While it may be true that you get paid for the image that pops into people’s minds when they think of you, I think it’s more nuanced than that. There’s no “average sentiment” of what a creator is. Most creators are polarising, and the algorithm is responsible for this. But what this means is that you get paid for the image that pops into the mind of whoever is paying you. For most creators, that’s a brand manager. If you appear often on the feed of a brand manager and they like you, then you have a shot at getting a deal from that brand. If you appear often in the feed of your specific audience and they like you, then they buy from you.
The first part, “appearing in the feed”, is something you should have a grip on by this point in the book. The second part, “loyalty”, is something that is infinitely harder to create.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how you can create long-term loyalty:
Be yourself: I know this sounds clichéd, but you can’t put on an act for too long on the internet. The first step in creating long-term loyalty is to be authentic. Viewers can easily detect when someone is putting on a facade, especially on long-form content. Show your true personality, share your interests and be honest in your videos. This helps build a genuine connection with your audience.
Consistency is key: Maintain a consistent tone and style in your content. Whether you’re funny, informative or inspiring, stick to what you’re good at. Consistency helps your audience know what to expect from you, making them more likely to return for more. Many creators want to do ‘multiple things’ on one channel. Don’t do it, however tempting it is, unless it’s on the same topic. You can’t put real estate content on your channel for years and then do a parallel series about AI. Even larger creators split their own interests into multiple channels. Simple rule – if you want to cover two different types of content, then do two separate channels.
Engage with your audience: Take the time to interact with your viewers. Respond to comments, ask for their opinions and include them in your content creation process. This makes them feel valued and part of your channel’s community. Know some of your regular fans by name (or at least username).
Tell stories: People love stories. Especially personal stories. Share your experiences, challenges and achievements. Storytelling creates a deeper emotional connection with your audience, making your content more relatable and memorable. The general tendency is for the content creator to gradually show more and more of their personal lives because people want to know. This is only true after you have at least 1,00,000 followers.
Show appreciation: Regularly thank your viewers for their support. I can’t stress this enough. Creators who forget this gain no loyalty. It’s also true that you are only there because of your audience. Some creators get frustrated with the hate comments and trolls and believe everyone is out to get them. They stop respecting their audiences. Don’t do this.
Stay true to your values: Never compromise on your core values for views or sponsorships. Your integrity is crucial to maintaining trust with your audience. Early in your career, you will make some mistakes with choosing brands (every creator does). As you get larger, do due diligence on the brands you work with so you can promote their product without worry or guilt. Stay true to what you believe in, and your viewers will respect you for it. Stay away from betting apps.
Meet your fans offline: Some real-world meet and greets are important for audiences to build affinity with you. You should host regular meetups after 1,00,000 subscribers or so. Eventually, decentralise the meetups to a few community heads across the country.
Evolve and grow: While consistency is important, don’t be afraid to evolve. Try new things, and explore different content formats or topics, but keep them aligned with your overall persona and channel theme. Growth shows your audience that you are invested in improving and keeping things interesting for them. Many of our fans come to us years later and say, “Hey, I was one of your first 10,000 subscribers!” People love to see you evolve over time and be there for the journey.
Get in the circle: Being seen with or having the “approval” of an existing mainstream content creator is a good way to be taken seriously. Do not attack other creators as you will not be seen as brand-friendly nor will any large creator work with you. To become relevant, you need them.
Create content around what you do for a living: People take you a lot more seriously when you do something related to what you make content around. This is why it is rare to see, say, a sixteen-year-old create content around business and be taken seriously by audiences and brands – it feels inauthentic, and you can smell it from miles away.
But the final “dark arts” tip to true loyalty is to stand for something. A mission. A movement. A revolution. The best movements are driven by primal human emotions.
To their respective audiences:
Sandeep Maheshwari stands for hope.
Tanmay Bhat stands for fun and laughter.
BeerBiceps stands for awe and mysticism.
Ashneer Grover stands for chaos.
While all these people may be hated outside their audience base, all that matters is that their audiences associate them with a core emotion.
Excerpted with permission from The Content Creator Handbook: A Millennial’s Guide to Creating Content, Varun Mayya and Achina Sirohi Mayya, Penguin India.
