Turmoil in Syria: Can Nepal offer any lesson?

Sudden, unexpected events at international levels can change your plans. This is what happened to me when I was preparing

International Volunteer Day| What Nepal can do to promote volunteerism

Today is the International Volunteer Day. It should be a big celebration but unfortunately this whole week and the next

Nexus between climate change and environment

Climate study helps to forecast several outcomes, including the volume of rainfall that the current climate may generate and the

Shaping Nepal’s development: A note on MCC, BRI, and the need for a unified foreign policy

Nepal stands at a significant crossroads in its developmental journey. At a time when the country aims to implement large-scale

The digital frontline: Protecting women and girls from online violence

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marking the start of 16 Days of Activism against

Meet the Nepali content creators who are trying to create a niche in their respective fields

The DMN News brings to you the views and insights from Nepal’s aspiring content creators who are trying to make a difference in the field of digital world with their talent and creativity.

Kathmandu: The US Embassy in Kathmandu organized the Creator’s Mela last week, bringing together aspiring content creators to help them launch and grow their online presence or businesses, where prominent digital influencers generously shared their knowledge and insights with aspiring content creators while guiding them on how to grow their online presence and build a successful personal brand. 

Content creation is an emerging market in the gig economy. Some renowned digital influencers have inspired aspiring content creators to pursue content creation as a full-time job.

From practical tips on content creation to insights on engaging with followers, the influencers provided valuable advice that resonated well with the eager audience. Their willingness to impart expertise and support budding talents was truly inspiring, creating an atmosphere of collaboration and mentorship. Monica Lohani of The DMN News had brief conversations with some of the mentors regarding content creation, brands, market, and many more. Here is what they had to say: 

‘Our private life is in our hands, we have to know how to control it’

Ayushman DS Joshi, Actor

Because we live in a virtual world, we have to adapt and move with the time. I had a session here at the Creator’s Mela where I talked about issues related to social media exposure. 

Both Priyanka [Priyanka Karki]  and I are parents and we make social media content and vlogs with Ayanka (their daughter). But, being a public figure, we have decided how much of our lives we want to show to the world and how much of it we keep private. Social media has both pros and cons. To govern this, you have to know yourself well enough. I, as a person, barely see this world with a negative lens. In adverse situations, I have always tried to change my perspective. This mindset is still in progress and will be better with time. I have learned that even when someone says bad things about you, you should learn to wish good for them and move ahead with life. You would rather pray for their betterment than pinpoint what is wrong with them. The latter one later turns into you telling bad things about yourself, which eventually leads to insecurity. 

With our life being so public, a lot of it is not our choice. But, our private life is in our hands and we have to know how to control that. So, I guess this is my biggest learning. I do not want to say how negative things will go because I might as well attract it. You have to draw the line everywhere. A lot of content creators earn by showing their entire life sometimes and their lines are blurry. So, you kind of have to draw the line after deciding how much of your life you choose to share with the world. 

It is best to see the best in everything and try to promote love in everything. We make vlogs with Ayanka. She has a mind of her own. If any of us or someone from my family or friends wants to make any content with her, we first ask her if she is comfortable. If she says ‘no’, we stop. If she is comfortable, only then we decide to shoot a video with her. We respect her decision. She enjoys all the love she gets because there is so much love to give and take in this world. A lot of that has helped her grow as an individual because she has been introduced to ‘Love’ first. What me and Priyanka have decided up until she is four years old, is that we will continue making vlogs and videos with her then it will stop, as it is our share of memories with her as well. It is a good thing for her. But somewhere down the line if she wants to resume making videos, it is her choice. This is the line that I and Priyanka as husband and wife have drawn. I would suggest to parents on social media that you should decide where you want to draw the line. But be aware of your surroundings. Just because you gave birth to a child doesn’t mean you own them. So, let the kids also decide about their social media exposure. 

‘You should not be afraid of trying new things’

Lemi Tamang, Makeup artist

I create beauty and makeup-related content. But I don’t pressure myself as such because I love doing this. It is my passion and I enjoy makeup. Beauty as content might appear monotonous because everything might look the same but we can explore with different looks to bring variations to our content. Even when I am at home or traveling, I get ready, explore with makeup and looks, create videos, and post them. Sometimes, you should not be afraid of trying new things. Recently I was traveling. The place had a lot of natural beauty. Birds were chirping in the background. I could hear the sound of flowing rivers. Getting inspired by nature, I explored other makeup and hair looks. I created a new look and posted it on my Instagram. That was so much appreciated and my followers liked it too. I got an amazing response. If I was in the city, I would probably make content with some good views in the background–maybe mountains. 

