Comedian Steven He was a sketch performer before jumping into content creation on social media. In 2019, he launched his YouTube channel and quickly gained an audience. Featuring a variety of characters all portrayed by He, his videos mix humor with an exploration of life in an Asian household, sprinkling in everyday absurdities that most people confront.
Crafting relationships: “I don’t make content about my real life, yet all my sketches stem from my experiences and opinions. My sketches are very personal to me. And the filmmaking itself adds to that authenticity. I’ve built a style that’s unmistakably Steven He, and I think that audiences will absolutely recognize it. I also spend many hours chatting with my audience every time I upload a video. I do a lot to craft a relationship with my audience, including leaving bloopers in.”
It’s not about the sale: “Without a doubt, authenticity and long-term exposure lead to great partnerships. I have a collaboration with Gamer Supps, and we made a drink together called Emotional Damage. When I talk about it in my videos, I’m not trying to make a sale; I’m not delivering talking points. I don’t even link to the product in the description. I just say I love this product. It’s much more effective than placing ads, because a lot of people are turned off by ads. Another example is McDonald’s. They didn’t ask me to make a Big Mac ad; they asked me to make a Steven He video. It was far better than what I could do on my own because they had a budget. It received 5 million views because it’s a video that people enjoy.”
People trust creators: “If you’re a consumer and you follow a YouTuber who you like, and that creator loves a product, it doesn’t feel like a sell. It feels like a validation, which goes a long way in delivering sales. For example, if I’m looking for a camera and I know nothing about cameras, the first place I go to is my favorite YouTubers to see which camera they use.”
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