SHIKHA DUGGAL
The internet is exploding with a community of its own—a circle of creators. The community is supporting the creator and in turn, the netizens demand more and more. We passed the time of day by speaking to plenty of online creators to know how they start with producing, sharing content that resonates with their users and are building a clique of a stronger sense of connection with followers in thousands.
Beginning with, Simran Balar Jain, a sex-ed content creator, shares, “As an influencer, I believe in creating meaningful content that resonates with people, providing value, and fostering genuine relationships. Consistency, passion, and a deep understanding of my unique niche, which is sex education and women’s hygiene, have helped me establish myself as a top influencer. Collaborations involve aligning with brands that align with my values and interests. We work together to create engaging and relevant content that benefits both parties. Turning content into cash involves various avenues such as sponsored posts, brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, and creating my own products, as I recently started my own hygiene and wellness brand. Success for me means making a positive impact on people’s lives and being able to pursue my passion. I feel accomplished as an influencer today because I have been able to connect with a wide audience, inspire others, and collaborate with amazing brands. My popularity grew organically through a combination of factors. It’s not personal, but social success.”
Taking our interaction to the next level, Jhanvi Bhatia a digital content creator who expressed, “Where my fan base finds my content not only entertaining but also grab value out of it and find it relatable to recreate the fits in real life is the kind of influencer community we are creating. I feel the personal touch and the strength of the community is what brings us to the top! I love it when brands that I have always shopped from reach out to work with me. Feels like a full circle moment promoting what they create. However, collaborations also open up opportunities to try out new brands for us creators too. We try them out and feel if the product works well, it’s a great way to showcase new stuff to the audience. It’s either us reaching out or them. Affiliate marketing also works well in my fashion field and makes me confident knowing the number of people purchasing my brand recommendations. Always a great way to make sleeping or passive income. I believe do not start with the motto of earning money as an initial thought and go all in to create a brand identity to become a successful influencer in this community. And with time, all the other things will align well!” Jhanvi saw her popularity grow when she began creating content related to what the audience expected. “Whereas for YouTube it happened with the rise of shorts. More people discovered me and my content and that really helped me create the community I have today! As for film festivals, creators in the same or contributing to a similar field or genre of events attending it could be a great win for them!”
We asked another creator, who covers a wide range of topics, how she turned her followers into active, engaged communities. So, Anushka Rathod, who is a finance content creator, comes up with, “My impact goes beyond mere numbers. While I do have a substantial following, I believe that true influence stems from the meaningful connections I establish with my audience. Whether it’s motivating individuals to embrace financial responsibility, guiding them through complex financial processes, or helping them make informed decisions, I strive to simplify and empower them. The collaboration process in the influencer community involves more than meets the eye. Creating a substantial amount of high-quality content requires a dedicated team and significant investment. To sustain our work and turn our content into revenue, we engage in various monetization strategies. Brands have realised that engagement and return on investment can be better with influencers who have a smaller but more dedicated following. While people may recognise me and take selfies with me, that doesn’t necessarily define social success. Over the past two years, my presence has experienced a significant surge. I often hear people discussing my videos or mentioning that they obtained certain information from my page. It is heartening to receive kind acknowledgments from people who take the time to express how my content has benefited them. Nevertheless, I recognise that popularity is transient and does not truly define one’s success. The role of influencers in today’s media landscape is remarkable. They have become powerful brands in their own right, with a level of reach and distribution that surpasses what individuals had in the past.”
The creator community is currently having a moment in the spotlight, basically! Adding to it, Naveen Singh who is more popularly known as Bihari Ladka says, “People will never accept you if you give your best one day. If you want to crack daily, hard work is important, and grow your ability to build relationships with your audience to build an engaged and loyal follower base and offer value on social media with quality content and constantly evolving regarding what types of content need to be shared on social networks. From starting I was very open to all kinds of advice given by my viewers. I constantly take feedback and comments and work on them to make them appropriate for everyone because of this my audience always counts on me and I regularly do updates and posts so that they can feel connected with whatever happening in my life. A few years ago we can only imagine famous Bollywood stars attending an international film festival but as this era of content creators came in it is really a great achievement seeing people from small towns and dream and finally go to these kinds of award shows which we use to watch on television.”
Creators are taking center stage in commercials, shows, and magazines due to their relatable persona that earns the trust of their followers. Vijay Nihalchandani, another content creator from the community comments, “Unlike celebrities who rely on movies or other forms of media to influence people, we as creators focus on producing compelling content that resonates with and assists individuals in various ways. Over the past three years, my life has undergone significant transformations. While many people consider the pandemic to be their worst experience, I view it as the catalyst that propelled me into content creation. This unexpected turn of events has had a profound impact on my fame, wealth, and lifestyle. I have emerged as “IdeaMan,” earning the admiration and support of a growing community that recognises me and often seeks selfies with me. Being surrounded by a network of supportive individuals has alleviated many worries and challenges, as I am reassured by the presence of numerous people ready to lend a helping hand. From an external perspective, I would say I am a social success but that’s not a metric that holds too much power. All I know is that there are miles more to achieve in this community.”
The demand for creators from smaller towns is also rising a lot! Continuing our special weekly column with Sai Godbole who is more into entertainment creation tells, “Just being my authentic self and creating quality content that makes me feel that it can bring about a positive change in the internet world, even if that’s a smile on someone’s face. The accent videos really struck a chord with audiences of varied age groups and regions. Impressions are a huge part of comedy and entertainment and so switching various accents in under a minute was a fun piece. And later the songs that I wrote using existing song titles and intertwining them into one song were really loved. Initially, I didn’t understand the immediate correlation between influencers and film but it’s a wide entertainment arena. We don’t question sports and film industries coming together so I feel a little more open-mindedness in general would be great. Being a content creator really is tough, don’t look at it but content creators who have made a difference should be celebrated. Let’s all make it a point to spread love and be kind because right now we need it the most.”
