Judy Travis began sharing videos of beauty tips that she recorded on her handheld camera when she was in college. 7 years later, she is a mom of 3 girls, has 5 YouTube channels, millions of subscribers, hundreds of millions of views, and both her and her husband have made a career leveraging her thriving YouTube presence. Judy's channels include a beauty channel (ItsJudy Time), a daily vlog highlighting the everyday moments of her life (ItsJudy's Life), a channel highlighting her "mommy" life (ItsMommy'sLife), and a channel of her beauty tips translated in Spanish (BellezaConJudy), while her husband also has a channel focused on cooking (BenjiManTV).
How did Judy build this large following? How do her and her husband make a living on YouTube? What is the daily schedule of a mompreneur YouTube star? Judy provides these answers and more in our interview.
You now make a living on YouTube but you didn't start out that way. How did you get started?
While I was a college student I discovered a makeup tutorial by Michelle Phan and at the time long videos were rare (the tutorial was 2 to 3 minutes). I already had a passion for makeup but this just excited me. From that beauty video I discovered YouTube. I just wanted to share simple tips and tricks that I knew as a college student and as a beauty lover. I put up my first video on how to curl your hair with a flat iron and I saw that people were watching. They requested more videos and that is how it started.
Did your channel evolve naturally? Do you have any idea how people found you?
[When I launched my channel] it was around the time that YouTube was starting to boom and people were just starting to discover YouTube. There weren't many creators at the time. It was a smaller community and it was easier to search for specific videos. And I think because of that I was able to grow faster.
So would you say a little of it was being at the right place at the right time?
I'd say so.
How long did it take you to launch your second channel?
I think 2 years later, around 2010. I began featuring my boyfriend (now husband) more and then I started daily vlogging in fall 2011.
From 2008 to 2011 what were you daily numbers like? Do you think daily vlogging and launching another channel is what boosted you?
My beauty channel was big at the time (when I started daily vlogging), I had several million views. The daily blog was the "baby" channel to get more of me outside of just beauty. I started daily vlogging in fall 2011...within a year the daily blog overtook views of the beauty channel...the beauty channel was an average of 4 million views/month and the daily blog was at 5-8million views/month.
Who do you think is watching and what is the appeal?
Friends, girlfriends, the "girl next door"...I am the "girl next door", I'm relatable. Viewers have grown with me...I started out in college, than started a family, and I find that my viewers are at the same point in their life.
Can you share the technology you used when just starting out and the technology that you use now?
Back then we used a tiny handheld Canon PowerShot camera and I also used a webcam on the MacBook. Now I use a Canon S120 which takes great video and great pictures for the blog. For editing, I now use Final Cut Pro but before that I used Movie Maker and iMovie.
Is it just you or your husband shooting your videos? No third parties shooting?
No just us. Oh, and well sometimes our girls will vlog.
Both of you do this full time? How long did it take for this to be what you both were doing full time?
In early 2011 I found that I was making more money on YouTube than at my full time job. My husband began full time the beginning of 2014. My husband worked in real estate, so before that he would help to manage the business part time. Now he manages sponsorships and business relationships and all aspects of the business full time. He also started his own channel sharing his passion for food.
What are your tips for people who are trying to build a YouTube presence now?
Focus on what you want, knowing what your content will be. For instance, if you want to be a mommy blogger and show your favorites, be consistent and do a monthly favorite...don't just post every so often. Post at least once a week so viewers know when to expect a video and they will stay with you. Be consistent. Don't be too broad in your content, be more niche specific. Now you have to be very focused on topic and audience. I find channels being specific are more successful. You just need a web cab and natural lighting. I think as long as you are likable anyone will watch.
Do you actively promote your channel or is your following mainly from organic traffic? Are keywords a big deal?
I think it is more organic because I have been on YouTube for so long. What is helpful is Facebook. Post your videos directly on Facebook, don't embed a YouTube video. I post a snipet of the vlog directly on Facebook, small cute moments...Facebook doesn't necessarily like sharing YouTube videos so I find that posting (videos directly) on Facebook is effective (and drives more reach and views). I also use Instagram, Twitter, and am just starting to use Periscope.
Where do your revenues come from?
(Judy's husband Benji, the business manager responds): The majority of income is from Google AdSense or Google revenue from ads. We also drive revenues by working with brands on sponsorships.
As a mompreneur, doing what you do, what's your daily work schedule like?
I can't get any work done when I'm around the kids. The only time I have to edit and work on the vlog is when the girls are napping -- so that is when I edit. Then when they go down again at 10 p.m. is when I finish editing.
What beauty product do you recommend for busy moms?
A long lasting lip stick so you don't have to touch up throughout the day. I use Rimmel Provocalips.
What is your Mompreneur Mantra or the one piece of advice that you would give to fellow mompreneurs?
As a mom who wants to take care of her kids and still pursue her passion, I gladly get help from my family when work needs to get done.
Anjali Varma is "The Modern Mompreneur", her site and YouTube channel provide entrepreneurship and lifestyle tips. Anjali recently launched a Marketing On A Shoestring Budget e-Course to help entrepreneurs market and get PR for their business at little or no cost. She is also the owner of Kidville Bethesda, an enrichment facility that offers classes, retail, haircuts, and birthday parties for newborns - 6 years old. You can find Anjali on Twitter and Instagram @anjvarma.