Words by Camille Geguera
Recently, Penbrothers hosted its monthly event, the Red Cup Sessions, with the theme of “The Power Of Digital Media.” Guest speakers such as our very own COO Sky Gavin, Martha Sta. Barbara of The Beauty Junkee, and Lyra Reyes of E27, shared their insights and tips on the power of digital media, creating meaningful content, and getting people to engage with it. Want to survive in digital media? Here are some tips that you need to remember:
Martha (The Beauty Junkee), Lyra (E27) and Sky (WhenInManila.com)
“It is not about money but about if you’re contented with your content”
At the end of the day, a content creator must not aim to create viral content all the time. When writing or making videos, focus on reaching the right people who will most likely engage with you. Coming up with a good angle is crucial, especially if you’re not the only who will make content about a certain topic.
For example, you want to write an article about a restaurant but there are already so many articles written about it. You may want to look into their menu–is there a unique dish? is the place IG-worthy? Who are the people behind the restaurant? Coming up with a good and unique angle may be tedious and nerve-wracking, but it’s pivotal to your article having an edge over others.
One thing that you must remember is if your article, photo, or video feels off, then it is off. Trust your gut on this.
Also, according to Sky, more people will most likely to engage with articles that are long. Having pictures or any visual aids in your article is also helpful. Having a by-line, though it seems like a small thing, is crucial. The article will have a more sense of credibility and accountability to whoever wrote the article.
“Adaptability must not compromise consistency”
Martha, who’s been able to watch the blogging scene evolve, also shared the three powers she swears by to sustain a blog.
First is branding. With all the varying topics, categories, and stories to write about, you have to find your niche. This way, it won’t be a chore whenever you write a blog post. There’s an audience for almost everything on the internet nowadays and someone will appreciate that specialty of yours.
Second is the community, not just the readers in general but the people who interact with you. Why is this so? A strong community is what will keep your brand afloat, as they will be the ones who will talk about you and your content. They’ll also support you and stick by you.
Last, but not the least, is adaptability. This is crucial to any content creators as it dictates if your content will garner the people’s engagement. There was a time, Martha shared, that a lot of bloggers stopped creating content in their blogspots because of the low turnout of readers’ engagement. However, she adapted and took her brand to different platforms–Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram–and it worked. Lyra shared that it’s okay to change platforms in order to reach out to more people, as long as the mission of the brand shines through and you stay consistent.
READ ALSO: The Red Cup Sessions is a monthly event with FREE beer that you need to experience!
“You don’t choose viral, viral chooses you”
At the end of the day, you won’t know what will go viral. You can work on a project for a week but get more viewers and reactions on something you wrote in just 15 minutes. Focus on quality content instead.
First, quality content evokes emotions. Second, the content matches whoever made the content. Third, it depends on the platform. Whether on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, it is not enough that you made content, you must promote it also yourself.
According to Martha, people will know if you’re trying to make something viral, instead of it doing good, it will only damage your brand. Instead of focusing on making something viral, focus on making quality content.
Free booze, pizza, and good company at the Red Cup Sessions
With this interesting topic and a good set of speakers, the next Red Cup Session is definitely something to look forward to. It gives you the avenue to learn more about creating quality content, creative industries, entrepreneurs, etc. Moreover, you can easily get acquainted with people who have the same interest as you.
