Hello! 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. If you’re a small YouTuber wanting to grow your channel, you’re in the right place! Over the past week, I had the pleasure of interviewing Kristina, and here is the finished result. Enjoy!
Kristina always wanted to create videos and a channel. However, it was only until last year that she created her channel “Kristina Johnson”, where she posts a variety of entertaining videos documenting her life! Since then, her channel has quickly grown to over 32,000 subscribers and 3.9 million views. She has gotten to work with many popular brands, and has had fun doing so!
"The biggest thing is to be consistent and create content you are proud of. Being yourself on camera truly does translate over when you are watching and helps create genuine connections with the people watching."
What inspired you to create your channel?
Honestly, I have wanted to make a channel since the juicystar07 days and I would film so many secret videos in my room. Emma Chamberlain was definitely the one that really pushed me to start because she just seemed so normal, like me, as another girl in high school and her videos were just super relatable. I started by just making fun, silly vlogs with my friends which I loved doing. It was never something I thought would turn into something this big but I am so grateful it has.
Do you think your family or background/where you grew up influenced your content? Can you talk about how your parents or siblings affected your YouTube channel?
I have no idea what I would even vlog without the amazing group of friends I was lucky enough to grow up with through middle and high school. My channel started with fun and silly vlogs of my friends and I, and those are still my favorite videos to make. We always love to get out and do fun activities, which ended up being great content! My parents were definitely extremely hesitant at first, which is why I couldn’t start my channel until my senior year, but as time went on they became super supportive. My sister, Anna, has always been by my side through everything and I swear is the first view on all my videos. <3
How long does it take to edit one of your videos?
It definitely depends on the video. Some take 5 hours while others can take over 10. I love editing and seeing the transformation of sometimes an hour of footage to a fifteen minute high-quality video… so I don’t mind!
Top 3 tips you would give to small YouTubers trying to start a successful YouTube channel?
The biggest thing is to be consistent and create content you are proud of. Being yourself on camera truly does translate over when you are watching and helps create genuine connections with the people watching. By posting content you genuinely love and are proud of, people are going to as well and will keep wanting you to post.
The oldest video on your channel is just 1 year ago so in just 1 year, your channel grew so quickly to over 31,000 subscribers (that's insane)! What do you think is the main reason why your channel was so successful so quickly? Did this growth surprise you?
It’s the craziest thing to me. I never ever thought that people besides me and my close friends would genuinely enjoy watching my videos. I think being consistent was very helpful in terms of the success of my channel. Last December I did vlogmas, so I uploaded 25 videos in 25 days. It was honestly one of the hardest things I have ever done but I was able to grow a lot through that. Once I started being 100% myself and letting my guard down a little bit, I think the people watching could tell and people started enjoying my videos more. I was able to teach myself how to edit which was able to elevate my videos and six months into posting I got a new camera. The growth of my channel completely shocked me and it still does today, it’s just so crazy to think that many people are interested in my life.
What's your favorite part about being a YouTuber?
This question is so hard because there are so many things I love about it. Before starting a channel, I was uncreative and my only interests or hobbies were surrounding sports. By starting this channel I really challenged myself teaching myself how to edit and upload, and worked to find the style and niche I wanted. Since starting, I have grown so much as a person and gained way more confidence (considering I pretty much upload my life online). Overall, the best thing is creating connections with the people who watch my videos and enjoy taking a look into my life. It’s crazy that people love when I upload and enjoy watching my videos, because there are so many YouTubers who are that person for me.
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?
Most of the time they email me through the email in the description of my video or direct message me on Instagram! Working with Princess Polly is something I still get so excited over and I am so proud to work with them. It has also been crazy to work with big brands like Lulus, Curology, Boohoo, Ana Luisa, Showpo and more. You can pitch yourself to brands too if there is a company you are wanting to work with. I will never forget the day Princess Polly dmed me on Instagram because I was in shock that a company I looked up to so much wanted to work with myself, just a random, normal girl.
Finally, what is your experience with hate (either in school or online) and do you have any advice on how to deal with it?
I am extremely lucky to have the best group of friends around me that only support (and create some good content lol) for me which has been the best support system. They are there to remind me the hate and rude comments don’t matter. I am positive there are people who don’t enjoy my videos or maybe find them annoying but I don’t focus on that because it’s not for everyone, and I understand that! My best advice for dealing with hate, whether it is in school or online, is to try to remember that any negative comments people may say are just a bad reflection on them and their character, not your own.
Thanks for reading! A huge thanks to Kristina for taking the time to answer all the questions. Here are the links to all her socials:
Instagram: @kristina.johnson https://www.instagram.com/kristina.johnsonn/
YouTube: Kristina Johnson https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1uFVAe08lj4AVpMvVRy3lw/featured
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