Before I begin this incredibly insightful article written by a girl who is simply passionate about PR and YouTube as separate entities, and as one, and definitely is not a leader in the field, or a secret Google employee (one day…). I want to formally apologize for the two months of silence on this blog. I’d love to say that it’s because I’m so sort after in my field that I’ve had very little time to get to this blog, but let’s be honest. We all know I’m just a little bit flaky (authenticity, amiright..?).

ANYWAY, steering the conversation back to the topic at hand, I want to discuss PR (and business communications) and its cross-over with YouTube as a social media platform. Now, I want to be totally honest here and say that I have a bias opinion on this matter in that I think that combining these communication tools provides and incredible opportunity for both parties, and I will tell you why.

YouTube, to me, is a place that is both open to the public as well as being accessible by businesses, brands and celebrities. Think of PR campaigns that have been run through YouTube like Save The Children and Dumb Ways To Die, which both have awesome coverage. These were fantastic PR campaigns however this platform is also open to the likes of Zoella, Pewdiepie and Jenna Marbles, vloggers and all names I imagine you’ve at least heard of. The diversity of this platform is what first drew me to it.

There are many ways to utilise YouTube. Having just passed its 10^th Birthday, people have had plenty of time to work out new ways to thrive on YouTube and yet I still feel it is being underutilised. The average person, with the right equipment and motivation, can earn their living through becoming a YouTuber (#TeamInternet). Monetization, Ad revenue, sponsorships. Dedicate enough time and love into a channel (not to mention following those trends) and you could potentially establish yourself in the community.

On the flip side, businesses also have access to this opportunity, however in a slightly different way. I personally feel that businesses could do so much more with YouTube than they are already doing, some companies are doing it right, as you can see from the videos I mentioned before, however not all are. YouTube allows for the opportunity to make the company feel more personable and authentic and give it a face, and not just the face of the guy yelling ‘SALE!!!’ at you through the TV. Think behind the scenes, talks with important industry professionals, live-streams, a channel in which you can talk to your audience and have them be able to connect to a face. Use YouTube like you use SnapChat, just a little more refined.

I feel that, especially within fashion brands, YouTube is a must have and as mentioned, I’m 100% bias as I am definitely a supporter of the platform. This however, is just a little insight into what I’ve learnt through my university degree and what I’ve observed through studying PR and business communication in my free time.

Let me know what you think, is YouTube INCREDIBLE or do you have a number of reasons why you think it’s the weakest of the social media platforms? I’d love to hear.

So, like, comment and subscribe (share, comment and follow) and I’ll see you next week (don’t hold me to that) for another video (blog post).

P.S. Check out my ‘Projects’ tab for a mini-documentary I uploaded to YouTube as well.

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Words and Some Pictures by Nicole Dickson

Photo Links:

YouTube Logo: http://www.jocelynpook.com/news/official-jocelyn-pook-youtube-soundcloud/

Computer and Coffee: http://blog.springnest.com/blog/tag/youtube/

Team Internet: https://wanelo.com/p/31523522/team-internet-youtube-logo-by-youtuber-club