You might be wondering what a vlogger is. A vlogger is somebody who creates and uploads a video blog. You can look as a vlogger as being somebody who films his or her life rather than writing about it. Some vloggers make daily videos of their activities. Others make videos less frequently when they have something specific to say to their followers.
In practice, there is a fine line between a vlog and any other video channel. Many YouTube channels could be considered to be vlogs, despite not featuring “day in the life” videos. If a channel contains the same kinds of content that a blog would – but in a video format – you could consider it to be a vlog.
To confuse things, some famous YouTubers operate separate channels, which they consider their vlogging channel. Others just run a combined channel, which in reality contains short movies that you could consider vlog videos.
Over time, the term “vlogging” has widened to include video streaming on YouTube, Facebook, and the other live video networks.
Probably the key to vlogging is that it features predominantly self-made first-person videos – either live-streamed or pre-recorded and uploaded. Each video will usually feature the vlogger speaking directly into the camera, sharing his or her day, or thoughts on a particular subject.
Most of the vloggers we feature here make videos showing aspects of their lives.
- 1. Joey Graceffa
- 2. Rachel Aust
- 3. Ali Abdaal
- 4. Nayna Florence
- 5. Holly Gabrielle
- 6. Azlia Williams
- 7. Roman Atwood Vlogs
- 8. Dan is Not Interesting (Daniel Howell)
- 9. Amazing Phil
- 10. Alfie Deyes Vlogs
- 11. Tyler Oakley
- 12. Casey Neistat
- 13. Jon Olsson
- 14. Vlog Brothers
- 15. Fun For Louis
- What Are the Advantages of Vlogging?
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Joey Graceffa
Joey Graceffa is a pioneer in the world of vlogging, captivating audiences with his unique blend of personal storytelling and fantastical narratives. His channel not only features traditional vlogs that give viewers a glimpse into his daily life but also includes elaborate fantasy series that showcase his creativity and passion for storytelling. Joey’s ability to connect with viewers on a personal level while providing an escape into imaginative worlds makes his channel a must-watch. With a loyal following and a consistently positive vibe, Joey Graceffa embodies the spirit of modern vlogging, making him an essential follow for those who enjoy a mix of reality and fantasy in their YouTube feeds.
2. Rachel Aust
Rachel Aust is a qualified nutritionist, personal trainer, and wellness coach. She believes wellness is more than just the foods you eat or the exercise you do. She thinks to be 'truly well,' you need to redesign your mindset and space to allow yourself to grow.
Rachel is Australian, and as well as running a YouTube channel, she operates a website (EatRunLift), a self-titled personal journal-type blog, and a popular Instagram channel. She also makes speaking appearances Australia-wide.
Her topics range from a highly popular Minimal Series to fitness, lifestyle, beauty, and health. In the case of YouTube, she uploads new videos weekly covering healthy food ideas, nutrition, training, minimalism, and vlogs.
She has called one of her video series, PCOS, which is a vlog series covering food/training and living with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome), a condition that affects a woman's hormone levels.
3. Ali Abdaal
Ali Abdaal is a junior doctor working in Cambridge, U.K. He started on YouTube in 2007 as a Cambridge University medicine graduate but now works as a junior doctor in the UK's National Health Service (NHS). He began making videos about life as a medical student but now vlogs about life as a doctor.
He also makes study videos, tech reviews, and the occasional video of himself and his friends singing songs. On the side, he writes a weekly email newsletter and blog posts on his self-titled website. He runs a small business called 6med that helps students applying to medical school.
After two years as a doctor, he's taken a 1-year sabbatical from Medicine to explore his other interests; however, he is still vlogging each week.
4. Nayna Florence
U.K.-based Nayna Florence shares a variety of videos on her popular YouTube channel. These cover vlogs, sustainable fashion, university life, travel; indeed, anything goes. This goes to show that the usual advice to specialize on a topic doesn't apply to everybody.
