You want to make sure that whatever your niche, there is enough interest in it to bring Viewers. It is possible to be far too niche where your Viewers will be few and far between.
To do this, look at the biggest Creator in each particular niche you've chosen. Do they have multiple millions of subscribers/followers? Then you're on the right track.
This is a necessary step, as you could end up losing lots of money and time if you invest in the wrong niche(s).
Every Creator has a few qualities that keeps their Viewers coming back. Depending on the niche, here is a condensed list of some of the more popular qualities:
- Expertise in their field (ie. licensed doctor, lawyer, esthetician, contractor)
- Gratefulness for their Viewers (thanking them for showing up, giving back with deals on merchandise, supporting fundraisers, acknowledging fan art)
- Overall attitude. This can fluctuate, as attitudes typically do. Overall, a Creator may maintain a position over the years (ie. generally positive, critical of systemic issues)
- Perspective (ie. showing people an inside look of your farm, day in the life as a nursing student)
- Style. Whether the way you walk, the way you talk, how you dress, or what you enjoy. People love to connect and Viewers want to connect with you.
- Willingness to accept change (ie. accepting when their followers point out when they did something wrong, apologizing appropriately, navigating new environments)
In the end, your perspective is the most invaluable asset you have, especially when it comes to creating content. Take some time to reflect on the things you like most about yourself, and how your perspective influences what you do and what you like. Take note of that.
Make sure your setup attracts Viewers.
Now that we've established the niche(s) you want to go into are popular, then you'll want to make sure you're creating content to retain Viewers. To do this, you will need a good microphone and light, then when you have more money to spend on your channel(s), you'll need a good camera.
Your microphone needs to be quality. Even if you don't have a table setup and your hands are full. Get a lavalier microphone. Your audience needs to hear what you're saying, and if you are using an auto-caption software (ie. Captions app, or CapCut), your audio will need to be clear in order for the captions to transcribe accurately. If you have absolutely nothing to start, you need to first buy a light. A camera can come later. For lighting, you can use natural lighting.
If Viewers can't hear you properly, then they won't stay longer than a couple seconds to watch your content. The likelihood of them returning is almost zero, until you upgrade your content.
Utilize metadata to your advantage.
Titles and thumbnails for your content are the two most important parts of the whole thing. Metadata is the words and tags you use in your titles, descriptions, and captions. Your metadata is used by social media algorithms to categorize your video with the millions of other videos that are uploaded.
Other than what is in the video themselves, you will need engaging titles to encourage people to click on your video within seconds before they continue scrolling. An exception to this rule is the TikTok "For You Page" (fyp), where videos show up in a algorithmic permascroll feature. In this case, the first 2 seconds are the most valuable parts of your entire video, as that is when the majority of Viewers decide whether to watch, or scroll along.
Additionally, if you have metadata that the algorithm doesn't favor, then your videos will be less likely to be recommended to other Viewers. This is typical across the board for the most part of all social media platforms.
Create healthy titles and captions. Know when to add more info, and when to tone it back. This may take some practice. Finding out which key words are popular before working on a video can also help you determine if it's the right time to upload any particular video. You can use tools like
keywordtool.io to search if the idea you have is trending, and what words to use to help your video get views.
Collaborate with brands, influencers, and podcasts.
Possibly the most effective way to gain a new following is to collaborate with others. This can be with other Creators, brands, podcasters, and more. For instance, you don't have to have a Twitch channel to collaborate with someone on Twitch. If you're interested in the content someone makes on their channel, and believe you'd get along well, feel fine sending them a cold message over DM and asking if you could make a video together. Provide a couple aspects of what you could bring to the table. Get comfortable with hearing "no," in all the ways it can be said (or not said directly).
The same goes for collaborating with podcasters. You don't have to have your own podcast to go on someone else's. Sometimes, all you need to bring with you is your perspective and the stories you have to share. Don't expect to get paid from going onto someone else's channel, or podcast. You're gaining a hopeful increase of viewership, which can be converted into income later.
How to reach out to a brand -- it's easier than you think. With brands, building a relationship doesn't have to be so complex. You don't even need a massive following for it to start paying off. It can start with sharing an aesthetically pleasing organic image of a product of theirs that you have and like to use. Post it to your Instagram/TikTok story and tag the brand account in it, or shout it out in a YouTube video or Twitch stream as natural as possible. Be brief. Then reach out to the brand via DM and let them know you know your interest in collaborating. Get a contact email and determine what your rate will be per the length of the ad (most go from 1-2 minutes, to 5 minutes, to a full video).
About the Author:
Eliza Rose has been professionally working on social media for over 10 years. Her niches have spanned across beauty, fashion, lifestyle, music, and business. She now dedicates her time to teaching what she's learned through the process, to help other people turn their business and personal goals into a reality.
