What is a Vlogger? A Look into the World of Video Blogging

Did you know that more than 25% of internet users worldwide watch vlogs every week? That’s why vloggers are in demand to come up with great content for their online audiences today. But what is a vlogger? 

A vlogger is a content creator who shares their experiences, skills, and opinions with their online viewers about any subject; mainly, a day-to-day life experience. To name a few, Charli D’Amelio and Liv Cooke are among the great video bloggers owning their own niches.

However, don’t get it wrong. It’s not always about something personal when you become this content creator, meaning you can have a professional intent, too. Gary Vaynerchuk is one of the names who vlog to boost his personal branding. 

Regardless of your reasons, vlogging is always rewarding as long as you know what it takes to be a great one. Now, if you become more curious to learn more, let’s start with the vloggers’ definition!

What is a Vlogger?

A vlogger is a creative person who produces content in the form of videos on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok for their online viewers. The term vlogger itself is a fusion of the words: video and blogger. 

Further, vlogger comes from the word vlog, video blog. So, what is a vlog? It is the blog or platform where you create content videos about your personal interests that resonate with your audience. For some, it may refer to the content itself.

That said, if you post videos about your everyday life on Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, you can consider yourself a vlogger. And the activity you do in such a way is called vlogging.

As its name suggests, being a vlogger is considered similar to being a blogger. They both share opinions and experiences with their audiences using everyday language. Also, they are creatives who often showcase their expertise in a certain subject. 

But what are the differences between the two? What are vloggers? 

Vloggers are content creators who focus much more on great audio and video outputs. That said, they are required to have more skill sets. For example, the knowledge of camera angle, lighting, and even unique ways of communicating. 

On top of that, a video blogger has to pay more attention to engagement with the audience. This is why their content often promotes a stronger emotional bond than a blogger’s article.

You may also wonder: is a YouTuber the same as a vlogger? Well, it’s yes and no. While vloggers and YouTubers are sometimes used interchangeably, they refer to different things. 

If you share your personal opinions or day-to-day agenda in your life in video format, then you are a vlogger. But when you post those videos on YouTube as the platform, you are a YouTuber, like PewDiePie.Bear in mind that not all YouTubers are vloggers, though. The latter is more to share unique personal perspectives within a particular story and is often considered a digital storyteller.

Why Do Vloggers Become Popular?

There are reasons for this. The most obvious thing is you can be free as a vlogger, meaning you can express yourselves without sponsorship constraints. This authenticity has boosted video bloggers’ popularity. What are other reasons?

1. Easy to Start a Vlog Channel

It is relatively easy to start a vlog. You can just create a vlog channel—an account on a specific platform where you can upload your video for your audience to access. That way, you are ready to go.

So, anytime you want to talk about your life experience, you can just record yourself in front of the camera and then upload it to that platform. 

While it is recommended to use a nice camera to make the audio and video quality great, it is not obligatory. As a vlogger, you can use your mobile phone camera to record specific moments that you think are worth sharing on your vlog channel.

2. Accessible on Many Platforms

As we have talked about in the difference between a vlogger and YouTuber, you understand that there are many platforms available to post your videos. Not only YouTube.

You can use free video-sharing websites Dailymotion and Vimeo. Or, you can use social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Also, you can use your own blog on WordPress or Blogger—although you need to understand that this option is bandwidth-heavy. 

That’s the reason why a video blogger can easily become popular. Because the vlogs they created are accessible to a wide range of audiences. 

What’s more, each platform has its unique feature, so you can adjust the content to make it more relevant to viewers, for example, in terms of video duration. 

This way, you have the opportunity to also cross-promote your content across platforms, directing viewers from one platform to another.

3. Offering Relatable Content

Unlike a YouTuber, a vlogger mostly shares opinions and insights based on their own experience. Not only does this make it more personal, but it also makes their content more relatable to viewers. 

In other words, the vlog will be more engaging compared to other YouTube videos as it discusses things that the audience experience, too.

On top of that, as a vlogger, you can take a side on a particular issue based on what you think is right. At the of the day, this will portray you as a genuine content creator. It often represents what most viewers believe, which makes them loyal subscribers. 

4. Including Awesome Storytelling

A vlogger is a content creator who uses a first-person point of view while vlogging. This is an approach used in most great storytelling. 

While it may seem unnoticed, sharing personal experiences in the form of videos gives a closer relationship to the audience. Why so?

Focusing on a real-life experience, a vlogger will fill up their vlog channel with stories about anything in their niche. Some great vloggers even create certain narratives, from top to bottom, which are enjoyable to watch. 

According to a book by Jonathan Gottschall, humans are inherently drawn to stories. This helps us make sense of the world and our experiences. 

Vloggers who master storytelling can build stronger connections with their viewers. Hence, this leads them to gain more popularity. 

5. The Use of Video Format

While it may seem obvious, the use of video format is actually a key factor in the growth of vlogging. To be precise, when it is compared to written material like blogs. But, why so?

Vloggers offer video content that is similar to what audiences typically enjoy watching on television. This makes it more entertaining and requires less effort to consume than reading an article. Basically, watching videos on vlogs only requires passive action from the audience.

On the other hand, reading a blog article requires active participation from the reader. It requires a certain space to read comfortably and is less convenient to consume on the go, unlike video content. For instance, it is easier to watch a video while commuting from one place to another than to read an article.

So, while the reason may appear obvious, the impact of video format on vlogging is a significant factor that must be considered.

6. No Boring Content

There is no restriction on what you can talk about in your vlog channel. While you can focus on specific topics based on your expertise, it’s okay if you want to diversify your content. This is what makes vloggers stand out.

