Simply put, a vlog is a video blog.
Ok, that’s all, thanks for reading!
Wait, what? No, not quite. There’s a bit more to it than that. There are some folks out there who can post a vlog every day and all they do is record themselves on their phone walking to class, or eating in the cafeteria, talking about how they didn’t study for their exam and they’ll get over 10,000 views. Most of us, though, have to work much harder at it.
The most popular place to house a vlog is YouTube, obviously. But you can also do it strictly through social media like facebook, twitter, instagram, and snapchat. The latter 2 will limit you to short 2-3 minute videos, but that’s not always a bad thing. YouTube is more versatile in that you can easily edit, embed, and share videos on multiple platforms, whereas your videos will be stuck on some of the other platforms and can’t be seen without an account.
The art of storytelling is what draws most people to vlogs, and turns them into dedicated subscribers. You can more easily show your personality through video than you can through written word, and that’s the exact thing that either draws people to, or frightens people away, from vlogging. You are much more vulnerable in front of a camera, than you are behind a keyboard.
Personally, I prefer to read and write over talking and watching a video. So I’ll never be a full-out vlogger. However, I do like to incorporate videos into some of my blog posts to enhance the message. Perhaps one of your readers commutes on a bus every day and would prefer to just read your latest post and not deal with headphones, but maybe another reader is more visual and watching a video would help pass the time quicker on their bus commute. The more ways you offer your material, the bigger audience you’ll reach.
Check out this vlog by Amy Schmittauer, my all-time favorite vlogger, about why you should, and can, vlog. Notice below her video that YouTube allows you to easily post supplemental information about your video as well, which is an important factor in providing your followers with all the information needed and to get them to subscribe!
