Welcome to Creators on the Rise, the place—in partnership with world creator firm Jellysmack—we discover and profile breakout creators who’re within the midst of extraordinary progress.
Anna O’Brien has been bringing her self-confidence to social media for years, and to YouTube since 2016.
But YouTube’s TikTok competitor, Shorts, is now serving to her unfold her specific model of enjoyable trend to a entire new viewers.
Subscribe for every day Tubefilter Top Stories
O’Brien, who’s from Cleveland, began her YouTube channel Glitterandlazers with a plan. She’d began social media on Instagram, and had by no means deliberate for her account to be the jumping-off level for an precise profession as a content material creator. At the time, she was a product supervisor, and although trend was a longtime ardour, she simply meant to make use of her channel the way in which she’d been utilizing her Instagram account: as a place to share her cool appears and cooler angle.
Her early movies are a mixture of clothes hauls (a staple of the well-populated trend & magnificence area of interest) and frank discussions about fat-shaming and the results it will probably have on individuals. If you’ve been on the web for greater than 5 minutes, that a lot of content material that includes fats individuals is met with less-than-savory or outright abusive feedback.
O’Brien is aware of that too–and it’s a part of why she builds her entire on-line presence round encouraging everybody to embrace themselves and their our bodies.
Across Instagram, the place she has almost one million followers, TikTok, the place she has 8.4 million followers, and YouTube, the place she has 745K subscribers (and is gaining round 5,000 new ones every day), O’Brien’s self-given moniker is “the boldness queen.” And that doesn’t simply imply physique confidence. It means confidence in all the pieces from her sense of fashion to following her instincts and making an attempt out new sorts of content material.
Like a few of our earlier Creators on the Rise featurees, O’Brien had a good feeling about making the leap to YouTube Shorts. Up until 2018, she made long-form content material, with movies starting from 5 minutes for brief try-ons or clothes hauls as much as 20 minutes or extra for vlogs and private updates. Since launching her TikTok account in 2018, she’s blended short- and long-form content material–and the mix is working for her, she says.
The numbers agree: Since O’Brien began importing to YouTube Shorts in June 2021, her channel has grown by greater than 500,000 subscribers, and she’s gone from < one million views per month to, in January 2022, almost 100 million.
O’Brien’s channel has shot from round one million views per month to just about 100 million. Monthly view and subscriber information from Gospel Stats.
O’Brien says the views and subs pouring in from YouTube Shorts are affecting her general channel, bringing new audiences to her long-form content material.
That, in flip, is making her restrategize behind the scenes, searching for new methods to have interaction her rising viewership. All these hours add as much as content material creating being “extra of a life-style than a job,” O’Brien says.
Check out our chat together with her beneath.
Tubefilter: First, inform us a little about you! Where did you develop up? What did you stand up to earlier than you began your YouTube channel?
Anna O’Brien: I grew up within the suburbs of Cleveland, and earlier than creating content material, I labored in expertise as a product supervisor. Fun reality: That’s why my pup is known as Data–as a result of my job was working with and synthesizing a number of data.
Tubefilter: How did you develop into so eager about trend? What made you determine to take that curiosity on-line? What social media platform did you be a part of first, and why did you choose that one?
AO: I’ve all the time been eager about trend, ever since I used to be a little child. Fashion, for me, is about expressing and empowering your self. A superb outfit may be a confidence enhance, add credibility and/or set the tone of your interactions. I began creating content material on Instagram casually (I by no means got down to develop into a full-fledged influencer) as a result of it was the simplest place to start out. And, nicely, destiny introduced me right here.
Tubefilter: Your self-description is “the boldness queen.” How did you determine to make that the middle of your on-line presence? Why is encouraging self-confidence—in your self and your viewers–so essential to you?
AO: I really feel confidence isn’t about being fearless, it’s about typically being afraid and nonetheless standing up for your self and your price. Because you matter–even on the unhealthy days–and figuring out that is highly effective. For me, confidence is an energetic phrase, one thing you actually should battle every day for. Heck, I battle every day for it.
Tubefilter: Your YouTube channel has just lately seen a large enhance in variety of views and subscribers. Do if there was one particular video that took off, or did numbers go up throughout a bunch of movies concurrently?
AO: I’d say Shorts has actually helped my channel develop over the previous couple of months. It’s bringing new viewers to my channel and giving me a new format to have interaction and encourage.