However, when you closely look at her videos, you do notice some patterns. She clearly loves vlogging on aspects of her life. For example, one of her most recent videos is called "Cosy study days ❤️? recipes, writing, room updates and chats." Another recent video is "Study w/ me ??? a day in my life as a masters student at lse."
Nayna's website, Sixteenth, is probably more informative about Nayna's intentions. It states that she "…loves to spread positivity through all her content". Whether she is vlogging her days at university or sharing her vegan meals and what she is wearing that day, she always aims to leave her audience happy and inspire. Nayna is super passionate about animal rights, veganism, and sustainability and has built a healthy level of trust with her audience surrounding her ethical choices.
5. Holly Gabrielle
Like several others in this list of vloggers, Holly Gabrielle calls herself a vegan lifestyle vlogger.
She is a graduate from the University of Cambridge, finishing with a First-Class Honors in Biological Natural Sciences, and is currently embarking on her next academic challenge undertaking a master's degree in Cancer at UCL (University College London). During her gap year (2019), she helped over 70 students in their academic studies at school, university, and beyond and found it an incredibly rewarding experience.
Some of her recent videos cover topics like "My Realistic Work Day Routines," "A Productive Work Week In My Life", and "A week in my adult life."
6. Azlia Williams
Azlia Williams is an American social media star, popular on both YouTube and Instagram. She began posting videos on YouTube in 2014, and she has steadily grown her following since then.
Many of her videos are vlogs, highlighting different aspects of her life. Quite a few of them represent a day in her life, even showing her going to appointments, her hairdresser, and even car cleaning. She also recently vlogged about her vacation in Miami.
She posts a wide range of content on her YouTube channel, including fitness and makeup videos, dieting videos, Q&As, and challenge videos, as well as vlogs, of course.
Azlia is a firm believer in staying fit and eating healthy. Many of her videos focus on the best food to eat when exercising and different exercises you can do to gain muscle or lose weight.
7. Roman Atwood Vlogs
Roman Atwood creates vlogs, depicting his life. In fact, he even has a couple of movie-length vlogs and plans to make more of these epics.
Roman began his YouTubing making prank videos, on what he now refers to as “my old dusty channel” – RomanAtwood. Although he hasn’t added new videos to that channel for two years, it still attracts 10.1 million subscribers.
He became a vlogger in 2013 and still enjoys creating his family-friendly, kid-friendly vlogs. He posts videos most days keeping his fans informed about how his life is progressing. As a former prankster, it should be no surprise that Roman’s vlogs are comical. His vlog channel is the 50th most subscribed channel on YouTube.
Roman can take pride in being only the second YouTuber to receive two Diamond Play Buttons for hosting two successful channels. He won the YouTube Comedian category of the Shorty Awards in 2016.
He announced last month (April 2018) that after 86 days of daily videos he was going to vary his video-making. He plans to produce less daily short vlogs, and instead film more weekly movie-length vlogs.
8. Dan is Not Interesting (Daniel Howell)
Daniel Howell initially made his videos as Danisnotonfire (and if you look closely you can see that is still part of his main channel’s URL). That channel is now simply named Daniel Howell. Dan is a British YouTuber who has been uploading his videos since 2009.
He operates a side channel, called Danisnotinteresting, where he uploads bonus footage from videos, along with videos intended to be vlogs.
He describes the videos he uploads as being about how awkward he is, and how people laugh at him.
While he probably wouldn't consider the bulk of his videos on his Daniel Howell channel to be vlogs, he nonetheless is the star of most of them. Quite a few of them also feature his game-playing video partner, (Amazing) Phil Lester. The pair together run a gaming channel, DanAndPhilGAMES, which has been officially recognized as YouTube’s fastest growing channel.
Dan studied law at the University of Manchester in 2010, but dropped out a year later, deciding he lacked interest in law. Instead, he changed his career to radio broadcasting and professional vlogging.
