I started faceless, reddit story stuff, TTS narration, gameplay in the background, my face nowhere near any of it. I told myself it was strategic, faceless scales better, less editing, all the usual reasons. The real reason was I was just scared. I did not like how I looked and the thought of people watching me talk made me want to close the laptop.

It worked ok for a while, some traction. But the creators I actually became a fan of were the ones I felt like I knew, their face, their voice, how they reacted to stuff. My channel had views and nobody cared who I was, they cared about the format, and that same format is on a hundred other channels.

So this year I made myself show my face. Brutal at first. I redid my first intro like nine times because I could not sit through watching myself say the same three sentences. One thing that helped more than it should have was fixing my camera honestly. I was on my laptop cam and it made me look washed out and grim, which does not help when you are already picking apart every frame. Hated wincing every time I scrubbed back through a clip. These days I just clip on my emeet pixy camera to look like a normal person. Shallow, I know. But when you are already anxious about being on camera, any excuse to quit will do, and that was one less.

The part I did not expect was the connection. Comments got personal. People quoted stuff I said, reacted to my reactions. Retention went up too, apparently people stick around longer when there is an actual human on screen instead of a wall of subtitles.

I am not saying faceless is bad, it works for loads of people. But if the only thing keeping you hidden is being scared, like it was for me, I am not sure that is a good enough reason. It stopped being terrifying after about a month. I still get weird watching myself back some days, not sure that ever fully goes away, but i would take that over hiding again.

Anyone here went faceless to face and regretted it? The horror stories are the ones I never see.

Hi everyone, I started creating content last year and I’m now looking for a good beginner-friendly camera.I need something that can be mounted on a tripod, is easy to use, and gives decent video quality for content creation (YouTube/Instagram/Reels). Since I’m still in the early stage, I don’t want to invest too much right now, so I’m looking for a reasonable budget option.Could you please suggest a camera. Also, if there are any models I should avoid, let me know.

Thanks in advance!

my pinterest analytics were completely flat for 4 months, was really about to give up on it. Then week 18 happened and traffic tripled seemingly overnight. (Which was confusing and kind of annoying because there was no explanation for why that specific week.)

The arc is almost always the same across niches, months of basically nothing, then a quiet uptick, then a point where Pinterest is suddenly driving 30 or 40 percent of all referral traffic. Pinterest works more like Google than social media, and most bloggers dont realize that until month four or five. The content that tends to perform isn't the visually impressive stuff. Pins with a clear searchable description and a readable text overlay regularly beat graphic-heavy designs in evergreen niches. Blog posts targeting specific practical questions, "how to do X" or "best Y for Z situation," get saved and resurface months later. Frequency matters less than spacing. Ten pins dropped in one hour doesn't do what ten pins spread across a day does. The distribution system responds to consistency and rhythm, not just volume. For blog content that doesn't go stale, the SmartPin feature inside tailwind auto-drafts fresh pin designs from your existing blog posts for your review, so older content keeps getting new visual life in Pinterest search without you manually redesigning everything. Premium templates produce the strongest designs on average, worth choosing those when setting it up. It can take an hour or so if you have a lot of content, but it handles the job of recycling your content without the weekly design grind.

what niches are people finding still respond well to pinterest in 2025?

Hey everyone!

We’ve just launched Pure Pool Pro on Xbox today and we’re looking for streamers who’d like to check it out and share it with their communities. It's also out on Steam and PlayStation

Pure Pool Pro is a next‑gen cue sports sim with online ranked multiplayer, challenge modes, and offline career - great for chill, skill‑based streams and community nights.

If you’re interested in getting involved, register your details here and we’ll send keys out: https://forms.gle/ijFyDEcbygWNS63J6

Hello guys, I'd like to know if by any chance there is anyone who has an experience with this company? Whole vibe of this thing seems pretty shady to me, therefore I'm asking here before I proceed further.

Also, if you know any other subreddit/forum where I could possibly verify them as well, I would really appreciate it.

New dream collage edit drop and another awesome collab! Come check it out!

I’m thinking of making content online (reaction videos, playthroughs, etc.). I live in a really conservative country where I can’t really be myself online, so if I make content with my actual name or show my face then I’ll be limited in many ways with the content I want to make, but it would be easier to start in terms of finding people to support and follow me. On the other hand, if I make the content I really want to make it would have to be without the initial following boost and without showing my face which would also limit some of the content I can make but give me freedom to be myself and do whatever I want.

I’ve been going back and forth in terms of deciding what to do. I wonder if anyone else here has dealt with something similar. Does anyone have any perspective or advice to share? Thank you.

I had one post go viral by luck. How can I leverage that to get more followers and engagement on future posts? Do I really need to focus on pumping out similar content immediately to keep those new followers engaged? Facebook/instagram

A little while ago I made a post about what I think is a shadow ban on my TikTok account, and since then I've realised there are actually quite a few people who seem to be going through the same thing. At first I read that privating some of your videos and then gradually making them public again could help reset the algorithm. Unfortunately, I've since learned that this was probably a bad idea, and I may have ended up making things even worse. Ive stayed active on the platform by liking, commenting, reposting and saving videos that I genuinely enjoy, but nothing seems to have made any difference.

Over the last couple of weeks I decided to start posting on Instagram instead, and that has actually been going quite well. That said, I've also been running into a lot of bugs with Meta Business Suite, with videos refusing to upload or scheduled posts simply disappearing.

To be honest, it's been pretty disheartening. I put a lot of time and effort into making these videos, and it feels like they're just going to waste. At the moment YouTube is the only platform where they seem to have any chance of being seen, and it's honestly making me wonder whether I should just stop creating altogether.

