Vlogging, video blogging, is a video-based blog. So, the individual who creates and presents the vlog is known as the vlogger, the video blogger,got it! This person can be an influential personality or anyone with something worth saying. From storytelling to comedy, daily lifestyle or routine posts, and even performance arts. Interesting fact: vloggers are not limited to individuals only but can be businesses that use the platform to drive brand messages and ensure customer loyalty and engagement. 

But who exactly is a vlogger? According to the industry, vloggers have been characterized into 3 different categories based on how frequently they post vlogs:

Occasional Vloggers

Occasional vloggers post content infrequently, as and when they have content to share with their viewers and audience. Their loyal followers look forward to these vlogs. However, posts that are too few and far between run the risk of losing their audience’s interest and not maintaining relevance. Fortunately, these vloggers post relatively interesting videos that include; meeting celebrities, attending and receiving awards, comedy, pranks, and other mischiefs, performance arts, undertaking a challenge, and so forth.

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Daily Vloggers

This category includes vloggers who post content daily. They usually update their audience on daily occurrences, lifestyles, routines, mom life, and so forth. These vloggers are usually full-time vloggers who post for a living. To ensure they engage their audience and arouse awareness, subscriptions, and views, they must vlog as regularly as they do.

Weekly Vloggers

These vloggers are pre-planners. Their planning involves documenting events and occurrences for a week or so, and then editing and posting them as a vlog. This vlogging style is possibly influenced by the nature of the content being documented or the fact that daily events lack the intrigue these vloggers’ audiences prefer.

Vloggers are also characterized based on the content they vlog about; their niche. This may determine the frequency and style of the vlog too. 

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These include, but are not limited to:

· Lifestyle vloggers 

· Beauty vloggers 

· Entertaining vloggers 

· Gaming vloggers 

Being a vlogger requires strategy, ingenuity, and creativity. A vlogger’s success lies in these attributes and being charismatic enough to lure people in. Now that we have some insight into who a vlogger is, we can delve into how vloggers create engaging videos:

1. The tools of the trade 

A vlog is a video recording that must offer some level of entertainment value to the vlogger’s audience. So, vloggers must ensure that the video is of the highest quality. Nobody sits through a movie with terrible sound and lighting. Likewise, vloggers must ensure the best quality is achieved by investing in good-quality equipment to get the job done.

Equipment such as video cameras, webcams, recording devices, external mics, professional lighting, or a smartphone are the basics required to record a good-quality vlog. Audiences today are a little more forgiving and are open to vlogs shot on smartphones in cars. It adds to the authenticity of the vlogs. However, poor-quality audio, visuals, or anything that makes the video incomprehensible, will defeat the purpose. The 7 Best Vlogging Equipment Essentials for Beginners are a guide to what YouTube vloggers use to create professional quality vlogs.

2. Picky about their content

Vloggers opt for captivating and engaging content. They pick topics that are entertaining or informative, based on plenty of research. Alternatively, vlog about topics they are passionate about. Identifying their niche, sets vloggers apart from the rest.

Vloggers always keep their viewers at the forefront of their minds when making these decisions. Their audience’s preferences and interests are what they must build content about. It is also important to note that whatever the content type or topic, the video must be presented creatively and engagingly. Successful vloggers are skilled and entertaining storytellers and performers, making use of music, color, and trends, as well as technical support like lighting, and clear sound with no interference, while still representing their brand and being authentic. 

3. The Vlogger and their brand

The vlogger is the star of their vlog. This is often a solo act requiring tons of onscreen charisma and presence. Audiences engage with both the content and the vlogger. Therefore, successful vloggers pay attention to their persona and presence and give a great deal of consideration and preparation to these aspects. The most successful vloggers rely on originality and follow the age-old advice: ‘Just be yourself!’.

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Authenticity connects them with their target audience and increases subscriptions and loyal viewership. Besides, it translates well on to screen. Whatever their authentic self looks like, great vloggers ensure they honor this by styling themselves appropriately and rehearsing the aspects of the video that allow for it. Being well-groomed and prepared makes for a much more pleasant video to watch and represents the vlogger’s brand in a better light. No pun intended. 

In addition to this, setting up a professional vlogging channel is key to a career in vlogging. This is an essential part of branding, which most vloggers take time to set up. The greats obviously take this route, as it improves discoverability and records their view count separately. 

4. Edit, Edit, Edit

All vloggers know that it is unlikely that your vlog footage is upload- ready straight after recording. The raw footage must be edited. Vloggers take the extra time to perfect the video, adding additional layers of creativity, through the editing process. This can make or break a vlog. But how do professional vloggers do this? Thankfully, with an array of video editing tools on the market, vloggers are not left to their own devices. Canva’s video editor is of professional quality and overlays music, edits credits into your video, and basically gives vloggers a polished well-edited vlog. 

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5. Upload…

Once a vlogger has edited the amazingness into their video and is sufficiently satisfied, they upload it for their viewers’ pleasure and entertainment. Now, experienced vloggers know that they should upload and promote their vlogs on as many social media networks or platforms or all. They determine what works best for them based on their content and audience. This may require researching social media networks. Ultimately, it comes back to where these vloggers can easily reach their viewers and attract more. 

A few additional notes:

• Vloggers pay attention to keywords, and use eye-catching thumbnails that represent the vlog well.
• They ensure they are consistent in their vlogging frequency and style to retain their viewership. They are fully aware that any changes should attract more viewers and engagement.
• Expert vloggers will advise newbies to be patient. It takes a while to establish a professional vlogging career.
• Great vloggers review comments and messages from their viewers. They must also respond. Valuable insight and data can be derived from engaging with viewers. Vloggers make note of what viewers request, answer questions, provide clarity, consider suggestions and take on feedback, and even criticism. 
• Not only does it boost engagement, but it also allows vloggers to customize their content based on their viewers’ feedback. This ultimately boosts viewership, reach, and engagement.