Dan and Phil found success in radio in the UK – presenting BBC Radio 1 show, Dan and Phil, followed by Internet Takeover.
Dan broadcasts a weekly hour-long live show on his main Daniel Howell YouTube channel.
9. Amazing Phil
Amazing Phil is known as Phil Lester in the real world. Like his frequent collaborator, Daniel Howell, Phil is an English YouTuber and former radio personality.
He posted his first video blog in March 2006, appropriately called Phil’s Video Blog. He has continued to post videos on his AmazingPhil channel, his LessAmazingPhil channel, and the DanAndPhilGAMES channel he operates with Daniel Howell.
Phil sums up his vlogging activities in the About section of his AmazingPhil channel – “I share my strange life with the internet! Subscribe to see what happens next.”
Phil’s fans love him because they consider him sweet, looking at life in a lighthearted and positive way. They believe he can cheer them up when they are down or feel depressed. They particularly love the verbal sparring between Phil and Dan when they combine to make videos.
10. Alfie Deyes Vlogs
Alfie Deyes Vlogs is one of three YouTube channels that English YouTuber, property investor, and author, Alfie Deyes, operates. The others are his original PointlessBlog and PointlessBlogGames.
Alfie releases new vlogs three or four times per week. They cover topics such as Big Family Summer BBQ, Having Another Dog for the Day, and The Babies Have Arrived (these are actually baby dolls you can use to learn how to cope when real babies come along).
Alfie continues his Pointless branding offline, too. He has released three books, appropriately called, The Pointless Book, The Pointless Book 2, and The Pointless Book 3. He has also diversified his activities into other forms of media, appearing on both radio and television. He can even claim to be part of the 2014 remake of charity Christmas song, Do They Know It’s Christmas.
11. Tyler Oakley
While Tyler Oakley doesn’t refer to his videos as vlogs, many of them fit the criteria. He does have one popular section, called Day in the Life videos, for those who prefer the strict vlogger definition.
Tyler releases a couple of videos each week, covering topics ranging from product reviews to returning to his college (and a 10-year high school reunion) to a video on how he lost his virginity (also, coincidentally a 10-year reunion). Since then he says he has had a “decade of debauchery.”
Many of his videos focus on looking at life from a gay perspective, with the aim of helping LGBT youth. His videos cover social issues like health care, education, and suicide prevention.
Forbes named Tyler one of their 2017 30 under 30. He was awarded the Shorty Award for YouTuber of the Year in 2016.
12. Casey Neistat
Casey Neistat is an American YouTuber, filmmaker, vlogger, and founder of creative space, 368. He operates a highly popular YouTube channel that features a variety of different video types. But some of his most popular videos are his vlogs.
He has a section within his channel called Vlog, which contains 490 videos, predominantly from 2015-2016. Yet, while Casey no longer appears to upload new videos to this section, many of his other videos meet the criteria to be considered vlogs.
Casey makes the bulk of the videos himself and appears in many of them. They tend to be short day-in-the-life videos, albeit a somewhat unusual atypical life (like snowboarding being towed behind a 4WD through New York on a winter’s day).
One of his most inspirational videos is the story of his life - Draw My Life - Casey Neistat. In it, he shows how he has moved on from teen dad and high school dropout living in a caravan park to a successful video maker.
13. Jon Olsson
Jon Olsson is a professional freeskier and car fanatic who shares his life in a daily vlog.
Jon was born in Mora, Sweden. He built a passion for skiing at an early age. As a child he was into racing, but changed to freestyle skiing at age 16. He became cominat at the sport, even inventing his own double flips.
A decade later Jon returned to competitive racing, and participated in both Alpine World Cups and freestyle events. He earned nine X Games medals.
Jon snow lives in Monaco, and his passion for freeskiing remains strong. He has expanded his love of moving fast on the snow to moving fast on the road. He owns and drives multiple Audis, including a customized RS6. He has even designed a super car, the Rebellion R2K, and he drives it n the Gumball 3000 each year.
