The Secret to Niching Down on YouTube Without Feeling Trapped with Bianca Renee: The YouTube Power Hour Podcast 201
“No brand only uses one influencer. So there’s no reason why we all can’t succeed.”
Are you ready to explode your YouTube channel and step into YOUR role as a YouTube influencer? Add your name to the Zero to Influence YouTube Bootcamp waitlist so you are notified when space becomes available!
Growth can come in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes it’s slow and steady. Sometimes it’s all at once. This week’s guest, hair and beauty YouTuber Bianca Renee, turned an authentic moment into a viral hit which catapulted her into the curly hair niche she was meant for. We’re going to take a look behind-the-scenes to see how what she learned through her life prepared her for YouTube success, how she was able to turn a viral hit into a consistent channel, her experiences of working with brands like getting her face on an in-store ad, working with a manager and so much more!
Bianca says she started her youtube career by accident. At the time she was doing marketing and promotions for different companies and one day she had found some products that really worked for her curly hair. So she opened up her laptop and recorded a video about the rare find in her mother’s kitchen. That video went viral, hit a couple hundred thousand views in no time, and that gave her the idea to continue expanding on that thread, talking about how to apply the products and different things about curly hair. Even though that first real video went viral, she wasn’t all-in on YouTube yet. As a matter of fact, she didn’t follow up that video until 6 months later!
“The more you post, the better it will be for your growth.”
When she started uploading twice a week that’s when she started to see the growth to her subscribers and engagement. About 2 years ago she committed to YouTube full-time when she realized that she could make more money at home focusing on making her curly hair videos. In this episode, she talks about her YouTube influencer journey, helping smaller YouTube influencers navigate the world of brand sponsorships, how to find and work with a manager to get you the best brand deals for your channel, and so much more! Enjoy!
“I know I’m not the only one struggling with these things, so if I can reach someone else going through it, that’s what makes it worth it.”
4 Key Interview Takeaways
- Consistency, consistency, consistency. When Bianca had her viral hit, it took months for her to fully commit and follow that up with something. But when she did commit and start putting out two videos a week consistently, her channel started to explode. You have a higher chance of your next video being a viral hit if you post more frequently and consistently. You already know that consistency builds your relationship with your audience over time, so get into it!
- Seek out the community. Leverage your YouTube influencer family for help. If you’re a smaller channel and you’re considering a brand deal in front of you, connect with other smaller channels and get advice. It’s not a competition. Like Bianca, there are a lot of influencers who realize that this isn’t a zero-sum game. If everyone is doing well, then even more opportunities to grow will come. So put yourself out there and ask for help.
- Hire a manager. Sometimes you have to play good cop, bad cop to negotiate a brand deal in your favor. It’s good to have someone who has your back, who also understands how to talk to brands to get you what you want. You can remain “above the fray” and focused on your audience and your content while having a manager handle the messy business aspects and going to bat for you every single day, bringing you deals you didn’t couldn’t get yourself.
- Passion will get you started, and passion will see you through. Success on YouTube starts with a core of passion. Bianca wants black women to love their curly hair and embrace it. To not have a hate/love relationship with it, or assume that we have to treat it heavily to finally like it. She wants young black girls to be happy to rock their curly locks to school. That’s what keeps her going. It goes way beyond the brand deals and the views and subscribers. If you’re not connected to that core of passion, you won’t be able to find the strength to stay consistent on the platform.
Mentioned In This Episode
Bianca Renee’s videos:
The BEST hair products for CURLY HAIR! Shea Moisture!
1 WEEK ALOE VERA CHALLENGE! REAL RESULTS! Will it clear acne and fade scars??
DIY Turmeric Face Mask! Fight Acne and Fade Scars!
Top 10 Tips For Curly Hair! My FAV Ulta Beauty Products!
Connect with Bianca Renee
Resources
Add your name to the Zero to Influence YouTube Bootcamp waitlist so you are notified when space becomes available!
FREE GUIDES:
Getting Started on YouTube: YouTube Niche Workbook
How to get onto PR lists and receive a TON of free product even if you have a small following: PR List
YOUTUBE OPTIMIZATION PLUG-IN I RECOMMEND
TubeBuddy [Use the code ErikasBuddy to get 20% off]
MY FAVORITE BUSINESS TOOLS
Course Creation: Looking to create a course? Kajabi is the BEST platform hands down. I use this for my course after extensive research on all the other platforms.
Live Calls and Interviews: I use Ecamm for my podcast interviews, both audio and for YouTube that you see here on YouTube. It makes it super easy to share my screen and create the split-screen with my guest. I’m not super techie and this software is really easy to use!
Webinars and Live calls: I use Zoom.us for my group coaching calls in my private membership group for female YouTube creators. It’s also the software I use to record my Road to 100k YouTube Subscribers Masterclass!
THE BEST YOUTUBE/PODCASTING EQUIPMENT
After interviewing HUNDREDS of successful YouTube creators, these are the pieces of equipment that hands down get mentioned time and time again. You can’t go wrong with anything on this list!
- 4k Camera: Great for starting out and vlogging
- Lens: This lens is recommended highly by many of my podcast guests, it gives the blurry “YouTuber” background look.
- Audio: If you want to upgrade your set-up, audio should be one of the first investments (after a good camera). This microphone is unanimously the favorite amongst my podcast guests.
- Podcast/Voiceover Microphone: If you are looking for a great microphone for a podcast or video voiceover, this is it! This is the one that you see in all of my videos and the one I’ve recorded my podcast on for years.
- Webcam: For my interviews, that you see in my videos, this is the webcam that I use. Super inexpensive and easy to set up!
- Inexpensive Lighting Kit: Need to pick up some lights but don’t want to spend a ton? This is a great set that will get you started and help improve the look of your videos.
- Ring light: Looking for that beauty look? Invest in a ring light! This is an inexpensive light that does that trick!
FACEBOOK GROUP
Podcast Music Credit: Boop by x50 @x50music
Music provided by Free Music for Vlogs youtu.be/o52xQkQWzyU
*Erika Vieira is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com.
**Disclaimers: all opinions are my own, sponsors are acknowledged. Links in the description are typically affiliate links that let you help support the podcast at no extra cost.
SaveSave
