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Today I received a personal thank you message from the co-founder of a responsible tourism company I worked with last year, for the videos I made for them which has lately resulted in a lot of enquiries for their trips.
A story thread with lessons for all content creators
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="⬇️" title="Pfeil nach unten" aria-label="Emoji: Pfeil nach unten">
A story thread with lessons for all content creators
During a travel summit in mid-2019 I met the co-founders of this decade old responsible travel company that until then had mostly catered to foreign guests visiting rural India. They wanted to work with Indian content creators and attract domestic tourists.
Over the next few weeks we discussed the idea and a week-long trip was planned.
Yes, it was paid work. And no, there were no mandates.
They just said “We want you to go there and document your raw experience in your vlogs. Click some nice photos if you can”.
Yes, it was paid work. And no, there were no mandates.
They just said “We want you to go there and document your raw experience in your vlogs. Click some nice photos if you can”.
So all I had to do was go on this trip arranged by them, see how things are, shoot a few vlogs for my YouTube channel and enjoy my time.
That’s the kind of freedom every freelancer craves for from their client. Wow!
That’s the kind of freedom every freelancer craves for from their client. Wow!
Not to forget, they were trusting a youtuber with just about 7k subscribers but whose previous videos they had watched and & #39;loved & wanted something similar& #39;. Basically me being me. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😅" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit offenem Mund und Angstschweiß" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit offenem Mund und Angstschweiß">
The trip turned out to be brilliant.
The trip turned out to be brilliant.
I got to explore a side of rural India I had no clue about. In the months that followed, I edited & published the vlogs on my channel. The brand saw the videos only after I published them. No interference in the creative/content. No ‘do this’ / ‘don’t put this’. Pure freedom.
And after seeing each video they mentioned how much they loved it. The content, the humour, the rawness, the honesty. Every time when I sent them the published link, I wondered what excuse I would give if they ask for a change/edit in the video. They never asked.
Over the last few months the videos have been getting a lot of hits on my channel and I keep redirecting people to the brand’s website when they have any queries regarding the place, booking a trip there and so on.
So earlier today when I got the text from the co-founder, it felt like a big win. My video wasn’t just telling people about my experience of visiting an offbeat place, it was actually bringing in business for this brand.
And here are a few lessons for content creators, that this story & other brand deals over the years have taught me:
1. Numbers matter only to an extent. Your content triumphs over that. If this brand had cared only about my YT subscriber count (just 7k then), they wouldn’t have worked with me. Absolutely no way they would have paid me for it.
2. Most brands sadly still just see Instagram numbers. Let’s hope this changes in the coming days and good content creators are valued. The onus lies both on creators and brand managers.
3. Learn to see value in your own work even if you are new to the game. When a good brand sees value in your work, they will pay you for it. If they can’t, it’s their loss. Don’t under-sell your work.
4. It took me the longest time to be able to ask money for my work. I used to be ok with barter collabs. No rules here- see the particular instance (brand, deliverables etc) and decide accordingly.
5. Work with brands that research your work and actually see potential in the collab. It needs to be a win-win for both the sides.
6. It’s rare to get brands that would let you have all the freedom in the content you create for them. When you do get to work with one, cherish the relationship. It needs to be a two-way thing- honest & valuable content for their money.
7. Learn to say NO. I have rejected deals where I have been asked to casually lie/ create content that I don’t believe in, no matter how well they are paying. Not worth working with such brands. Honest brands wouldn’t want you to lie just because they are paying you.
8. Create content because you love creating content and you will always be motivated to create better content. If you just run after the brand deals/money, be prepared to deal with disappointment.
Create content that you are truly proud of irrespective of a brand involvement.
Create content that you are truly proud of irrespective of a brand involvement.
I know I will keep sharing the vlogs I made for this brand because:
a. of the memorable experience that the trip was
b. for the brand& #39;s sustainable travel philosophy that I believe in
c. for sharing about this offbeat region of India
d. and NOT just because a brand paid me for it
a. of the memorable experience that the trip was
b. for the brand& #39;s sustainable travel philosophy that I believe in
c. for sharing about this offbeat region of India
d. and NOT just because a brand paid me for it
I& #39;ve worked with several brands over the years as a travel blogger/youtuber, but I would still say I am very new to the game. Competition is fierce and every work is a new learning. I know this learning will never end but the content creation will (hopefully) keep getting better.
There are no rules in this game. But good content does get valued eventually. Don’t lose hope, keep creating, the right deals will come.
Let PASSION run you, not brand deals.
Let PASSION run you, not brand deals.
This thread has become way longer than I expected. Thank you if you read it all the way through. Hope it helped in some way. Have a good weekend https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😃" title="Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund" aria-label="Emoji: Lächelndes Gesicht mit geöffnetem Mund">
End.
End.
