What do you represent? One of the most difficult aspects of establishing yourself as an influencer is finding that thing that makes you unique and leveraging your ‘superpower’ to stand out in a crowded field of YouTubers. The platform has evolved into a lucrative business, and that means your channel is its own brand. And when your personality matches up with a beauty brand, collaborations follow. Today’s guest is a YouTube veteran with a unique brand identity who is ready to share how her individuality as an influencer has led to some awesome opportunities.

Stephanie Ledda is a 26-year-old New York native with a passion for beauty and a unique eye for fashion. Her channel, SMLx0, has over 900,000 subscribers who look to Stephanie for inspiring hair, makeup and styling tutorials. She was a college student when she started her channel in 2009. A business management and marketing major, Stephanie enjoyed watching YouTube videos and decided to try it out herself. Using the webcam on her MacBook to make videos in her dorm room, she created celebrity-inspired looks and gained a modest following.

Stephanie considered YouTube a fun hobby, but she didn’t realize its potential to become a career until StyleHaul and the YouTube Partner Program reached out to her in 2011. After graduating from college, she tried to balance a traditional job in marketing at a bridal boutique with her channel, but quickly recognized that she couldn’t do both – and she really missed YouTube! Certain she could support herself through the channel, Stephanie quit her marketing job to pursue YouTube full-time. She definitely made the right decision, considering that she’s partnered with major brands like Schwarzkopf, Maybelline, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Tarte. Today she chats about sharing your personal life with your followers, the value of a degree, and how she chooses brands for sponsored videos. 

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

What would you do if your lucky stars aligned and you won a free stay at a brand new fully-furnished apartment for an entire year, with free utilities, groceries, and monthly gift cards to boot? Well, you might think this is just wishful thinking, but sometimes wishes do come true! For 21-year-old Lindsay Marie, who was just fresh out of college, winning a contest and getting this dream-come-true opportunity was exactly what she needed in order to pursue her dreams and focus on her YouTube channel.

“I feel like there’s enough success to go around but a lot of people feel like they have to compete.”

In a stroke of more good luck, shortly before winning the contest Lindsay Marie’s Bethany Mota haul video caught the attention of Bethany Mota herself. This one video alone got her about 30,000 subscribers in just three days within just a month of starting her YouTube channel. Now, three years later, Lindsay Marie has currently over 300K subscribers and 14.6 million video views.

“I always have to remind myself when I see someone doing really well that it’s their turn. They deserve that. I should be happy for them and I know that my time will come eventually.”

However, everyone knows it takes more than just luck to have a successful YouTube channel. And anyone who has a YouTube channel knows that sometimes content creators do find themselves running out of video topic ideas.

So, how does one rise to the situation and break out of that slump? Stay tuned and find out how to research video topic ideas like Lindsay Marie to get your creative juices pumping.

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

If you could work on YouTube full time, would you take that leap of faith? Our guest, Amanda Lee, went with her gut and decided to do just that!

"It's kind of nice when what other people enjoy, and what you enjoy, lines up."

19-year old Amanda first started her YouTube channel when she was only 15 years old. She attended an art program in high school and, although art is definitely her number one passion, YouTube became a place for her to get away from art when it felt too suffocating. She started doing DIY and fashion and beauty videos and had about 60k subscribers when she graduated high school in August 2016.

As an artist, Amanda felt like she could do a lot more on her channel. So, she decided to take a year off from school and do YouTube full time. She then made the conscious decision to rebrand her channel and strategize her content. By January 2017, she hit 100k subscribers. And when she transitioned into art and started her bullet journals, they became so popular that she has now gained more than 400k subscribers and 17 million views.

"Find your groove, and once you do, it's enjoyable on both ends of the spectrum."

Amanda first started her channel to get away from art but now it's what her channel is known for. She has definitely come full circle and you can too! If you have something you love and that you're truly passionate about, you might want to take that leap of faith and do YouTube full time!

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

While some YouTube videos go viral and catapult their creators to instant popularity, it takes more than a viral video to call yourself a success. So, what does it really take to succeed on YouTube? With a plethora of videos coming from YouTube content creators all over the world, how can you gain audience loyalty and support?

“At the end of the day, it’s the people that enjoy your videos that you’re making them for.”

Find out the answers to these questions from 23-year-old beauty expert, Alexandra, as she shares her YouTube journey and tips for how to succeed on YouTube. She started her YouTube career right out of high school at age 18, and her channel, AlexandrasGirlyTalk, has been a tribute to her younger, more awkward self who had a budding curiosity for all things girly.

“There’s so much negativity that can happen by being on YouTube, but there’s also a lot of good.”

She used to get made fun of for being and looking different so, she started experimenting with her looks. This led her to realize that she’s not the only girl who wants to know how to take care of her looks and how to take control of her beauty so, she started making videos. Now, Alexandra currently has 1.9 million subscribers and 222 million video views.

“If you really believe in what you’re saying, you definitely want people to see what you have to say.”

How has Alexandra managed to succeed on YouTube?

Well, Alexandra says that first, you need to figure out what makes you unique. You have something valuable about you that you can share with people. Once you’ve found a way to communicate that in your videos, you’ll have taken the first step on the path to success.

“It becomes a monster of a thing that’s so beautiful but also so ugly when you don’t stay true to what you want.”

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!

If you’re looking to get inspired to take that step into the YouTube world and make your mark in the vlogging industry, then the Beauty and the Vlog Mastermind success story of Emma of Emzotic is one that you should definitely listen to! In Part 2 of my interview with Emma, she continues to share with us lessons learned from her journey and how she overcame every challenge to get to where she is today.

“You have to follow your heart, not the trends.”

Emma is a 29-year-old self-confessed lover of exotic animals. She used to travel all over the United Kingdom, giving animal-themed presentations in schools with an array of exotic creatures. After making a life-changing career move and becoming a full-time YouTuber, she has become a ‘Digital Animal Educator,’ educating and entertaining a larger audience through her YouTube channel, Emzotic.

“The best thing that you can do is to embrace who you are.”

Emma enrolled in the Beauty and the Vlog Mastermind and was able to open her eyes to her potential and the value of her uniqueness that she can share with the world. She has become that magnetic persona on camera who continues to build her tribe, attracting audiences of all ages from all over the globe! Now, Emzotic has nearly 300k subscribers and continues to take YouTube by storm!

“I’m not interested in building my numbers; I’m interested in building my community.”

Check out the show notes

Join the Zero to Influence Bootcamp waitlist

Download your FREE guide: 6 Tools YouTubers Use to Get Thousands of Video Views

Don't forget to join the Beauty and the Vlog Facebook group for collaborations, YouTube advice, support and more!

You can also follow me on Instagram!