Podcast Summary

Episode Overview

Podcast: The Think Media Podcast
Episode: 483: How to Start Vlogging in 2026 (Even If Your Life Is Boring)
Host: Sean Cannell (Think Media)
Guest: Benji Travis (Multi-channel YouTube Creator; Food Vlogger, Vlogger Academy)
Release Date: February 3, 2026

In this episode, Sean Cannell sits down with veteran creator Benji Travis to discuss the “new way” of vlogging for 2026 and beyond. The conversation is geared toward people who want to start vlogging—even if they believe their life is “boring”—and focuses on 10 practical tips to begin, grow, and stand out with long-form, interest-based vlogs on YouTube. Benji shares key mindsets, actionable strategies, and inspiring stories from his students and personal experience, all utilizing a more authentic, less polished approach that taps into emerging viewer behavior and platform trends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why 2026 is a Great Time to Start Vlogging (02:07)

• Shift in Viewer Preferences: Audiences are fatigued with overproduced content and crave a more relaxed, authentic, deep-dive experience.
• The Rise of TV Viewing: With YouTube being consumed more on living room TVs, longer videos are now favored.
• Appetite for Depth: Modern audiences are looking for content that goes beyond short-form, shallow takes.

"People are desiring that more relaxed type of viewing experience. So vlogging is perfect for that... With the living room, with the TV, people want longer videos."
— Benji (02:07)

2. The “New Way” of Vlogging: Theme Over Timeline (03:00, 09:12)

• Stop vlogging your entire day; instead, film just one interesting part that's aligned with your chosen theme.
• The old way: celebrity-inspired, full-day vlogs; the new way: focused, topical, and interest-driven.
• This approach simplifies filming and editing, and plays better to both viewers and the algorithm.

"The new way to vlog is vlog one part of your day, part of your day that's related to a topic that you're interested in... and, more importantly, the viewer is interested."
— Benji (03:18)

• Student Example (Carrie): Started documenting only specific moments of her weight loss journey, focusing on relatable rants or key takeaways. Even with no fancy editing, her videos rapidly gained traction.

3. Practical Tips for Aspiring Vloggers

(Each with a distinct actionable focus)

• 1. Stop filming your whole day—film one interesting thing (03:00)
• 2. Pick a theme, not a niche (08:24, 09:12)
  • Picking a theme vs. a strict niche gives flexibility and guards against pigeonholing your channel too early.
  • "What do you want to be known for? ... Pick a theme, because it's more broad, gives you a little more flexibility—still an umbrella that influences all the content versus a niche which kind of like bottlenecks you into just like one specific thing."
    — Benji (09:12)
• 3. Talk to one person, not the whole Internet (11:03)
  • Pretend you’re talking to a friend; this authenticity lowers your guard and resonates better.
  • "Talk on camera as if you were talking to your best friend."
    — Benji (11:08)
• 4. Share a takeaway, not a timeline (14:02)
  • Focus your vlog around a specific realization, tip, or story arc—the “moral” of your video.
• 5. Opinions beat expertise (15:59, 17:06)
  • Viewers value relatable opinions and perspectives more than credentials.
  • "If you wait to be an expert, you might never upload a video… Your opinion is an easy way to tell a story around the topic that you're covering."
    — Benji (17:06)
• 6. Show the process, not the highlight reel (18:28)
  • Raw, unpolished, “in-between” moments make your content real and relatable.
  • Benji describes uploading a video without any editing; viewers loved the "relaxed version" and it performed well.
• 7. Make one long clip instead of 30 little ones (25:07)
  • Long-form videos (30 minutes or more) are rewarded by YouTube's algorithm and preferred for TV viewing.
  • "My top three performing videos are above 30 minutes… when you hit that threshold of 30 minutes, and this is why the second is an hour really is like an hour and beyond, two- and three-hour videos are winning."
    — Benji (25:48)
• 8. Use your real voice—including imperfections (31:36)
  • Authenticity trumps polish in the new YouTube algorithm.
• 9. Don’t chase views—chase volume (32:37)
  • Consistency and volume (uploading often) fosters viewer loyalty and comfort viewing.
  • "The mere exposure effect is explaining that… you end up becoming close [with a creator] just from the fact that you've been exposed to them many times. The same thing happens on YouTube."
    — Benji (34:15)
• 10. Your ‘boring’ life is someone else’s comfort TV (38:27, 40:09)
  • Just because your life feels normal to you doesn’t mean it isn’t valuable or interesting to others.
  • "People need to differentiate with the setting that you're recording in and the topic you're talking about. So yeah, your general life might be boring… it's what you're talking about that's interesting."
    — Benji (40:09)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Interest-based Content Wins
  "It's not based off of your influence, it's based off of your interest. And we call it interest media."
  — Benji (07:09)

• Editing Made Simple
  "You just film one interesting thing...You might even just film it straight through. Just talk for 12 minutes and then upload that clip. So it allows the beginner to start filming fast without overthinking."
  — Sean (05:18)

• On the Value of Volume/Consistency
  "The reps are great to get the experience and be comfortable to do this new vlogging method, but the reps are still important...because you want to show up in people's lives."
  — Benji (35:37)

• YouTube’s Algorithm Loves Long Videos
  "If my AVD [Average View Duration] is longer, the amount of time the average viewer is watching, the more likely that YouTube will want to suggest my video."
  — Benji (30:26)

• The Comfort of "Boring" Content
  "Your boring life is somebody else's comfort TV."
  — Sean (38:27)
  "There's something that you already do that is compelling enough to keep someone's attention for a long period of time. You just need to put that onto video."
  — Benji (42:20)

Important Timestamps

• 02:07 — Why now is the best time to start vlogging
• 03:18 — Old vs. new methods of vlogging; focusing on one part of your day/theme
• 05:51 — Case study: Carrie’s weight loss vlogging success
• 09:12 — The power of picking a broad theme
• 11:08 — Speaking authentically to one person
• 14:02 — Sharing takeaways over timelines
• 17:06 — Why your opinions matter more than expertise
• 19:13 — Example of raw, unedited vlogging process
• 22:04 — Benji’s no-edit, start-to-finish upload
• 25:07 — Long-form vlog format and TV-era viewing
• 32:37 — The value of uploading volume
• 40:09 — Final encouragement: your normal is valuable
• 42:20–45:32 — Relatable stories about creators with "boring" setups earning huge engagement

Additional Resources Mentioned

• Vlogger Academy Masterclass: Free, in-depth training on launching a vlog channel – vloggeracademy.com (38:50)
• Think Media Podcast – Part One: Deeper dive into the opportunity and mindset shift for vlogging (38:27)

Summary Takeaway

This episode demystifies the barriers to entry for new vloggers and empowers all listeners—regardless of how "boring" they think their lives are—to start creating engaging, interest-driven content. The emphasis is on authenticity, frequency, and leveraging long-form video formats for the YouTube TV era. If you’re hesitating because you don’t have a glamorous life or fancy equipment, the bottom line is: start now. Film what you care about, show your process, share your opinions, and let the algorithm and audience find you. Your unique voice and everyday experiences might just be what the next viewer is comfort-scrolling for.

“Punch fear in the face, press record... Your boring life is someone else’s comfort TV.”
— The Think Media Podcast, Episode 483