This month we’re shining a spotlight on seven female Canadian YouTube personalities, getting a glimpse into their lives, how they reach their audiences, and what life is like as a creator.
According to comScore, Canadian women watch more than 200 videos on YouTube per month.1 This month, we’re shining a spotlight on seven YouTube creators—an increasingly important population for marketers. In fact, YouTube creator collaborations are 4X more effective at driving lift in brand familiarity than integrations with traditional celebrities.2 During our conversations with these creators, three themes emerged:
1) Creativity without compromise: Each creator stays true to herself and her fans love her for it.
2) Authentic brand partnerships: These women work only with brands they believe in or have used personally.
3) Sense of community: Interacting with their viewers and YouTube’s community of women is of the utmost importance for these creators.
Below we discuss how these women create for the platform, who their fans are, and a few things they’ve learned on their journeys to creating great content.
Meet two moms using #MOMTRUTHS to blow up the June Cleaver myth
Cat & Nat are dismantling the unrealistically perfect portrayals of motherhood often presented in the media and winning the hearts of women in the process. They share everything moms think, but are too afraid to talk about.
What do you look for in brand partners?
It's important for us to partner with brands we believe in. Partnering with brands that understand us and give us the creative freedom to produce content that we know will resonate with our audience is such a great experience.
Why do you love creating original content online?
We love creating content for YouTube because there are no limits. Our viewers appreciate—and can relate to—the real, honest, uncensored conversations the two of us have about motherhood, parenting, and relationships, and that’s allowed us to connect with so many women around the world.
How has your message evolved over the years?
We thought the mom market was too flooded with advice about how to be the perfect parent, and because of that, a lot of moms felt isolated. We’ve organically evolved to primarily showcasing the humour in those stressful daily interactions we all face as mothers—life's too serious.
This real mom shares it all. Literally.
Elle Lindquist is a mom to two young sons and a lifestyle vlogger who opens the doors to her life in daily video posts. No subject is off limits, and Elle ranges from capturing everyday highs and lows to exploring more sensitive issues.
What do you look for in brand partners?
I committed very early on to work only with brands that are authentic to me and that I genuinely use and endorse.
Why do you love creating original content online?
I love the idea of sharing my life with others. I had a really tumultuous childhood and adolescence, and I love that I can use my story of rising from the ashes of a difficult situation to building a life that's not only healthy but inspiring to others.
A beauty vlogger who’s redefining what it means to be beautiful
Aysha Abdul is a young Canadian woman who gives a voice to underrepresented women and redefines beauty and everything that goes with it.
What do you look for in brand partners?
I love working with brand partners. I would never recommend products or services that I personally would never use. I always try to give my subscribers a really great video, especially when it comes to brand partnership.
Why do you love creating original content online?
I love the relationships I build with my audience and feeling like I’m having a positive impact in their lives by simply being myself. Connecting with people who share my interests and support me for who I am is a wonderful feeling, and it keeps me inspired to create better content every day.
Do you have any tips for other creators?
Last summer, when I was posting two videos per week and improving my video quality, I gained well over 25,000 subscribers. There was definitely a strong link between consistency and growth.
The How to Cake It team bakes cakes for millions
Yolanda Gampp, Connie Contardi, and Jocelyn Mercer collectively run one of the most successful food channels on YouTube. With Yolanda’s extraordinary talent as a baker matched to Connie and Jocelyn’s decades of experience as video producers, How to Cake It has become a global media empire.
What do you look for in brand partners?
Ultimately, we always want to make sure we’re staying true to our brand and audience. We truly want to give as much value as we can to the brands we’re working with, while still making sure our audience is getting value in the form of great content.
Why do you love creating original content online?
I went from making cakes for one client at a time to making cakes for millions of people at a time. We get to create something we believe in and be ourselves—where else can you do all that?
How has your message evolved over the years?
I'd been making cakes for clients for years and then went on to be featured in a TV show that got cancelled after only one season. My cakes take a long time, which I wanted stay true to, so we wanted to find a way to infuse entertainment into traditional cake tutorials but leave out all the drama you’d see on TV.
MuchMusic VJ-turned Canadian vegan influencer
Vegan chef Lauren Toyota creates vegan comfort food recipes on her Hot for Food channel. Lauren’s unique recipes have been featured in publications all over the country.
What do you look for in brands you partner with?
I partner with brands that can help elevate the vegan message or help me reach a mainstream audience that might be new to vegan cooking. I have to have a strong positive reaction right away and feel like I want to jump at it with a big “yes.”
Why do you love creating original content online?
With video you can connect with people on a more personal level, and that directly creates a relationship I think is missing from the written word of a blog and other social platforms that only share a small portion of who and what you are.
Have any tips for other creators?
Post regularly and stick to the same day each week. I didn’t believe people when they told me to do this, but consistency really is key.
She went from producing shows to starring in her own
Sara Lynn Cauchon’s passion for food inspired her to get in front of the camera and do things her own way. This self-taught chef helps her viewers feel comfortable in the kitchen.
What do you look for in brand partners?
We always work best with brands that have the same goal as we do—to inspire the audience with content they feel good about.
Why do you love creating original content online?
I came to YouTube in search of a creative outlet where I could share my passion for cooking with the world. The encouragement from The Domestic Geek community has really motivated me over the last three years and has made building the channel extremely gratifying. My role has given me and so many other creators the opportunity to build and run a real business doing what we love.
A multitasking mom adding a touch of glam to motherhood
Rachel Cooper is like every other mom—pulled in a million directions. She runs her own business and helps people feel good by mixing a little glamour into everything she does.
What do you look for in brand partners?
I'm very selective with my brand partnerships because I create a lot of content revolving around reviews and testing products, which are always unsponsored. However, I always keep space open for when there’s an opportunity to build a genuine connection with a brand team, be part of the creative process on a campaign, and to recommend a product I know my audience would also love.
Have any tips for other creators?
Consistency is primary. I have always tried to be very consistent in my upload schedule, in my quality of content, and in continually researching the space to help me create better and more consistent content as YouTube and I grow.
If you’re interested in working with YouTube creators, reach out to your partner manager or check out resources like Kin Community, FameBit and Influicity.
