In the past decade or so, the creative world of influencers has emerged online and many have turned into a full-blown career. In fact, it's become such a big deal that business experts have sought to define it.
Fashion vloggers may have been around before the term "influencer" became commonplace, but this is the category they tend to fall under. What these online fashion connoisseurs can tell you is that whether you consider vlogging a side gig or a full-time job, it takes a lot of time, patience, and effort.
If you're ready to launch your own fashion vlog, you may be feeling overwhelmed or uncertain. Where do you start? What should you focus your energy on?
We've compiled 9 of the best tips from successful fashion vloggers here. Read on to learn everything you need to know about starting your own fashion vlog!
1. Make Sure You Have the Time
The first step to fashion vlogging is deciding whether or not you're cut out for it. Chances are, you follow several fashion vloggers and influencers, yourself. Have you ever thought about how much time they put into their content?
Maintaining your online presence involves brainstorming new ideas, bringing them to life, and delivering them to your audience on a schedule. Those videos won't happen overnight. Make sure you have the time and feel passionately enough about the subject to stay focused on your vlog for more than a few weeks!
2. Evaluate What You Love
There are tons and tons of fashion vlogs out there that you're entering into competition with. The goal is to stand out while staying true to yourself.
Think about what kinds of fashion you love and how your videos will be both useful and interesting to your viewers. Consider how you fit into the kinds of content people want to see right now, which includes fashion on a budget and ethical consumption.
3. Think About Branding
Branding isn't just for corporations. Anyone who wants to bring their ideas to life online should consider themselves branded--and try to control that image in a positive way.
Remember that when you're vlogging, your face is the biggest part of your brand. Keep your public social media consistent and true to who you are. Everything else, from color schemes to a logo, will come naturally.
4. Set up a Website
Even if YouTube and Instagram are your primary platforms, you should still develop your own website. That way, you can give your audience a single place to gain access to all of your content, rather than expecting them to hop from one social media platform to another to keep up with you.
Plus, when you create your own website, you have a platform for selling your merchandise if you choose to go that route!
5. Become Familiar With Videoing Techniques
Your front-facing phone camera is great for quick updates and Instagram Live videos, but for long-form content, you'll want to take a more professional approach.
Study successful fashion vloggers. What angles do they capture? Do they spend more time speaking directly to the camera, or does a videographer capture them shopping or showing off new outfits?
Do some experimenting of your own so you can get used to using your camera (and being in front of it) before you launch your vlog.
6. Learn How to Edit With Simple Tools
Scripting and filming is only half the battle. The real challenge is editing a bunch of footage to create a professional, streamlined video.
The good news is, there are tons of easy-to-use editing tools that just take a bit of practice. Most vloggers will tell you that Apple products are the way to go because they offer user-friendly tools that create professional finished products. Check out this imovie tutorial to find out more about editing with a Mac.
7. Strategize
One thing that every fashion vlogger will tell you is that you need to post on a regular schedule. As your audience grows, they'll come to expect new content every week and they're more likely to keep up with you if you post on the same day each week.
Don't expect that you'll come up with a dynamite idea every single week! Instead, make sure you have tons of ideas stored up that you can whip them out any time you're in a creative slump.
Make sure your ideas aren't repetitive--no one needs to watch 5 different videos on how to style a scarf. However, you can build your videos off of one another. For example, you might share that scarf video one week and the next share a video on how to accessorize the perfect amount when you've added a scarf to the look.
8. Create Unique Content
Why should fashion lovers watch your videos when there's so much fashion content out there already? Remember that a good chunk of your audience probably has a favorite fashion vlogger or two before you even hit the scene.
The goal isn't necessarily to take viewers from another vlogger. Instead, make sure that you're offering content that is unique and that your audience isn't getting from their other vloggers of choice.
9. Create Relevant Content
If you haven't familiarized yourself with the concept of evergreen content, now is the time to learn.
Evergreen content is content that holds salience or relevance for a long time after it is initially shared. When your old videos are still getting views a year later, that's when you really start to build an audience--and an income.
Of course, that doesn't mean that you should ignore every fleeting trend that's relevant to your brand. Take advantage of the surge of curiosity surrounding one oddball look or pop-up fashion show. Just make sure that these "here today, gone tomorrow" topics aren't the only ones you cover.
Join the Ranks of Fashion Vloggers
Ultimately, the only thing standing between you and your place amongst the world's fashion vloggers is your own self doubt. Believe in yourself and in your style, and make it happen!
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