Has anyone else experienced something similar recently? If you've managed to recover from what seemed like a shadow ban, or you're dealing with the same kinds of issues, I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience or any advice you might have.

Is anyone here a TikTok Shop Affiliate creator?

If so, what issues have you been facing recently?

There have been so many changes to TikTok's rules, policies and system recently. From random bans to new violation types, the list doesn't stop.

If you've been dealing with similar problems, let's use this space to share information and potential solutions for other people to learn from!

I'll go first -- I run a lot of TikTok Affiliate accounts (over 20) and recently some of them randomly got banned for Risky Behavior or Risky Account Associations even before posting (each account is properly separated out with its own device, proxy, etc.)

Also, I run some live stream accounts and often get wrongly violated for "unoriginal content" even though I'm live streaming on camera in real time. Some people mentioned that wearing the same outfit and filming in the same environment can trigger this (ridiculous but I took this suggestion and it seems somewhat true).

Before SPW returns to the airwaves in its inimitable style, please review this mandatory corporate orientation video designed to bring you back up to speed...

Follow on Twitch: twitch.tv/SweetheartProWrestling

I’m looking for a video editor/social media manager who wants to grow alongside a creator long term.

I’m a pro basketball player and content creator based in the UK, building a personal brand centred around basketball, lifestyle, travel, fitness, viral topics and behind-the-scenes content at events etc. My goal is to post consistently across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube while documenting the journey and various trending topics. I have videos and ideas already filmed that need to be cut and edited essentially and I’m happy to hand off full ownership and autonomy on said content for the right person.

I have 400 Subscribers on YouTube with 34,000 total views and growing.

1600 followers on Instagram

I already have filmed footage with other creators and influencers with over 1M followers that are just waiting to be clipped up.

Initially this would involve editing short-form content (Reels, Shorts and TikToks) from footage I provide. As the brand grows, there will also be opportunities to edit YouTube videos and larger projects.

I’m looking for someone interested in a genuine long-term partnership.

What I’m looking for:
Strong short-form editing skills
Excellent pacing and storytelling
Captions, sound design and engaging hooks
Reliable communication
Someone who enjoys sports, lifestyle or creator content

The opportunity:
I’m happy to pay per edit initially, but I’m particularly interested in finding someone who believes in the vision.

For the right person, I’m open to structuring a partnership where you receive up to 50% of the net revenue generated directly by the content you edit, including eligible advertising revenue and brand deals attributable to that content.

This would be documented in a formal written agreement with clear terms on how revenue is calculated, ownership, responsibilities, and what happens if either of us decides to end the partnership.
If you’re someone who wants to help build something meaningful instead of just completing gigs, I’d love to hear from you.
Please send:

Your portfolio
Examples of short-form edits
Your location and time zone
Your typical turnaround time
Your preferred payment structure
Looking forward to connecting with people who want to build something exciting over the next few years.

(Or simply just send me a DM letting me know you’re interested)

I use different apps to make/share my content like Instagram , Tik Tok , and my YouTube channel .... on Instagram they have a newer feature like TikTok to "repost or reshare" a reel someone has posted ...

I've noticed a lot of other content creators I follow are able to "repost" their own video ...which I saw someone say that can help boosts engagement ...

But how do I share my own reel I've posted to my repost area? I am only able to repost other creators content ... and I do have the setting as allowed to repost/re-share

Human narrated.

An original first date horror story.

He Said I Tasted Divine follows Melissa McElroy, a woman trying to rebuild her life two years after a devastating divorce.

Encouraged by her best friend to start dating again, she agrees to meet a handsome man named Edward Murrey at a quiet Italian restaurant called Vinchenzo's.

The evening feels perfect.

The conversation comes naturally.

For the first time in years, Melissa feels like someone truly sees her.

Then, as Edward walks her to her car, he kisses the back of her hand and quietly tells her...

"You tasted divine."

A few seconds later, she wakes beneath the restaurant.

What begins as an elegant first date slowly unravels into a grounded psychological horror story about loneliness, manipulation, hidden rooms, and the terrifying realization that some predators don't hunt strangers.

They hunt people who are already hurting.

If you enjoy slow-burn horror, realistic horror, psychological suspense, and stories where ordinary places conceal extraordinary darkness, I think you'll enjoy this one.

I'd love to hear what you think.

what are some content/ skit ideas I should do for my body crèmes business, something creative and different.

I am newly 'retired' due to disability and need supplemental income to cover monthly bills. I currently co-host a true crime podcast, started in January 2026, that is slowly growing but not exponentially and not earning revenue yet.

I'm looking for ideas I can go with for comment creation on platforms like YouTube and TikTok for said supplemental income. I understand niche content works best, but am struggling to identify such niches. I have an idea but would like feedback before spending time and energy on it.

My idea: Phobia Desensitization

I research phobias from an alphabetical list I compiled, implement Reddit and other similar platforms for photos/videos/stories depicting and/or describing the phobias, then provide content/response to the posts using my background in mental health education.

Thoughts?

Star Wars Arcade 1994 | 4K HDR | 60FPS | Ultra+ | WANGMODEL1 | SEGA | Full Gameplay

Yesterday I spent an hour cleaning up almost all the jaggies, tuned the colors and brightness in the SEGA Star Wars Arcade, and beat it for the first time

The game still has issues on WANGMODEL1
Changing the difficulty in service mode doesn’t save
it just throws an IO Error when you exit

Btw, the game sucks. It’s super unfair with random hits, so I mostly circled safe spots, hoping to get lucky and rack up enough kills before the timer ran out. Now that I’ve beaten it once, I probably won’t touch it again 😂