Be Your Authentic Self

Michael Stevens from Vsauce

In June, I attended a Children’s Media Conference in Sheffield, England while I studied abroad. The conference had various sessions and keynote speakers that talked about how children in the United Kingdom get and use media. One topic I heard a lot during the sessions was the importance of children being authentic with their online profiles. Several professionals shared how sometimes children develop an online self and authentic self that tend to conflict and present different images.

Michael Stevens, one of the keynote speakers and creator of Vsauce, shared how being authentic has led to his success on YouTube. He began Vsauce in June 2010 and has expanded to three YouTube channels with about nine million subscribers.

He relates his success to him being authentic because his subscribers see him being very candid and they form a friendship. Stevens also explained how he films the videos alone and being real leads to viewers feeling like they are hanging out with him and that there is not a barrier between him and the audience. His videos are very conversational and use plain language that makes his content easy to understand and is friendly to people of any ages.

In his keynote, he also pointed out how Echosmith singer, Sydney Sierota, is a great example of being authentic on social media. She regularly uploads videos on her YouTube channel and other social media profiles from her iPhone. The videos are very causal and creates a dialog between her and her fans. Stevens also praised Sydney on how she replied to comments fans leave on her videos and shows she cares.

Whether you are a celebrity or not, being real and authentic on social media is key to maintaining a strong, relatable presence. Some other keys to staying authentic on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other social media outlets include using your own photos, genuinely engaging with your followers and replying to comments and having a unified brand and purpose.

What are some of your social media tips that allow you to grow your following and stay real?

This blog post was written by PRowl Secretary Shaun Luberski. You can follow her on Twitter here.