Tubefilter: How do you select what sort of appears to place collectively? Do you ever take strategies/questions (like “Can X colour look good with X colour?”) out of your followers, or hold a watch on what different trend bloggers/vloggers are sporting?
AO: When arising with outfits, I get impressed by all kinds of issues–fan strategies, present developments, movie star appears, and classic. The key aspect in each look is enjoyable. I actually get pleasure from taking part in with trend, and I feel my viewers can really feel that from my movies.
Tubefilter: We see you’re doing a lot of Shorts content material, however you additionally do longer movies, like try-ons and updates about what’s going on in your private life. Is the brief/lengthy cut up working nicely for you? Do you discover any distinction in viewers reactions/interactions between the 2?
AO: Creating a mixture of long-form and short-form content material is working very well for me. Shorts are introducing me to new audiences, and these audiences are staying round to observe longer-form content material.
Tubefilter: What impact has Shorts had on your YouTube channel, and on your profession general? What about TikTok? Has the rise of brief video helped you, modified something for you…?
AO: I perceive and admire short-form video. It undoubtedly has helped me develop my channel and develop as a creator. I feel each short- and long-form movies are wanted, and proper now I’m studying tips on how to make them work greatest collectively. It’s thrilling!
Tubefilter: Is content material creation your full-time job? What does the typical day seem like for you? How a lot time do you spend making movies?
AO: As a full-time content material creator, day by day brings a completely different problem. I’m the one you see on digital camera, however I’m additionally the one in command of all of the planning, all of the enterprise issues, some enhancing, model conferences, etcetera. I all the time joke that being a creator is extra a life-style than a job. Even when I’m technically not working, my mind is nonetheless going–considering of ideas, being impressed, and writing down concepts.
Tubefilter: How lengthy does the typical brief video take you to make? The common lengthy video? Do you may have anybody serving to out behind the scenes? An assistant, editor…?
AO: Things like planning, researching developments, and enhancing all have an effect on how lengthy one thing will take to create–long-form or brief. Sometimes the best video got here out of a lengthy planning course of. So actually, every video is type of its personal beast. I’ve a fantastic videographer who helps me brainstorm, movie, and edit content material. We’re all the time pushing ourselves to strive new issues.
Tubefilter: Has this latest engagement spike modified something for you? Do you may have any new plans or targets to your channel?
AO: I attempt to hold targeted on my neighborhood and goal.That’s what issues most. The engagement spikes are serving to me higher perceive what my viewers enjoys most, so we are able to create extra pleasure for them. Right now, it appears like I’m rising and adapting with my viewers, and it’s invigorating.
Tubefilter: What do you hope individuals take away out of your movies?
AO: I hope individuals discover pleasure and a enhance of confidence watching my movies. I would like them to see all of the wonderful prospects of their lives.
Tubefilter: What’s subsequent within the quick future for you? Where do you see your self in 5 years?
AO: Right now, I’m trying to simply get extra organized. Long-term, I’m some new methods to have interaction with and assist my viewers.
Jellysmack is the worldwide creator firm that powers multi-platform social media progress for particular person video creators, media corporations, manufacturers, celebrities, and its personal on-line communities. The firm’s proprietary video optimization expertise optimizes, distributes, and promotes video content material throughout Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube, leading to significant viewers progress and elevated income in document time.
Jellysmack is at the moment partnered with over 500 of the world’s most gifted creators together with MrBeast, PewDiePie, Like Nastya, Nas Daily, Karina Garcia, Patrick Starrr, and Bailey Sarian, plus famend media manufacturers like Paramount Pictures, MGM, Fuse Media, and Combate Global. In addition to multi-platform syndication, Jellysmack provides catalog licensing offers that present creators with upfront capital in trade for licensing a part of their YouTube again catalog. The firm’s complete social media options construct upon its success in scaling its personal authentic content material channels in magnificence (“Beauty Studio”), soccer (“Oh My (*100*)”), gaming (“Gamology”), and extra. In whole, Jellysmack-managed content material boasts a cross-platform attain of 125 million distinctive U.S. customers, making it the biggest U.S. digital-first firm in month-to-month social media viewers.
Looking to develop your social presence? Let’s talk.
https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/02/16/creators-on-the-rise-glitterandlazers-anna-obrien/
