So You Think You Want To Be A Vlogger
If you're establishing and promoting a video blog (vlog), then there are a few key people to talk to about it. One of those is Rocketboom's Andrew Baron. WebProNews publisher Rich Ord caught up with Baron, and others, at VON 2006 during the "You've Got Video" session to find out how to set up a successful vlog.
"You don't need to go out and get venture capital," said Baron. "It is so cheap to produce. You should really focus on building a big audience. Then, later, you can sell advertising and sponsorships."
Baron does his own ad sales for Rocketboom, which garners up to 350,000 page views per day. A short while ago, the show's host, Amanda Congdon shocked him and everyone else by leaving abruptly - from the anchor chair.
Rocketboom 2.0 came back online with former MTV host Joanne Colan. Baron said page views dropped a bit at first, but have since returned to previous levels.
Baron attributes the success of Rocketboom to a blend of entertainment and information (as the media academics call it, "infotainment"), but also there was a third factor, he says: interactivity.
"If you can combine those two and add a third component via an online collaborative audience - getting people involved - this can be very powerful. We report like a blog, in a snarky way, and people leave comments immediately."
About 25 percent of Rocketboom's content comes from audience suggestion and participation. "As a result of Web 2.0…there's no one controlling content anymore," said Baron.
The panel, which also included Alex Clive of WorldTV.com, enumerated the ways to promote your vlog, which for the most part match how you would promote any media content on the Net. Clive said his company focused on traditional SEO and AdWords.
Baron is a believer in the power of link building and social networking. "I always say 'target bloggers,'" he said. "Make them your first niche with Web video. Focusing on top-level bloggers will lead to many bloggers linking and discussing your content."
Speaking of content, Clive reiterates the Truth of the SEO Ages: content is king - and provides the quote writers everywhere will scribble down and remember.
"Writing is underrated. We have flashy websites, but often a really good writer who can engage is more important."
Cheers to that.
VON, Vlogging, Rocketboom
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Jason L. Miller is a staff writer for WebProNews covering technology and business.
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