For example, you can start your vlog channel as a food vlogger. But you can also record all journeys before you get into the restaurant. That way, you become a travel vlogger. And if, in a particular situation, you buy a gadget that interests you, you can review it like a tech vlogger. 

Not only the topic but you can also change the content format. Let’s say you often share your healthy morning breakfast as your content. Still, then you can change it to interviews with some nutritionists about healthy food.

4 Benefits of Being a Vlogger

After learning about vlogs and vloggers’ definitions, you may wonder, “What good is it to be a vlogger?” Here are some of the benefits

1. It Lets you Be Yourself

One of the benefits of being a vlogger is you can be yourself while creating content. Even more, the uniqueness and authenticity of your content are what make you recognized as a great vlogger.

What does it mean? You can be as creative as you want to decide what topic for your video blogging and how you deliver the content to your audience. If you like to talk, then using engaging conversational storytelling would work. 

Otherwise, you can be a silent vlogger. Can you vlog without talking? Yes, you can. From ASMR vlog to travel vlog allows you to be a silent vlogger. 

Take a look at how Solo Solo Travel takes you to know how amazing vending machines in Japan are. While he commutes on a ferry, he invites you to have a virtual dinner, enjoying snacks and ramen. No single word from him, just a caption to build the narrative. 

2. It Helps Personal Growth

Vlogging can help you grow as a person, in any field, from formal to informal ones. 

Let’s say you just jump into the cosplaying world. You learn new things, from sewing your own costumes to finding the best cosplay store in your area. You can share this progress as a cosplayer in your blog channel.

This way, you will feel more confident as you will focus more on your progress than on achieving perfection as a cosplayer. Not only that, as a vlogger, you can ask for help from your audience about anything related to cosplaying. 

You can apply this to any other field, like coding or even gaming, depending on what you want to achieve.

3. It Offers Flexibility

Being a vlogger will not detain you from doing your daily task, whoever you are. This is because there are no exact rules on how you should create content and what time you’d better do it. It’s up to you to enjoy the journey of vlogging. 

Let’s say you’re a college student and only want to vlog on the weekend. That’s fine. Or, if you are a musician performing in cafés every night, you can make content about your preparation before you go on stage.

The possibility is endless if you want to enjoy the flexibility as a vlogger, meaning you can control your own content production however you wish.

4. It is a Promising Career

You may ask: is vlogging a career? The answer is yes if you have a decent skill relevant to your vlog. As a vlogger, you may start it as a mere hobby or a personal intent to share your experience with your viewers. But it doesn’t have to end in that phase.

Some vloggers earn lots of money from their content. For example, Jimmy Donaldson, known as Mr. Beast, is one of the top-earning vloggers with a net worth of $105 million by 2022. 

With almost 136 million followers on his YouTube channel, his source of income is from ads revenue, sponsorship, and merchandise. Not only that, he also jumps into NFT and even other businesses using his personal branding. 

He will inspire you that being a Vlogger is a promising career as a professional content creator.

What It Needs to be a Vlogger?

So you know what a vlogger is, and you want to be one? Let’s learn what you need to be a vlogger.

1. Suitable Age

Don’t be misunderstood; anyone can be a vlogger regardless of gender or expertise. However, as for age, some platforms have very strict rules on who can create an account.

How old enough to be a YouTuber? According to their community guideline, anyone under 13 years old can’t create their own account. That said, their parents need to make an account for them and are responsible for monitoring how they use the platform.

Does it mean that children can’t be vloggers? Of course not. Take an example of how Ryan Koji has gained massive success because of his YouTube channel: Ryan’s World. He started it at the age of six and now has more than 34 million subscribers. 

2. Nice Personality

We understand that vlogging is about a strong connection with the audience through our content. So, having a pleasant personality as a content creator is a must.

Otherwise, it will take a lot of work to gain followers. Or, if you manage to reach subscribers, but you have an unkind attitude, they could unsubscribe you anytime. Please note that viewer retention is as important as gaining one.

It is always recommended to manage your positive reputation by creating good content, collaborating with inspiring vloggers, and staying away from risky topics which could ruin your career as a vlogger.

That means anyone can be a great vlogger as long as they have a good personality, regardless of their personality type. 

So, can introverts do vlogging, too? Yes, they can. They can explore many topics and formats that suit them. For instance, to be a silent vlogger. That way, being an introvert will never be something that gets in the way of their audience enjoying their vlog. 

3. Good Quality of Vlogging Setup

As a vlogger, your product is audio and video content. That being said, always focus on your recording before uploading it to a specific platform. It is always recommended to use a good camera. But, for beginners, you can always use any equipment you have, including a mobile phone. 

Some vloggers have many viewers even though their videos are not up to the standard. However, that should not take long. It means as soon as you have money to upgrade your setup, you should replace the poor one with better equipment. 

This good quality setup applies whether you create pre-recorded content or a streaming one. 

For a pre-recorded one, you need to ensure that it has been edited well to make it more enjoyable. As for streaming, it is often understood if the quality is not at its best, especially if you live stream in a specific location with a poor internet connection. 

Read More: Game Streaming Setup

Final Thoughts on Vlogger Meaning

What is a vlogger? We’ve learned that a vlogger is anyone who creates content to share their interests and personal experiences through video format on any platform available. The product of a vlogger is vlog content, and their activity is called vlogging. 

Vlogging has become popular because its nature offers accessibility, relatability, and ease to start. This helps vloggers get more excited to produce more content. On the flip side, it attracts many viewers to stay tune to many vlogs on the internet.

As a vlogger, you have the power to inspire and entertain others while being true to yourself. You can’t find this benefit outside of the vlogging activity. 

Don’t hesitate to start your vlogging journey. It may seem intimidating at first, but with dedication and the right strategy, it is rewarding. Happy vlogging!