If you ever doubted the extent to which influencers are key players in the health and beauty industry these days, take a look at cosmetic companies like Morphe, Too Faced, or Gerard Cosmetics - all of which have created highly successful collabs with everyone from Jeffree Star to Nikkia Joy. The recent Jaclyn Hill Cosmetics scandal showed the extent to which audiences can be fickle, however. Product launches that fail to live up to the hype owing to poor quality control can pretty much nail the coffin in a vlogger's career since it can wrest from the trust audiences have in them. If you are an aspiring vlogger, what can you learn from those who are staying at the top of their game and increasing their follower numbers?
Trust is Everything
Audiences seeking influencer advice on everything from the very best foundation for oily skin right through to helpful supplements for hair growth or stress will only continue to follow people they trust. YouTube's beauty world has had a fair few scandals, with some vloggers being accused of giving rave reviews of products in return for payment. Australian beauty vlogger, Nikkia Joy (with a following of almost 850K), receives over 1.5M views per month. One of the pillars of her ever-increasing green numbers is the trust she inspires. Nikkia not only reviews products when they are freshly released - including foundations, anti-aging creams, lipsticks, and monthly subscription boxes - but also gives 100% authentic reviews of beauty products. It helps that she is in Australia; she is far removed from the tightly-knit Los Angeles beauty vlog crowd and is, therefore, a bit more independent. Despite the distance, she has traveled to the US and beyond to give beauty demonstrations, talks, and advice on beauty essentials like make-up and skincare. Her channel has a popular 'hits and sh***' section, in which she gives a quick yay or nay to new products on the market.
The Value of Aspiration
Jeffree Star (15.7M YouTube followers and counting) must be the ultimate source of aspirational content when it comes to beauty vlogging. His content is as much about his successful businesses (he sells everything from high-end make-up to brushes and clothing) as it is about his 'beautiful life'. From holidays on pristine white-sand shores right through to appearances at sold-out workshops, Jeffree and his Birkins are the ultimate symbols of where many of his viewers would all love to be. Despite his status as a Gucci legend, Jeffree Star also reviews affordable products. He is particularly enamored by Elf highlighters, for instance, as well as by Physicians Formula bronzers. Tati Westbrook (9M followers) is another super knowledgeable beauty guru audiences like to tune into to dream a little. On her channel, you will find honest reviews as well as luxury content (her engagement and wedding videos both garnered millions of views) and review of weird-but-wonderful products like face masks costing thousands of dollars.
Upping the Entertainment Factor
Who said that health and beauty had to be exclusively product-centered? The best vloggers know the value that humor, entertainment, and laughs have when it comes to keeping social media audiences keen. Jeffree Star hits the spot with his risqué humor, while Doctor Mike (a General Practitioner with a 4M following) shows that doctors aren't always serious and boring. Variety is the spice of life when it comes to a channel's survival. Nobody wants to receive study results 24/7 or watch nothing but reviews. Dr. Mike's content ranges from reactions to episodes of Grey's Anatomy right through to funny medical memes, medical myths exposed, and the Doctor's personal views on vaping, marijuana, tattoos, and a host of additional health topics.
If successful vloggers are teaching us one important thing, it is of the importance of trust. Audiences watch their favorite vloggers for entertainment, but also to learn something - and they need to believe that the opinions being shared are authentic. Top vloggers have all sold merchandize or even started up their own beauty and health brands (Jeffree Star Cosmetics is a million-dollar business, and Tati Westbrook recently hit record sales on her supplements). However, so long as these products have the excellence associated with the vlogger's name, there is no reason why trust (and fan numbers) cannot continue to flourish for many years to come.
