MANILA – From funny cat videos to educational talks, there’s content for everyone on the internet. While many people are happy just consuming content on video sharing platforms like YouTube, some have found that creating content can be equally enjoyable and even fulfilling. “YouTube democratizes access to things that matter. You can be a news creator and consumer,” said Trixie Canivel, content partnerships manager at YouTube Philippines.
Viral video creators Mikey Bustos, Jamich, and Bogart the Explorer shared tips and tricks at the first YouTube Pop-up Workshop in the Philippines.
Dennis Lim, Jamich, Jako de Leon, Marco Ho and Mikey Bustos
Marco Ho, aka Bogart the Explorer, said creators should not limit themselves. Producer Jako de Leon added that it’s about Three Cs: content, creativity, and quality. “It should be CCQ, but it doesn’t sound as good,” he said, making the audience laugh. “It’s important to stand out,” he continued.
Meanwhile, Bustos said that it’s important to “keep it about the service that you’re doing for your audience.” Similarly, Jamich said they usually read their fans’ comments in order to find out what they want. “They feel that they can talk to us as friends,” the couple said.
Also on the panel was ABS-CBN’s Head of Digital Media Services Dennis Lim, who said, “When you put something up, it’s just the beginning.” As Bustos advised, it’s important to study the analytics.
The workshop’s objective was to grow the content ecosystem in the country, Canivel explained. “There’s so much untapped talent in the Philippines. We’re huge music lovers, artistas, entertainers, and we really think that there’s a really great opportunity to get this content online so that more Filipinos can see their fellow kababayans acting and singing – but even more importantly, to help globalize this content and take this content beyond the Philippines,” she said.
“YouTube blurs the boundaries of your audience. Content is universal,” said Google Philippines marketing manager Ryan Morales, who noted that over a billion people worldwide tune into YouTube every month. “If YouTube were a country, it would be the largest country next to China and India,” he said. ‘Think international’ was among the tips given by Niken Sasmaya, YouTube partner manager. “You can put translations in your videos to reach a wider audience,” she said. Sasmaya encouraged content creators to drive action by using annotation, a feature that allows the creation of a clickable area within the video. “Annotation can make your video more interactive – for example, creating a different type of clickable area in your videos and then the user can click it to go to another section of your video,” she explained.
Engagement is key, Sasmaya also said. “YouTube is an open platform that everybody can search for their own type of content that they really want to watch. By engaging your audience even more, you get a chance to basically grab a loyal audience,” she said.
The YouTube Pop-up Workshop was held on February 27 at the Mind Museum.