Aesthetics matter. So, that is what I use in my videos. Aspiring content creators could also use this technique. But I don’t take pressure to stand out. I just let it be. Some might feel comfortable using trending music, others might use voice-overs, whereas the others might feel comfortable being in front of the camera with the support of good lighting. There is so much to explore. 

When I started, it was difficult to find light makeup products and uploading content was also full of hassle because of having to use so many hashtags. Now, the algorithm has changed and keywords play a big role. Getting resources now is easy and everything is available. It is just that the content should be informative and clear. Content creators should be consistent with their content. You can use your good content as a portfolio as well.

‘When it comes to food, any platform works’

Manjita Manandhar, Food influencer

Different social media platforms have different perks. I started creating content on Instagram. My Instagram page was doing good but the growth was a little slow. Then, we had Tiktok. In no time, we gained so many followers and viewers. That gave us the assurance about creating content and doing something. But, TikTok later got banned. So, I had to be back on Instagram. It is a wonderful platform and we can now post directly from Instagram to Facebook. Because of this feature, I am getting much more views on Facebook than on Instagram these days. I would recommend Meta platforms. 

When it comes to food, any platform works. So, you have to be on every social media platform. It would be great if food influencers could go abroad and explore the food and culture of other nations as well. We have not been able to do that. Whether we are getting the value out of the content we post is still a prevailing question. Before we post any food content, I wish we had the freedom to express the ‘not-so-good’ food reviews more openly. We as food content creators never post content where we had a bad experience with food. For example, I was once invited to a restaurant to try their food. The food was bad, and I can’t tell my audience about some bad food being a good one. So, I called the manager, told him everything, and asked him how much time he needed to improve the food. He told me to give him two months. After two months, he called me back. I went there to review their food and I found that they had done an outstanding job with the food. Then, I reviewed it and posted it on my page. 

There are many unexplored opportunities in food content. We are rich in culture. We go to events where there are fancy breakfasts, lunch, and dinner. We go to restaurants with an amazing ambiance. But, we barely explore the local eateries that have been running for generations. We have so many Jatras that have their own Bhoj and food culture.  I wish we could tap more into that aspect of content creation. This would also help in promoting our rich culture. 

‘There are times when content creators face content blocks’ 

Parakram SJB Rana, Lifestyle content creator

Though I have been creating content for years now, I have yet to find my niche. I easily get bored of creating only one kind of content so I keep exploring–from lifestyle and fashion, to dance to music to travel. So, I am yet to figure out my niche. But, creating something is something that I liked, especially during Covid-19 time as we had nothing else to do and we were stuck in our homes. Because of this, I couldn’t go back to Mumbai. That’s when I started taking content creation seriously and started making a lot of videos. Also, people really liked when I spoke in Nepali with my accent. That worked.  I like all the attention that I get and I love meeting people too. But there are times when I have a content block. We content creators wake up scrolling our phones and thinking what content to make for the day. 

Consuming so much information through social media at times affects our mental health as well. Mentally, we need to do something relevant. It takes learning and a moment of struggle. But with time we need to build such a base where we can get some space, and people are there to support you. You need to be genuine in your work and enjoy creating content. If we are true to the work we do, then we can stay away from the pressure. I take breaks and a lot of it. People around me sometimes ask me why am I taking a break but I tell them I need it. At times when I am excited to work, I prepare 4-5 contents in a day so that I have backup during lazy days. I try to create content before lunch because after lunch I feel sleepy. 

‘An important thing to see is if the values of the brand and the content match’

Pranayna KC, Co-Founder of Hivelaya

We need to know our target audience. Another important thing to see is if the values of the brand and the content match. For any brand, if the target audience and values match, only then they reach out to content creators. Talking about the metrics that matters to the brand while being approached by content creators are followers, content, and engagement. If the content is just pretty or average, we hesitate as a brand. We also check engagement. 

If a content creator only has, let’s say 4000 followers, but the engagement is good, brands will be willing to work with them. Writing to brands is the best way to reach out to brands and companies, which the content creators hesitate to do. Find marketing heads on LinkedIn and write to them without hesitating. LinkedIn is the best platform for this. You can also approach brands through Instagram. Write to brands directly through their social media pages and tell them about your work and willingness to collaborate. 

‘We can make money through LinkedIn in different ways’

Pretti Adhikary, Founder of The Great Nepali Diaspora 

There are many youth who use Facebook and Instagram but LinkedIn is stereotyped to professional matters. My session at the Creator’s Mela was also about making more people aware about LinkedIn. This platform is different from other social media because there is a lot of opportunity there, especially when new content creators and young people are not using the platform. This makes it even more important to create awareness about the perks of LinkedIn. The platform has one billion users all over the world.

