I'm writing this is the day after the #BloggersBlogAwards, which was honestly amazing. As always the community spirit was incredible. I love the way everyone supports each other, and I leave every event making a new friend. I was shortlisted for Best Vlogger - I didn't win, but I was thrilled to be shortlisted, especially as my channel is so small.
I was inspired to write this post after some very sweet comments on the day. I spoke to a few people who watch my videos, and they all said the same thing: "I like your videos because they're different."
Honestly, it was so sweet I nearly burst into tears. It was so wonderful to hear, because I consciously decided that I was going to be very different at the beginning of the year, and I was worried about loosing my audience because I would no longer neatly fit into the "beauty" or "lifestyle" category. In fact, I don't even have a category anymore.
When I started uploading to YouTube, I wanted to be just like Estée Lalonde and Gabriella Lindley. You can see that in my very first videos. I still love both of them to bits, but I'm so glad I realised early on how pointless it was to try and be like them. I literally made a "Top 10 Drugstore Lipsticks" video because Estée had made one, and I look back on that now and I wonder what the point was, because obviously people searching for those sorts of videos would rather watch hers.
It's natural to admire people and want to follow them in their footsteps, but it's getting harder and harder to stand out as a small channel because there are so many more creators on YouTube than there used to be. So you have to be memorable, and the only way you can do that is by doing something you haven't seen before. As strange as it sounds, it's actually better not to please everyone... because you can't. Find your teeny, tiny, hidden niche and own it.
The viewers are there. I know the algorithms aren't in your favour (looking at you, YouTube) but don't let that stop you, because they will still find you. No matter what your passion is, there will be an audience for it. I found mine, and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me.