Who are you and what kind of content do you create?

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My name is Melissa Delaveau. I am a Jamaican living in France and I am a stay at home mom doing Youtube full-time. I've always been a stay at home mom however I never used to daily vlog but I do it now. I have published content on Youtube 5 days per week for the past 4 years without failing. In my first year of doing Youtube, I never thought that I could daily vlog but I made a schedule and stuck to it. I also do all the work by myself. The channel name, The Delaveaus, is the surname of our family so I went with it.

Let's go down memory lane, tell us your backstory! 

I grew up in Jamaica in the countryside with no running water or electricity (yep, you read that correctly) then, I moved to France and started vlogging a year later. I have been a content creator for the past 5 years. My first-born son was the reason I started creating content, He had a huge personality as a baby and I always film little clips of him and post on Facebook and a friend always encourage me to vlog however I didn't know what vlogging was at the time so I started posting those small clips to Youtube, researched more, and realized that vlogging is a thing so I just went for it and posted when I have footage.

He was 8 months old and I was home all day with him so I just made it work and still wasn't taking it seriously. I always vlog my daily life so my videos are never planned, I get up on any given day and just let the camera roll. I uploaded only on Youtube while promoting my personal Facebook page at the time. I have a few quotes which I use in every single vlog at the start and the end, “Stay in love, stay blessed, and stay motivated.”  

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As I went along, I was inspired by Youtubers like Gabe Babe TV, however I watch many many other Youtubers. The joy of creating content that I can look back on and see our kids growing up and knowing I have connected with people from all over the world and made some amazing friendships is what motivates me to go on each day.

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How do you brainstorm ideas for your content and your advice in getting the creative juice flowing.

I get up each day and vlog whatever happens within that day, my videos are never planned. 

What are the tools and platforms you use to help with your brand?

When I started out I used my Samsung 7 to film for a year until I could afford a camera and now, I film with the canon G7X  I use the simplest editor which is the Microsoft Movie Maker so I still have so much to learn, and hope to move to something more advanced one day….. I taught myself everything and am still doing so. 

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I am on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok, Twitter, and Snapchat.

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What were your fears starting out? How did you handle it? 

I was never afraid of what people might think when I started and went in with an open mind and was willing to handle anything that comes my way. I also handle negative comments by blocking them and never replying.

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I was never a shy person so handling the camera was easy, I learned what I needed to fix in bad habits as I went along.

Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO7t9ddqv0M

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How did you build your brand to where it is now, take us through your process.

After a year since I started, I was never consistent until I really found a schedule and realized if I worked at it it was doable so I did, after the year I started posting 5 days per week until present. I got no help with building and still doing it all on my own (no mentors, no friends, no family, no course. 

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When I started out the challenges were finding out what would work best for me; would it be pranks, mommy-related videos, challenges, daily vlogs, so I tapped into all of it to see what I am most comfortable with. People would always give me that look when filming in public but I never care what others think so it was easy for me to keep it moving and focus on what I needed to do. One video would take me an entire day and night to upload, (lol!) I quickly realized that if I wanted to do this I had to get a better internet so I did. 

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My first 100 subs came fast as I campaigned on my personal Facebook account at the time, while 500 subs took a few months but it came 8 months later I got my first 1000 so that was an amazing experience I'll never forget. I still vlog daily using my same techniques, whatever happens in my day that's what I film, nothing planned.

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It is also fun that any video with the entire family on vacation is always a hit for my channel.

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For someone who wants to get into content creation, what is your advice?

If I knew then what I know now, I would have researched first and make a new channel and not use the account I have created years prior, I would not just jump in blindly not knowing a little ins and outs of Youtube first

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The mistake I made so far was accepting too many gifted promotions from companies when they could be paid, so always know your worth. Also, find what you are most comfortable with and stick to it.

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Never be afraid to own what you do, your job just like any 9-5, capture your moments when you see them with fairness, make it a priority

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How did you finally commit to X platform rather than your regular day job?

It wasn't hard as I was already a stay at home mom. It just means the work gets doubled. I still might go back to a 9-5 who knows as I still consider myself a small Youtuber.

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Tell us your best milestones in being a content creator.

The biggest highlight of being a Youtuber is being recognized wherever you go by at least 1 person and they tell you how much you have changed their life through your positivity and laughter each day. I have built long lasting bonds and friendships all over the world…. Here are some photos of us meeting subscribers in NYC and Jamaica:

What are your marketing strategies to grow your brand?

Honestly, the strategies I use are to communicate with my audience as much as possible so they feel close to you, promote your other social platforms, watch and support other creators like yourself so others can see you.

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I do not have a team so it's a lot of work and time that goes into my channel and I don't have just 1 channel however, “The Delaveaus” which is our family channel is the biggest. I have appeared on other channels like mine and that helped a bit. It wasn't much gain but it still helps today even if one person will show up saying they saw us in such a video. 
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How do you handle brand deals and sponsorships? 

I have never reached out to any brand, only they reached out to me, I have only accepted gifted promotions until recently I changed those to paid promotions so I am fairly new in that department and wouldn't be the best person to give advice on such. I accept brands based on what they stand for. I always research a brand before I accept it to know if it's legit or not.

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Always remember to know your worth and don't be afraid to dish your proposal. I have never negotiated before on a deal, I give my proposal and you accept or not, not saying I wouldn't in the future.