon Fizzy are some of the examples. EX: Scott Ackerman’s YouTube channel “Unrested” dares to cover the topics the apologists wont He is a vlogger who dares to dig deep into the horrific underworld of creepypastas from Japan. He shares his stories, and focuses most of his vlogs on Japanese culture and living. 3. Interview: You don’t have to start your Vlog by interviewing the president. Go out and find a story out of people around you. There are enough stories if told, can create great content material. A good interview should follow a set of guidelines like a vlog, but feel unscripted. As an interviewer your job is to make your subject do the talking, not the other way around. EX: Marie Forleo’s mission is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world. She reaches over 350,000 readers in 193 countries worldwide and leads dynamic training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business and life. She’s been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, and was named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation. 4 Event: Attending popular events like comic-con, wimbledon etc., and then showcasing it to your follow- ers is also a good way of building a vlogging career. Attending such seminars, events and prod- uct launches can help you showcase the behind the scenes - something that the general populi doesn’t get to see often. Also, because such events will be trending on social media platforms like Twitter, it gives the vlogger an opportunity to piggyback on the popularity. 6 Using your regular smartphone with a high quality camera is all you need to capture interesting moments at an event. With the rise in popularity of short form video platforms like Instagram and Vine, you can even record 15 second/6 second videos and create a montage portfolio to attract more people interested in the topic. For instance: You can record your college’s lectures and educational seminars and convert them into your personalized video catalog. 5. Tutorials: YouTube offers a huge audience for Makeup tutorials and product tutorials. Channels like Pixiwoo (created by sisters Samantha and Nic Chapman) have video tutorials like “POISON IVY Halloween Makeup & Hair Tutorial”, “Snow white winter makeup” etc., that are loved by their predomi- nantly female teenage audience. Makeup accessory brands love such channels and pay a hefty amount to reach their target audi- ence through these vloggers. However, all videos shouldn’t look promotional. Such product place- ments have to be very subtle in the video, without compromising on the overall theme of the channel. EX: YouTube channel, “Kipkay” nails the “how to” video concept. It has devoted an entire tab for “how to” tutorials that has a range of videos from buying raw materials – the best meat in the market – to making delicious recipes. 6. Product Review: YouTubers reviewing electronic equipments, clothing accessories and cosmetic products fall un- der this category. You can review the latest smartphones, ipods, eyeliners etc., and give out inter- esting and useful tidbits that regular people can rely on before buying the product. Tech brands like Apple, Samsung,Sony etc., hire such talents and pay to get their products reviewed. Just think about how happy you get when someone refers you a good product, and now start thinking about how you can make your audience feel the same wIndia who’s word comes to being a holy grail en 7 Creative animated videos are effective and are hard to ignore. They can help you explain a concept in just 60 – 90 seconds and keep your audience engaged. Even brands like Netflix, Heinz, Red bull, Breadcrumb etc., have adopted this method as a means of first touch point with their customers. Addressing social issues and explaining educational content to kids can become much easier through such animated vlogs. EX: Dominic (aka Domz), the author of Domics has a dedicated this blog to share his comics with the world. His videos include everything from the first experience of moving to a new place to talking about buttocks in animation. Enjoy! 8. SELF Talk: This is by far the most common type of video that bloggers upload. You just need your webcam, the time and a topic that you have insights about. This type of vlog is jokingly referred to as the “video rant” – the blogger appears to vent out his frustrations while delivering his insights on the subject. EX: Judy and Benji Travis are daily vloggers from Seattle. This couple was behind the YouTube channel ItsJudysLife (which boasts over 1.2 million subscribers) which raised more than $200,000 for the char- ity Convoy of Hope. Their daily vlogs are just perfect. Naming Your Channel Now that you have decided the type of Vlogging channel you want to create, you need a nice and catchy name for it. Names can play a huge role in just how successful and popular your channel gets. Here are a few tips that can guide you in the right direction: • The Name should be according to your content. There shouldn’t be a huge disconnect between the theme of content in the channel and its name. • Choose a Name that’s also Visual. • The Name should be unique. • The Name should be easily pronounceable • The Name should have a Domain free • Check for a name that is not registered as a domain by someone else.