YouTube as a Hobby with Hollie Forrest: Beauty and the Vlog Podcast 85

Hollie Forrest is a 22-year-old full-time college student in California who started her YouTube channel three years ago. Her videos focus on drugstore makeup and to date, she has 103,000 subscribers and 12 million video views!

This time on the podcast, Hollie shares how YouTube has impacted her life in a positive way, helping her come out of her shell as she built relationships with her followers and peers in the beauty community. Listen and learn Hollie’s secrets to engaging her audience and standing out from the crowd!

Key Interview Takeaways

Start simply and don’t overthink it! Hollie’s one regret is the fact that she waited a full year before uploading her first video.

Don’t be afraid to share your personality. As Hollie got more comfortable making videos, she started to share more about herself. This personalization allowed her to connect with her audience and grow her channel.

Take requests. Hollie does polls on Twitter and Snapchat and takes suggestions to keep her subscribers engaged and show them that she’s listening!

Variety is the spice of life. Once you’ve established your niche, consider posting something different once in a while. Hollie keeps her channel interesting by making occasional food videos and vlogs.

Do something just a little different. Hollie credits a series of unique lip balm videos and a shout-out from CoffeeBreakWithDani for boosting her subscriber count from 15,000 to 30,000!

Don’t engage the haters. When Hollie was just getting started, she received some brutal comments that nearly made her quit. But support from other YouTubers helped her to get through that period and learn to let it go.

Get engaged in the beauty community. Build relationships with other YouTubers by attending makeup conventions like IMATS or commenting on your peers’ videos online.

Get noticed by promoting your channel through other social media platforms like Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram.

Make the best use of the tools you’ve got. Hollie recommends starting with simple equipment and software and taking advantage of YouTube tutorials. She uses a Diva Ring Light Super Nova and inexpensive umbrella lights to film and iMovie to edit her videos.

Episode Sponsor:

Make sure you check out Empress Tips if you would like to pick up a few sets of affordable, luxury press-on nails. Make sure you use code ERIKA15 for 15% off your order.

Also, if you are an online beauty influencer and would like to connect with Sunja Mitchell, the owner of Empress Tips to be placed on her PR list for samples to review, email her at support@empresstips.com and use “Beauty and the Vlog” in the subject line.

Resources

IMATS

PHAMExpo

The Makeup Show

 Connect with Hollie Forrest

Hollie’s YouTube Channel

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook Group:

Don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Facebook group if you are a YouTube content creator or you are thinking of starting a channel!

If you haven’t already make sure you grab your YouTube tools guide below!

Author: Erika Vieira

Marketing and sales expert Erika Vieira is the host and producer of the #1 influencer strategy podcast, The YouTube Power Hour. The podcast, with over 100 episodes and hundreds of thousands of downloads is dedicated to content creators who are looking to start, improve and grow their unique influence online. Erika works with influencers on personal branding, content improvement and defining a niche via customized strategy sessions, channel critiques and business support. She also loves makeup, beauty and her family and believes anyone who has the drive and passion can find success online. Feel free to send her a message here.