Name: Sophia
YouTube Channel: minilucie13
Twitter: @minilucie13
Instagram: @minilucie13
How long have you been using MagicLinks? I’ve used MagicLinks for about 7 months now 🙂
What does authentic communication with your subscribers mean to you? To me, it means to connect with my viewers as much as I can, which leads to making new friends! I randomly follow my viewers on different social media sites, and respond to some of their direct messages. A lot of people ask for advice on how to start their own YouTube channels, and I am always happy to help when I can! I feel like through this, I can really get to know my amazing viewers a lot more!
Have you ever struggled to stay authentic on a particular topic, or with a particular promotional or vlogging partner? I have never really experienced a struggle with staying authentic because I make sure that everything I post on my channel is 100% real. One of my pet peeves is when people act fake in their videos. I try my best to be completely genuine in every single video I post, because that is extremely important to me. I have also never participated in a promotion that I didn’t support. I want to make sure my audience knows the real me, so we can all relate with each other! 🙂
How and why did you decide to start your channel? I decided to start my channel when I was 13 years old. I have always had a love for making videos (even before YouTube)! I used to (and still do) make silly videos with my friends, so when I found out about YouTube, I immediately wanted to give it a try! I fell into the lifestyle and DIY community because I am a lover of all things crafty, and I am so happy I made the decision to post my first video 3 years ago. I found tons of YouTubers like me, and I have made lots of friends through this amazing social platform where I can express who I am through creativity and doing the things I love!
What is the most difficult challenge you’ve faced as you’ve grown your audience? One of the most difficult things I have faced has probably been receiving more hate comments. Obviously, as your channel grows, so do the haters! At first, I really let it get to me, but my friends and family helped me realize that their words shouldn’t mean anything to me! Who cares if they don’t like what I’ve posted on YouTube? They are probably having a bad day, and they decided to take it out on me. All I can do is hope they can learn to be more positive, ignore them, and shake it off. As long as I’m proud of what I’ve posted, that’s what matters. It can still be hard sometimes, but I’ve definitely gotten better at not letting them get to me! Also, there are always WAY more supportive comments fromsuper sweet viewers, and that always outweighs the bad comments. 🙂
What inspires you? I am inspired by many different YouTubers when it comes to making videos, but my top two are Alisha Marie, and Colleen Ballinger. I love how real they are on camera, and it inspires me to be myself even more, and not care what people think. Also, when I watch these YouTubers, I get some inspiration for my own videos that I’ll later put my own twist on. I’ve received some criticism for “copying” these YouTubers, but there is nothing wrong with being inspired. I would NEVER try to steal someone’s ideas or creativity! Another aspect that inspires me are the amazing comments I receive on my videos! Some people comment, “This video made my day better,” or, “This put a smiles on my face.” These comments literally make my day, and they motivate me to keep wanting to make videos, because my main goal is to make people happy and smile!
What are your favorite topics to vlog about? I love making DIY videos because, like I said, I am a crafty person, and making my own things is so much fun to me! I also love just sitting down and talking to the camera because I feel like I can connect even more with my viewers. It doesn’t matter what I talk about on camera as much, I just love talking to the people who do watch 🙂
What causes do you care most about, and how are you involved in them? Some causes I am passionate about are helping raise money for cancer research. I lost my grandmother to cancer when I was 5 years old, and I can’t even begin to imagine what other people go through every day because of cancer. It’s a horrible thing, and I hope with all of my heart that one day there will be a cure for it. I am working with MODE to donate to children’s hospitals as well, and I also love giving back around the holidays. One thing I’ve done with my family for years is work with Operation Christmas Child to put together Christmas presents for kids who are less-fortunate around the holidays. Giving back is really important to me, and I strongly encourage others to get involved in a cause you’re passionate about!
Do you have any pets? We love pets at MagicLinks! I have a cat and a dog! They get along pretty well, surprisingly. My dog, Chewy, looks like Toto from The Wizard of Oz, and my cat, Aisha, was born without a tail! I am a die-hard animal lover, and I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future I am a cat lady!
What is your favorite MagicLinks feature? I love how through MagicLinks you can easily link products you used in your video, and people can click it to bring them straight to that product, rather than searching all over the place for it. It just makes things a whole lot easier!
What is one of the best comments you’ve ever received on one of your videos? One of the best comments I’ve ever received on a video almost brought tears to my eyes. Someone wrote how they were having a really rough day, and when they watched my video, they were put in a better mood. This one simple comment made me feel like I really did help spread some positivity to someone watching. It made my day knowing that somebody’s day got better. I make videos for this reason. I never expected to make someone happier simply by being my weird self online!
What is your favorite place to shop? This is a tough question, but my favorite places to shop are by far Forever 21 and Pacsun. They have such cute clothes at good prices!! If we’re not talking about clothes shopping, hands down Target (I know, so basic) and Bath and Body Works. If you know anything about me, you know I am obsessed with candles!!
Is there anything you’d like to share with others in the community about your experience with MagicLinks? I am really happy that MagicLinks is here to encourage creators to be authentic! They want viewers to link products from retailers they genuinely like, which can help creators connect more with their viewers, make relationships with companies/retailers, and have a more interactive video description that’s organized and easy to understand!
P.S. Interested in being a Featured User on the MagicLinks blog? Contact janet@magiclinks.org!
