Hello there! Right now you’re reading “The Creator Confidential”, a blog where famous and successful YouTubers share their stories and tips they have for growing a YouTube channel. Over the past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Amanda, and here is the finished result. Enjoy!
Amanda Monroe started her YouTube channel as a senior in high school. Today, she is in college and her YouTube channel has over 32,000 subscribers, 3.1 million views, and she has collaborated with well-known brands like Urban Outfitters, Princess Polly, and Curology! She creates mainly college related videos. This is her story!
What inspired you to create your channel?
I started watching YouTube videos in middle school and it was my escape; I knew that I eventually wanted to create my own videos but I didn't have a camera or a computer to edit on. So, when I was a senior in high school I got a laptop for college and that's when I started uploading videos. Some of the YouTubers that inspired me when I was first starting out were Jaclyn Hill, Amanda Steele, Meghan Reinks, etc.
Do you think your family or background/where you grew up influenced your content? In a positive or negative way? Can you talk about how your parents or siblings affected your YouTube channel?
No one where I grew up did social media or had a successful YouTube channel, so it was out of the ordinary for someone to be doing it. My family fully supported and continue to support my YouTube channel and were very encouraging from the start.
When you first started out, were you embarrassed to talk about your YouTube channel?
When I first started out I wasn't embarrassed to talk about my channel, I would share my videos with all my friends and on all my platforms. I was confident in the content I was creating. I wanted people to watch my videos.
How long does it take to edit one of your videos?
Normally it takes me at least 3 hours to edit a video.
What are the top 3 tips you would give to small YouTubers trying to start a successful YouTube channel?
My top 3 tips I would give to small YouTubers trying to start a successful youtube channel would be:
Find a niche.
Brand yourself. Find something about you that sets you apart from everyone else. All across the board on all platforms use the same colors, images, and messages that are clear to all viewers and brands.
Post videos that are searchable.
What is the biggest mistake that you think you made when starting out? Do you have advice on how to avoid that mistake?
I think the biggest mistake I made when starting out was that when my channel first started to grow during the first year, I wasn't consistent. Advice on avoiding that mistake is to ride the wave, meaning that if you have a video perform well you need to continue uploading videos after that relate to that subject since you have so many peoples’ eyes on your channel at that time.
How do you find new opportunities with brands? Do you reach out to them or do they just email you? What is one of the best opportunities you've gotten from your YouTube channel?
Brand opportunities reach out to me through my business email. One of my best YouTube opportunities is getting to partner with brands that I've loved for years like Urban Outfitters, Princess Polly, and Curology.
Do you have any tips on how to balance college/life with your YouTube channel?
What is the best thing/the thing you love most about having your channel?
My tips for balancing college life and a YouTube channel is to plan out your weeks and designate days to film and edit. That way, you have time to still enjoy your college life.
What's your favorite video on your channel and why?
My favorite video on my channel is my college move-in day in 2017, because that's the first video that really performed well for me and really pivoted my channel to where I am today. I remember exactly how I felt when filming that video and I had no idea how my life was going to change after posting it.
What is the best thing/the thing you love most about having your channel?
The best thing about having a YouTube channel is being able to have a space where I can 100% be myself creatively and having a community that allows that. I've always loved making videos and even if I had no one watching it's still something I would do because it's my passion.
Finally, what is your experience with hate (in school or online) and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?
Honestly I haven't really experienced hate online or at school with my YouTube channel, but for anyone who does I would say focus on the positive reactions and love that you get. Also, don't it stop you from doing what you love.
Thanks for reading! A huge thanks to Amanda for taking the time to answer all the questions. Here are the links to all her socials:
Instagram: @amandamonroee https://www.instagram.com/amandamonroee/?hl=en
YouTube: Amanda Monroe https://www.youtube.com/amandamonroe
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