He creates a daily vlog on his YouTube channel to share his busy, active life.
14. Vlog Brothers
According to the Vlog Brothers’ About page, the purpose of their channel is to raise nerdy to the power of awesome.
The channel was created and is hosted by the Green brothers – John Green and Hank Green. The brothers have regularly posted videos to it since 2007.
John and Hank initially collaborated on what they called the Brotherhood 2.0 project in 2007. The idea behind this was that the brothers cease all text-based communication for a year. Instead, they would communicate in a daily vlog.
While Brotherhood 2.0 only lasted for the 2007 calendar year, the brothers found vlogging so rewarding and successful that they wanted to continue. They began by setting up a website for their community called Nerdfighters.
They have been prolific posters to their Vlog Brothers channel. Hank Green made a video in September 2012, celebrating their 1000th video. There have slowed their output since, but Vlog Brothers now have 2,200 videos currently uploaded.
15. Fun For Louis
Louis Cole makes a daily vlog depicting his life as he travels the world. His videos show the new friends he makes, as well as the opportunities he finds for fun and to inspire others.
Louis is an English film-maker who has a passion for documenting his traveling. He encourages his viewers to "Peace out, enjoy life and live the adventure."
He posted his first daily vlog on 31 December 2012 and has been making daily videos ever since. He has now uploaded over 1,900 videos.
What Are the Advantages of Vlogging?
Vlogging offers numerous advantages for both creators and audiences. For creators, it serves as a platform to connect with like-minded individuals and build a community around their interests. For viewers, vlogging provides a rich source of entertainment, education, and inspiration. They can discover new insights, explore different places, and learn about products or services through the engaging content of their favorite vloggers.
Additionally, vlogging can become a profitable career path for successful creators. Through sponsorships, partnerships, and advertising revenue, vloggers have the potential to earn a substantial income from their content.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is vlogging?
Vlogging, short for "video blogging," involves creating and sharing video content on various platforms. Vloggers typically document their daily lives, interests, or expertise, engaging with their audience through visual storytelling.
Why should I follow vloggers?
Following vloggers can provide entertainment, inspiration, and valuable insights on various topics. Whether you're interested in travel, lifestyle, technology, or beauty, vloggers offer a personal and engaging way to explore these subjects.
How can I find new vloggers to follow?
You can discover new vloggers through recommendations from friends, exploring trending topics on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, or by searching for content in your areas of interest.
What platforms are best for watching vlogs?
Popular platforms for watching vlogs include YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Each platform offers different formats and features, so you can choose the one that best suits your viewing preferences.
What should I consider when choosing which vloggers to follow?
Consider factors such as the vlogger’s content style, interests, posting frequency, and how well their content aligns with your preferences. Exploring a few videos can help you decide if their content resonates with you.
Can following vloggers be beneficial for learning new things?
Yes, many vloggers provide educational content, tutorials, and tips in their videos. Whether you want to learn a new skill, stay informed about trends, or gain insights on specific topics, vlogs can be a valuable resource.
Who are some of the best travel vloggers on YouTube?
When it comes to travel vlogging, several creators stand out for their captivating content and adventures. Some of the best travel vloggers on YouTube include:
- Louis Cole (FunForLouis): Known for his daily vlogs showcasing global travel adventures.
- Nadine Sykora (Hey Nadine): Offers travel tips, destination guides, and personal experiences.
- Kara and Nate: A couple who have traveled to over 100 countries, sharing their journeys.
- The Bucket List Family: A family exploring the world, providing family-friendly travel content.
What makes some vloggers more entertaining than others?
Vloggers become more entertaining than others through a mix of authenticity, engaging storytelling, and high-quality production. They often have a unique personality that resonates with viewers, making their content relatable and enjoyable. Consistency in posting and a clear niche also contribute to their appeal. Interactive elements, such as responding to comments and engaging with their audience on social media, further enhance their entertainment value.