Vlogging In South Africa

If you haven’t heard the word before, it simply means a “video-blog” - usually hosted on YouTube.

Vlogging is huge business the biggest online personalities manage to draw millions of viewers to their channels every day, and it’s about more than just getting five minutes of fame on the internet: Many stars have managed to turn their vlogging into full-time careers and some have even used their popularity as a way into the movie industry.

 

Here’s everything you should know about vlogging in South Africa, including the biggest vlogging stars, essential vlogging elements and how to start your own vlog.

 

The Essential Elements of Vlogging

Everyone has something to say. Here are the essential elements of vlogging for starting up your own video blog.

 

1. A Vlogging Topic

The first thing you’ll need to do is decide on a topic or genre. Some people blog about their health conditions, other people blog about their families. There are medical channels run by nurses and doctors, makeup channels run by amateurs and experts, travel channels run by explorers, nature channels run by amateur photographers and more. Choose something you’re good at and something you can get excited talking about.

2. Video Accounts

You’ll also need an account where you upload your videos and connect with your followers. YouTube is the most popular option around, but there are many others that are becoming just as popular including Vimeo, Dailymotion and Twitch. Upload an interesting profile picture and cover image, and write a description that tells people more about you and your channel.

3. Video Camera

This can be as easy as your cell phone camera or as complex as a dedicated mirrorless DSLR camera to get that professional look. It’s interesting that many of the dedicated cameras shops in S.A has recognized this trend and have actually started to put together Vlogging Kits. ORMS Direct - Vlogging Kits

4. A Website

Good vloggers update their collection of videos regularly, while great vloggers also run an additional website. This gives people a chance to find out more about you, connect with you somewhere that isn’t your video channel – and you can even use your website to run an additional blog with your videos, feature more content for fans or even sell merchandise to website visitors.

5. Social Media Presence

Let’s assume that not everyone uses your video hosting site regularly but you would still like to reach more fans; the best way to do this is to extend your web presence far beyond your video accounts and website – include social media accounts to expand your network even further and connect with more viewers. Social media accounts can include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more.

6. Internet Access

Internet access is an essential part of being a successful vlogger. Ensure you have a proper internet connection set up at home – relying on mobile data for high-quality uploads will break your budget before you’ve even started making any money! You might also want a mobile device for taking videos on the move and producing good quality content, and buy a decent quality DSLR camera to go with your home video-making setup. It goes without saying that a good fibre connection will be perfect for this !

7. Flair

If you want to be a popular internet personality, you’ll need some personality – and we’re not kidding! Some of the biggest internet stars work because they have something to say, and people love the way they say it. Want to know if content will work? Many vloggers have a test viewership who tell them whether or not a video in-the-making will work for a broader audience.

 

Vlogging: Your Broadband Requirements

Ever wondered just how much data uploading and watching videos will take? The truth is that it depends on the quality of the video being watched or uploaded.

 

According to Android Central , streaming HD-quality (1080p) uses approximately 1.5GB per hour, and standard quality video (480p) will use approximately 700MB per hour.

For uploading, it’ll largely depend on the size and format of the file that’s being uploaded – though you generally want to upload the best quality possible to avoid quality loss for viewers.

 

6 Top SA Vloggers

Here are 6 of the top vloggers in South Africa that have mastered the art of capturing their fans.

 

Sam Wright (Tech Girl) : A South African favourite that has been going since the blogging days. Sam also is known as “Tech Girl”, is a big tech geek and an Esports host.

 

Katinka Oosthuizen : The star of the latest Survivor series and a South African fan favourite. The 19 year old from Mosselbay has quickly gathered a big following on YouTube with her of beast and honest humor.

 

Caspar Lee : Caspar Lee can be called a lifestyle blogger of sorts, and his extreme popularity has even gotten him roles in films like Spud 3: Learning to Fly. He’s released an autobiography about his rise to YouTube fame already (2016), and he’s even started a series of interviews with some huge-name celebs.

 

MCPE Mike : Minecraft is huge – but could you have guessed that one of South Africa’s biggest YouTube vloggers is all about Minecraft? MCPE Mike has a huge collection of weird Minecraft tricks, tutorials and glitches that can keep you busy for hours.

 

SuzelleDIY : SuzelleDIY rose to surprisingly quick popularity with her quirky doing-it-yourself videos, and she’s used this to become an even bigger star through ads, TV spots and a book.

 

Rob the Ranger : If you’re a nature lover, you’ll definitely want to check out the channels of Rob the Ranger. These all feature the adventures and footage of a ranger at Idube Game Reserve – and there’s some truly spectacular footage of sightings, chases and more.