Hello! Right now you’re reading “The Creator Confidential”, a blog where famous YouTubers share their stories and tips they have for growing a YouTube channel. Over the past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Annabelle, and here is the finished result. Enjoy!
Annabelle Ham started her channel in middle school, and it was not an easy path to success. She was bullied for pursuing something different: YouTube. However, with the help of YouTube role models like Bethany Mota, supportive family, and her passion for creating videos, Annabelle was able to become the successful channel most people know of today. She currently has over 79,000 subscribers and 3.2 million views! She has partnered with many mainstream brands, met Internet friends from around the world, and hosted a meet and greet for her subscribers! In this blog post, she shares everything that helped her along her journey, from advice on how to deal with haters to her experience with brand deals and management companies.
“Be confident in who you are and never let what someone says through a phone screen ruin your chance at happiness. Also, always remember, when you have haters, it means you're doing something right.”
What inspired you to create your channel? When did you start?
Alot. Growing up I always loved being the "Star of the Show''. I loved all things "Hollywood" and I wanted a successful career in social media one day, but I never knew how. Time flew by and I entered middle school. It was tough for me because it was the time I decided to start pursuing my dreams. So, I made a Youtube channel. I had no idea what I was doing but I was determined. I uploaded videos whenever I could and told all my friends to subscribe and watch.
Shortly after a while, I started to notice my friends disappearing and becoming hateful. I was bullied all through middle school for making videos and branching out....being different. I deleted my videos...then reuploaded...then deleted again. It was a pattern. People were mean and I never understood why. That was until I discovered Bethany Mota. She was my main inspiration for starting a channel. Hearing her story about overcoming her bullies and doing what made her happy inspired me to prove them all wrong. So I started making videos one last time and here I am today… best decision of my life. My first official video was posted February 6th, 2015. The video was a "10 Facts about Me" that is still on my channel to this day!
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 sisters affected your YouTube channel?
I definitely think my family has a huge impact on my channel and still do to this day. When I first started Youtube, my parents were definitely iffy about it because the internet can be a dangerous place and I was so young, but as I got older they saw my passion for creating grow and really just wanted me to be happy. I will say my mom does have a HUGE impact on my content, especially to this day. She is always on me about filming, editing, taking pictures etc. She wants to see me thrive and grow. So she pushes me to do the best I can. My dad and sisters also always watch my new videos. But, my mom is definitely my biggest supporter out there. Goodness, she even took me to New York for the first time in 2019 just to get content. I'm very thankful to have such a supportive family. Without a doubt, my family is a huge part of my Youtube journey and who I am today.
Top 3 tips you would give to small YouTubers trying to start a successful YouTube channel?
My top 3 tips for a successful Youtube channel is this....
Consistency! Being consistent is key. I can’t speak too much on this because I've struggled in the past with being consistent but the more you post, the more people WANT to watch. Especially if it's on a schedule, people know to come back to your channel on a specific day at a specific time to watch your newest video!!
Make sure you're passionate! Being passionate about what you do is important. A lot of creators have started Youtube to make money and to acquire fame but a lot of times they do not succeed. You have to love what you do, love to create, love to edit, etc. People will see you have a passion and become more intrigued. People can see right through a fake influencer.
Vulnerability. I think being vulnerable with your audience is what truly builds a connection. I like to be honest and raw with my audience. People need something and someone to relate to. You don't have to share every detail of your personal life but sharing your personal struggles or insecurities is what helps people build that bond with you. No one's life is perfect and people know that, but to express that and actually admit it to thousands of people is comforting to those going through the same thing as you whether that be acne, mental illness, your appearance, etc. It's good to feel that connection and know you're not alone.
In many of your videos, you mention Internet friends like Maya Summers! How did you find YouTube friends in the first place? Did you reach out to people? Do you think these people affected your YouTube journey?
Throughout my YouTube journey I have met so many incredible people, some of which are now my best friends. Maya Summers, Teagan Litten, Olivia Messler, Olivia Somersille.... just to name a few. I have created these friendships through DMs so shoutout to Instagram lol. It's definitely a little awkward reaching out at first, but once you do and have a solid convo going, you're good to go and next thing you know you're flying to meet each other for a week.
It's a crazy concept, meeting your best friends through a phone screen, but being able to connect and relate is what has created such strong bonds. Not to mention, the brand trips I've gotten the opportunity to go on and meet my other friends Emma Topp, Lauren Snyder, Amanda Pulitano, and so many more. It still baffles me to this day that most of my best friends live all over the world and I never would've gotten the chance to know them if it wasn't for social media. The content and memories I make with them are endless and I know these are friendships that will last a lifetime <3 These people have 100% impacted my YouTube journey and made me a better person today.
