How one Small Change Grew Nikol Johnson’s YouTube Channel: The YouTube Power Hour Podcast 371

“When I became authentic is when I gained my audience.”

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Nikol Johnson rocked the beauty world when she decided to liberate her gray hair at thirty-nine. As a niche social influencer Nikol has over 13 million views on her beauty YouTube channel and reaches tens of thousands of women across her social media platforms looking for a change in the anti-aging beauty industry. Nikol has completed collaborations with IPSY, Pantene, M.M. LaFleur, Elemis, La Mer, and HSN to name a few.

Around 2009, long before social media was what it is now and when YouTube in particular was in its infancy, Nikol took an American Express-sponsored business course which inspired her to start a channel. She launched her channel in January of 2010 as a way to share her knowledge and expertise in makeup and skincare.For the first few years of her channel, she was doing makeup tutorials, making videos about procedures she was doing on clients, following trends, and doing what everyone else was doing, but it felt almost an abyss to her. Was anyone even watching?

Nikol’s IVF journey

In 2014-2015, she went through an IVF journey that was physically and mentally taxing. At the time, IVF was still a pretty taboo topic. She also started going gray in her 30s, which only compounded her feelings of being an outsider. Nobody was really creating content about what the IVF process was like, nor was anyone creating content for women with gray hair. But when she “came out” so-to-speak to her audience, both about her IVF and her hair, her channel changed. Her authenticity attracted viewers to her channel.. 

Going gray

It’s important to remember that when it comes to beauty, there really are no rules. If you want to dye your hair until you’re 100, go for it! For Nikol, it just wasn’t attainable for her, so she decided to embrace her gray hair. She felt like it had a story to tell. A lot of women who go gray have all different patterns of how it grows gray. It was as if the old Nikol was leaving and the new Nikol was emerging, and she had to accept that new version of herself. She was so tired of fighting, so she just decided to embrace it. It was that declaration that she was going to embrace her gray hair that changed her channel.

“It was like the old me was leaving, and I had the new me, and I had to accept it.”

Blowing up on YouTube

In March of 2019, Nikol started the #FierceAging series, which took real women of all age brackets and showcased their real, relatable issues, whether that was bags, pigmentation, eyebrows, etc. The series was well-received and her channel exploded. Now, Nikol’s mission is to inspire women, to support women, to get women back into makeup who have maybe left themselves or feel like they’re out of the game because they are older.

Dealing with Negative Comments

Nikol just accepts the negative comments and understands that that person is just not part of their tribe. She sometimes acknowledges them with a reply, and finds a lot of people delete their comments once they’re called out. Her advice on dealing with the haters? Be grounded in yourself and protect your energy. If you allow yourself to constantly read negativity from people who don’t know you, just ask yourself, “is this person paying my mortgage?” No, they aren’t! So pay them no mind, and focus on what’s important to you. Channel that negative energy into something that works for you. Nikol likes to work out. Rather than taking in the negative energy in, she lets it out through exercise. Always remember that just because someone says something about you doesn’t make it true or relevant. 

Nikol also is a big proponent of self-care, and while that phrase might be overused, she considers self-care as taking the time to nurture yourself. You cannot run on empty. You have nothing to give if your tank is empty. It’s easy to lose yourself in this career, so focus on yourself and know what you need so that you can give to others.

Final thoughts

Nikol’s biggest YouTube struggle is finding new content ideas. It’s hard when you’re creating content in a niche market to not repeat the same things. Nikol is always researching and taking real-life experiences and turning them into videos. You don’t always need to follow a strict script or regimen when it comes to creation. Sometimes the best ideas and inspiration come from real life situations. 
Nikol has a burning desire to make a difference. The three words she says a lot on her channel are bold, fierce, and unapologetic. Everyone comes with their unique journeys and special gifts and we are all learning from each other, so don’t give up. Giving up is the easiest thing to do. If you’re passionate about it, and it’s your desire, and you have something you can give the world (everyone does!), you just have to keep showing up. Keep showing what you have to offer. It takes work, but you want it, you’ll get it if you have that passion and that burning desire.

“You cannot run on empty. You have nothing to give if your tank is empty.”

Mentioned in the Episode:

#FIERCEAGING Series

I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE | Nikol Johnson

HOW TO DO YOUR MAKEUP IN YOUR 70’S | FEATURING MY MOM | #FIERCEAGING | Nikol Johnson

Connect with Nikol

Nikol Johnson on YouTube

Nikol Johnson on Instagram

Nikol Johnson on TikTok

NikolCosmetics.com

Podcast Music Credit: Boop by x50 @x50music
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/o52xQkQWzyU

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