Six years ago I created my first vlog.
I had everything to lose.
I spent half my workweek creating vlogs, and my writing business suffered because of it. If I couldn’t make vlogging profitable, I would’ve wasted a lot of money..
This meant I had to get views by any means necessary. Clickbait be damned.
Thankfully my vlog took off, and I’ve probably made about $40,000-$50,000 from it so far since 2018.
Nowadays I don’t vlog that much. I make most of my money elsewhere, so I don’t really care if a video goes viral or not.
I’ve stopped using ridiculous clickbait. I’ve started focusing on topics that don’t get the attention they deserve. In short, I’m zigging while everybody else is zagging.
It’s true, other creators get more views than I do, but I’m accomplishing something more important..
I’m doing things differently.
My audience trusts me more. And now I’m wondering whether that trust will ultimately, over time, build a house that’s stronger than the other channels that get triple the views I do.
As a writer when you trust yourself and “zig” while everybody else zags, people notice that. They notice you’re not just another personal development clone.
I believe that this sometimes leads to better long-term results.
Let me explain why.
Trends Always Wear Out Their Welcome
When you’re only chasing the money, that translates to only chasing one other thing…
Views.
If you can get views, you’ll get money. Doesn’t matter if it’s on Youtube, Facebook, or Medium, views translate to money.
And when you’re obsessed with views, you’ll start looking at how other creators got them. And then, well, you should know what happens next..
You’ll copy them. For instance, since I’ve been here in the Philippines, I’ve seen numerous content creators make videos like this one:
The same video with the same titles.. FILIPINO SHOPPING MALLS ARE INSANE.
This happens because many creators have figured out that making videos about the Philippines will turn into boatloads of views for their Youtube channel.
So they just keep making the same ridiculous stuff.
Let’s take this to the extreme, though. If creators really only copy other people, what then?
When will they start being original? When will they add anything meaningful to the conversation?
The answer is never.
They will always copy. They will always be one step behind their superiors because they’re so bloodthirsty for views. The weird part of all this is, the superior writers will get less views than the hacks do, since the hacks are taking a little cheddar from everyone’s plate at all times.
Who are these superiors, though, you might ask?
Well, the people they’re copying from.
You Become Dangerous As A Creator When You Have Nothing To Lose
“Tom is the only streamer I know who will block his own followers.”
Somebody told me this on a live stream a few years back and I laughed for a solid 15 seconds.
They were right. Somehow, though, they said it with affection. They thought it was funny. My own inadequacies endeared my audience to me because I was relatable, I guess.
And people seem to like me all the more for it.
That gives me freedom to be real. I’m not fake. When you’re trying too hard to get views, you open the door for a lot of fakeness. I’ve seen people start reaction channels where they’re crying in every thumbnail. It’s hilarious. All that crying must be exhausting, and I know full well they’re faking it to get views.
Creators who don’t care are like that office ball that Will Smith touches in the first Men In Black movie. Remember? The ball just starts flying around the room, breaking lamps, equipment, and unfortunately, people’s skulls.
They can cause a dramatic shift in how content is created. Since they are innovating, and since there’s a zombie army of clout-obsessed creators behind them, the zombies will inevitably just go where the innovators went.
I have a story to tell you.
I’ve Been A Hack As A Vlogger
I’ve been vlogging since 2018, and I must say I’ve made a lot of horrible videos. Videos that overdosed on clickbait, videos that stroked the egos of Filipinos just to get more views, videos that weren’t genuine at all.
I made excuses for why I had to do this, but at the end of the day all those excuses didn’t matter.
I was hacking content to get views, and much of my stuff was hollow.
I awoke from my daze recently and made a video about pinoybaiting being bad. Pinoybaiting is essentially just scratching the egos of Filipinos to get more views. Making ridiculous reaction videos. Saying how much you love the country when in fact you don’t — that sort of thing.
And I must say the impact that video generated has been enormous.
It’s gotten close to 200,000 views on Facebook and Youtube. I received overwhelming support in the comments. I have even seen commenters asking the fake reaction channels to react to my pinoybaiting video.
They wouldn’t dare, because that would expose them all as hacks.
One reaction channel responded to a comment and said there’s no such thing as pinoybaiting. I understand — they must believe that to continue to feel good about themselves. They also must believe that to continue doing what they’re doing.
Nothing will EVER get in the way of the mone — i mean views — i mean popularit — i mean the fun we have making these videos.. not ever.
You see, these folks care too much. The creators care too much about views and money and popularity. And what’s the price for that? Handcuffing the truth behind the shed, that’s what. There’s not a hint of genuineness anywhere, and they must stay true to the lie or else their house of cards will fall onto itself.
And they can’t let that happen, because then the money will go away.
This is a cautionary tale. I’m starting to see my vlog make a meaningful impact now that I stopped doing what everybody else was doing.
I’m not making as much money as before, but I don’t care. I think over time, I could make more of an impact than these hacks do by exposing the truth, making videos that haven’t been made before, and trusting my own curiosity.
As a writer, you need to do the same thing.
Rail against everything.
Get my free 6-day course ‘How to get 100 subscribers on Substack in 30 days’ right here. It’s brand new! Let’s keep real writing alive together.
This reminds me of a bunch of reels posted on Facebook last year. They always showed the “personality” seeing someone sitting alone, usually an elderly woman, and then approaching the poor lady with a bunch of flowers. The videos fade to black with pithy piano plinking.
And the comments that follow! “Oh, what a sweetheart for making that woman’s day.” “She looks so surprised. You’re a Saint.” And the accolades continued, stopping short of offering to have his baby!
I looked up one of these “personalities”. Guess what I found? One of the women had actually complained about him to the media. It turned out, the video had been edited to remove her full reaction. She had thrown the flowers in the bin, disgusted at his shallow behaviour. Apparently, she wasn’t downcast and lonely as the video suggested, but she had been enjoying a quiet moment for herself with her thoughts while waiting for her coffee!
Thank you for your insight. I enjoyed reading it.
Really profound! Wow