Durban - Working as a South African content creator looking to develop a brand and build a community on YouTube can be as difficult as it is exciting.
There are plenty of opportunities and rewards if you're willing to put in the time and effort. Here is what some of South Africa's most popular female YouTubers had to say about what it takes to make it:
Tumi Moliko
Find a community that has the same goals as you.
The key to achieving success on YouTube, according to Moliko (55 000 subscribers), is surrounding yourself with people who can help build you up.
“Having the support of my partner manager, setting goals for my channel, attending workshops and constantly learning about my craft and its possibilities really changed a lot for me.”
Foyin Ogunrombi
Create based on your audience and your skill-set, don’t try to emulate other people’s success.
Ogunrombi has over 13 000 subscribers on YouTube. She said one of the biggest challenges she has faced is trying to get people, both brands and the general public alike, to respect the work she does.
“Because content creation is quite a female-dominated field, it’s so easy for people to undervalue it, underestimate us creators and try to de-legitimise our work, so I have spent a lot of time trying to cultivate a community and culture that understands the hard work we do and I have had to be strict on the brands that I work with, too.”
Sim The Lotus
Work with what you have.
The creator (12 000 subscribers) encourages aspiring YouTubers to just start. “High-end devices and software don’t inherently mean better content production and outputs. It takes time to learn how to use new devices and new software, so expect delays and understand that it will take time to adjust.”
Miranda Dlamini
Create authentically.
With 7 000 subscribers and growing, Dlamini’s tips is to treat your audience as your community and not your fans. She said you must engage with them, interact with their content (if you can) and build an authentic relationship.
“I have learned to not be too hard on myself and create authentically when I am able to. Also, communicating with my audience when I won’t be able to post content is important in building an honest and transparent relationship.”
Ona Oliphant
Persistence is the key.
Oliphant has almost 40 000 subscribers and warned against delaying your plans. “Be persistent no matter what may stand in my way and that if it takes less than two minutes, do it now because procrastination can stand in the way of achieving your goals.”
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