The content that creators make for other social media apps can be repurposed for LinkedIn. You are able to translate what you’re already doing and get so much more.

Make a basic profile. Many people just sign up and leave it as it is, making it a graveyard. Prepare your profile. Add your photo to the profile and add a cover image about your work. Headline is important too. Leaving the profile without updating anything and waiting for magic to happen is not possible. People won’t reach out or connect to you. Even if the end goal is to get clients, creating a basic profile is the first step. Creators can set appointments and collaborate through LinkedIn as well. If brands want to approach you and see your blank profile, they won’t approach you. Once you post your content, people will see that history. Then, the right people will find you. 

Moreover, we can also make money through LinkedIn but in different ways. People are used to earning from YouTube through Adsense, advertisements etc. LinkedIn is a long game. I always say, it is a marathon, not a race. Once you sort of have that critical mass on LinkedIn, it pays in incredible ways. Once you invest time, it pays off incredibly well.

‘If you want to start a podcast, start it now’

Sabeena Karki, Podcaster

When I started podcasting eight years ago, podcast was a whole new concept in Nepal. My interviewees would say ‘Postcard’, ‘Padcast’ or ‘Youtube’ for a podcast. Now, look how things have changed!

We have so many podcasts in Nepal. The quantity is increasing, and the quality of our podcasts is upgrading as well. The current scenario of podcasting in Nepal is beautiful, and the future is even more beautiful. Therefore, my suggestion to someone who wants to start a podcast at this moment would be: Start! A good beginning is half the work done, goes the saying.  So start from however or whatever is possible. Newbies don’t need to worry about not having fancy equipment or a studio. The more important thing is being willing to start. These days even the smartphones we carry have a good microphone quality. 

Each content has its specific and general audience and viewers. We have seen more entertainment-related content in the market these days. But the content related to a specific niche such as the financial sector or cultural sector needs to be more enriching. These sectors might not garner as much mass as the entertainment related contents do, but such contents also have their viewers. Financial podcasts are slowly picking up pace in the Nepali market. Podcasts are not limited to audio or video. It is all about being vocal, speaking up and reaching out to people while expressing your ideas and views. So, any platform is fine. My suggestion for aspiring podcasters or newbies would be to listen to other podcasts. Joining a public speaking platform but not applying the knowledge practically doesn’t help either. So, practice speaking with family and friends to begin with. Keep writing to enhance your writing skills and get feedback from people. “I should and I will ” should be the mantra to build, brand, and boost, which is also the slogan of this Creator’s Mela.

So keep in mind ‘start, build, and boost and you’ll do it’ mantra. We are taking baby steps in the podcasting field and there is a lot of scope. We are always here to help the aspiring content creators. 

‘If you are yet to find your niche, explore it’

Sanjog Koirala, CEO of Ideapreneur Nepal

I make financial content but content creation is not easy. I started when not many people were creating financial content. I had the first-mover advantage. Content creation in the finance niche is slowly growing, which is good because that creates more people to guide others or teach others. It becomes difficult for only a couple of people to teach such a huge mass. In the beginning, creators need to make as much good content as possible to be noticed by the audience. Being noticeable is important in the beginning. We call them ‘micro-influencers’. Once you start getting noticed, brands will come for collaborations. It is just about time. So, do what you love. If you are yet to find your niche, just explore. Do a little research from your end. Make videos and see your engagement and views. This will help you find what kind of content is doing well. Then, make a well-structured content. It will help you grow faster.

There are some negative aspects, especially for finance niche creators. A lot of people approach us to promote their brand or products that are yet to be legal in Nepal. For example, crypto, and betting among others. They come to us to brand these products for viewers who live outside of the country. Those who approach us are ready to pay handsome money as well. But, because these things are illegal in Nepal, we have to refuse them. There are also a lot of scams going on. What I mean to say is new content creators need to be mindful and aware of certain legalities. New content creators need to be mindful of these legalities as well. Youth these days understand money. They carry expensive gadgets and stuff. So, youth are more aware of the money’s value. Once youth realize this value, they then research how to earn more money and explore options. The world works on the power of compounding. For that, we need only two things–time and rate of interest. Starting at age 16 and earning by age 30 is better than starting at 30  and earning by the time one reaches 60. My suggestion to those who want to create finance related content would be: The sooner you start, the sooner you are going to become financially independent.