How do you find opportunities with brands? Also, this doesn't necessarily have to be about brands but: what is one of the best opportunities you've been given because of your channel?
I find opportunities with brands by the help of my favorite people ever, Tablerock Management. My managers get me all of my brand deals. But, before them, I did it all on my own. I would usually just get an email or DM on Instagram and we would agree to specific terms and sometimes there would be a contract involved, others it'd be a slight PayPal deal lol. I've received a solid amount of brand opportunities throughout the years I've been on social media, but I would say my favorite deals are when I can be super creative. I think something that a lot of people don't realize is that it's not all about the "money".
Brand deals are cool, and yes, influencers make money when they promote, but it's more about CREATING content that not only the brand would like to see but YOU as a creator would like to post. I love working with brands about fashion, skincare, jewelry and maybe even travel. For example, I love working with the bracelet company Pura Vida, because most of the time I get to create content that they post and I have the opportunity to get creative with it… like literally snapping a photo jumping in the ocean. I like being able to work with brands that I genuinely love so I can try them out and present them to my audience so they can try it out as well...maybe even with a discount code too ;)
I watched your video of your first meet and greet! Can you talk about the process of arranging that event and your experience?
My first meet and greet was an experience and I was definitely the most nervous person at the event. I remember getting a DM from a boutique in Buckhead Atlanta. I was really excited because the clothes were too cute! But then they mentioned that they wanted me to host a meet and greet to bring in customers. I felt odd at first because I felt like meet and greets are such a big deal and I was lucky enough to receive that opportunity. It seemed insane. But I followed through with it. I got the chance to meet some incredible people, aka my audience. I don't like calling them fans because they're really just my friends that like the content I put out. People who have supported me through my journey of social media.
I remember walking up to the store; seeing the line of people was breathtaking. All I could think was "these people drove a long way to meet me?!?!" Like that's so crazy. It was the best day ever, meeting girls and boys of literally all ages. I met the cutest 4 year old and I'll never forget her, her name was Lucy and she brought me a picture that she drew for me...like how sweet, I literally wanted to cry. We took pictures, hugged, laughed and bonded. I will never forget that day and I hope to have many other opportunities in the future to meet some more incredible supporters <3
How do you balance school with YouTube? Do you have any time management tips?
If I'm being honest, I am the worst when it comes to time management. In high school I balanced Youtube and school pretty well. It wasn't too hard, but now that I'm in college I feel a little different. Now I'm balancing school, YouTube, and being in a sorority. I love what I do, don't get me wrong, but my first priority is always school and my followers know that. I've posted on Insta many times explaining that school will always come first and they understand. So far it hasn't been too hard. I only have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and since it's online (shoutout covid) I think it's a lot easier. I've managed to finish my first week of school and edit a couple full videos. I definitely missed the Sunday upload right after rush week because I was totally overwhelmed with this huge transition in my life, but I'm getting used to it and I’ll be back on track starting next week. I'm thinking balancing YouTube and school won't be too hard this semester, but only time will tell. I'm really excited for the content I get to create regarding being in school and a sorority. For time management tips, I say try your best and use a planner!
Finally, what is your experience with hate (in real life and in comments) and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?
My experience with hate is like any other influencer out there. Unfortunately, everyone receives hate and it impacts everyone differently. I would be lying if I said a few comments or DMs haven't hurt my feelings. I don't get hate very often, but when I do, I honestly just ignore it. I know, easier said than done but there will always be haters and people talking behind your back but there's literally nothing you can do about it. As I've grown up on the Internet and become wiser with my age, I've come to realize that a lot of the times the reason people hate is because they're insecure with themselves, and putting others down makes them feel better. It's sour to talk about, but I believe it's a pretty logical answer to a mean comment.
You can't please everyone out there, or you would lose yourself and become miserable. There will always be someone who doesn't agree or like something you do or say. But I think it's important how you handle it. Giving in to the hate is a waste of time because it fuels their fire, and then they know that their silly comment actually got to you. If someone is hating on you because they haven't taken the chance to understand you or a situation, trust me, you don't want them as a friend anyways. I truly believe in killing people with kindness so that's what I try to do… or just delete the comment/DM all together. Be confident in who you are and never let what someone says through a phone screen ruin your chance at happiness. Also, always remember, when you have haters, it means you're doing something right.
Thanks for reading! A huge thanks to Annabelle for taking the time to answer all the questions. Here are the links to all her socials:
Instagram: @annabelle_ham https://www.instagram.com/annabelle_ham/
Twitter: @annabelle_ham https://twitter.com/annabelle_ham
YouTube: Annabelle Ham https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMTJ3LCKT1CGIEroKA-81vw
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