We’re talking about video blogging, particularly videos about everyday life—known in English as “vlogs.” The term “vlog” has become

the more widely used term. We rarely hear “video blogging” among Arab users and visitors to the platform اليوتيوب; the person who posts these videos is called a “vlogger,”

In recent years, this type of video has become more popular in the Western world and has started to spread across the Arab world.

Some might say that a “vlogger” is someone with no useful or valuable content to offer, so they decided to film their daily lives and morning and evening outings to turn them into

Videos that can be published and earn a few dollars. On the other side, the opposing camp might say that these videos are actually among

the most valuable types of content because they capture people’s experiences and life lessons—and show actions, not just words. Between these two viewpoints, we can take

a middle path.

In this article, we’ll analyze and explore vlogging in general, and take a closer look at a Canadian vlogger who

achieved remarkable success on YouTube, surpassing 2 million subscribers in record time—less than a year. He is the YouTuber Peter McKinnon, also known as

“Peter McKinnon,” who publishes videos with a personal touch, ranging from vlogs that offer glimpses into his life to educational content.

Useful for photography enthusiasts and visual content creators.

The goal is to understand what makes any vlogger successful, why some succeed while others fail, and what Arab and non-Arab vloggers need to achieve success and

then compete by creating content worth sharing and preserving, so it can be enjoyed now and in the future.

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1. A Life Worth Documenting

Before asking themselves, “Will I succeed at creating this kind of content?”, they should ask: “Is my life as it is now worth documenting and sharing?”

What does their typical daily and weekly routine look like? Is there anything distinctive—or several things—they do that could provide rich material for useful content, or are they simply

An ordinary person living in an ordinary community and doing ordinary things?

Living in a foreign country and posting “vlogs” for an Arab audience can be one factor in your success. Of course, it doesn’t mean a YouTuber can only succeed for this reason.

alone. There are other factors, of course, but Arab viewers enjoy seeing what life is like on the other side of the world, in countries they may never have had the chance to visit or experience firsthand.

That’s why they may be drawn to what someone films, even if the videos are ordinary, while they might not

be as interested in another YouTuber who posts better vlogs but lives in the same country, or perhaps even the same city.

There are many examples of Arab content creators who have achieved good success on YouTube. One reason is that they live in other countries,

such as Mohsen from Yemen, who lives in America, and Karim from Egypt, who lives in Britain, among others.

This doesn’t mean you have to travel abroad to start filming daily or weekly vlogs. You can have a rich life while living

In their hometown, among relatives and friends, someone may be active, with many activities and interests, and may find things from their daily life worth documenting and sharing.

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2. Achievements Worth Sharing

You could say that this profession is primarily for people with experience. By that, we mean older people—not necessarily the elderly, but those who are over

30 or 40 years old. They may have considerable experience and are likely to have reached positions that enable them to speak, publish, and contribute.

As for younger people who are still making their way in life, they are at a stage where they have more to learn than to give. There is still a great deal for them to learn and experience. It has been said that, in

the division of life into stages, the period between 20 and 30 is characterized more by learning than giving, while between 30 and 40, the level

Giving is close to receiving—until after the age of 40, when giving becomes greater than receiving. Receiving can mean learning and benefiting from life experiences

and the experiences of others, while giving means sharing knowledge and experience and helping others with what you know.

One example is Casey Neistat, who is now approaching 40, and whose channel is nearing 10 million subscribers. When he started the idea of posting daily

(Daily Vlogs), he had a fledgling project and a startup he was running (Beme, a company built around a social app). At the same time, he already had a solid track record of

achievements and experience. He began filming and publishing to share with his audience the story of an entrepreneur working his way toward success. He was also passionate about creating

video content and had a talent that helped him achieve remarkable success.

Viewers want to get something useful out of every video, even if it’s just a little. They’re not simply there to follow someone’s trips to and from the gym or listen to conversations that

may be boring. They want to share in some of the creator’s real-life experiences—their successes and setbacks—and learn from the lessons the YouTuber learns and shares with others

through the lens of their camera.

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3. The Power of Personal Charisma

Personality plays a central role. Some people have an amazing ability to draw others to them. Their way of speaking, expressions, and certain mannerisms, as seen

through the camera lens, all give the channel owner a distinctive character. They play a key role in connecting viewers with the channel and its creator, so you’ll find that channel subscribers are drawn to

for every new video he posts on his channel.

Honesty and being yourself are what best bring out a YouTuber’s true personality and build a human connection with their subscribers. Even so, certain personality traits

that may create what’s known as “كاريزما” are difficult to control. They’re a God-given talent that some people have and others don’t. But

this shouldn’t be an obstacle for any content creator who has something valuable to share.

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4. The Art of Storytelling

A professional vlogger can turn the events of their day or week into a story with a beginning and an end, whose parts are connected and flow together. To

build that story, the vlogger should film many moments from their day so they can choose the most suitable shots during editing. They may even use

older footage to support the story’s structure and plot, keeping viewers engaged throughout the video.

Naturally, a video should revolve around a central topic—as articles and other types of content do. The challenge is that this kind of video

(a vlog) consists of varied clips from scattered daily events: a glimpse into the life of a YouTuber carrying a camera and going about their routine activities. A

successful vlogger manages to bring both elements together: a central topic for the video, while also maintaining a sequence of events.

and showcase glimpses of their everyday activities.

In a standard video, the person stands in front of the camera and talks about the topic they’ll later use as the video’s title. In a vlog, the topic is

woven into the events and scenes, blending discussion with practical activities that complement one another. As mentioned, the creator may also use old footage

or even scenes from external content to get the idea across as effectively as possible.

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5. The Art of Video Editing

After a long day of filming and documenting, an important step follows: selecting a few scenes and discarding most of the recorded footage. This is where

The art of selecting and choosing comes into play, along with the small finishing touches that enhance the final look of the video. To do this, a vlogger should be

familiar with at least one professional editing program, such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

There are many techniques a person learns through hands-on practice. A vlogger doesn’t need to have a wide range of skills from the very first day they start filming,

but they should at least have a passion that keeps them learning and improving day after day, and enables them to sit in front of an

editing program for hours without getting bored. They should have a strong desire to create something original and publish enjoyable content that delights viewers—and brings them joy on the Day of Judgment.

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You Don’t Have to Be a Vlogger

Finally, you don’t have to be a vlogger. You can be a YouTuber who shares generally useful and informative content without revealing anything about your life.

Personality. Creating educational content suits anyone with knowledge and experience in any field. Unlike vlogs, it can

remain useful and relevant for many years, reaching a large audience in the future. Its title reflects its content, so people searching for it will find it.

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أخيراً …

Those are some of the factors I consider essential to any vlogger’s success, drawn from my modest experience closely following several vloggers

—both Arab and international—who post daily or almost daily on YouTube. Of course, there are other factors, but I consider them secondary, including the equipment used

such as the camera and other tools. But even if someone films with a smartphone camera, the difference won’t be significant if they have the earlier factors that form

the solid foundation for any vlogger creating video content on YouTube.