Written by: Bob Williams
Five tips to consider before signing a vlogger
YouTube and video bloggers, or “vloggers,” have become increasingly popular over the last few years. In fact, according to a recent survey by Variety magazine, YouTube stars are more popular among U.S. teens than mainstream celebrities.
Many brands have taken notice to this trend, and have started recruiting these stars to help promote products through their channels. For example, using a beauty vlogger to endorse a cosmetic product can result in a great deal of recognition for a brand.
Similar to big name celebrities, there are various things to consider before hiring a social media star to endorse your brand or product. Keep this advice in mind when considering work with a YouTube star:
It is difficult to get vloggers to post endorsement videos to their own channels vs. the brand’s channel. YouTube celebrities have frequently stated that their fans don’t like to see videos focused on a specific product. Often times, dedicated videos look too similar to advertisements which can result in negative feedback for vloggers and in-turn, the brand. The bigger names in the industry are incredibly competitive and want to continue being at the top of their game. The vlogger may want approval over everyone and everything that is put in the video, as well as editorial freedom to discuss other brands regardless of paid partnerships. Therefore, it may be beneficial to hire a few smaller name vloggers who are more flexible, than one big name. In categories such as beauty, it is not likely for a brand to get exclusivity. Vloggers make up to five figures per video, so depending on the category, for them to strictly represent one brand will likely be cost prohibitive. At the same time, many of these star’s popularity stems from their personal creativity and freedom of speech, so they aren’t looking to be under continual contracts. YouTube celebrities can be very particular about keeping branded content consistent with the other content posted to their channel. For example, if vloggers do not usually post animated content/graphics in their videos, they may be less inclined to participate in the proposed campaign. Often in high demand, YouTube celebrities and their content calendars book up months in advance. The sooner you are able to carve out a desired shoot, schedule, and launch date, the better chance you have of recruiting them.
