BTC Exclusive: Brad Mondo’s Social Media Tips For Stylists
Brad Mondo Talks Content Creation + Social Media Tips
Watching someone try to bleach their own hair at home makes you want to cringe, right? Same for Brad Mondo (@bradmondonyc), the social media sensation whose “Hairdresser Reacts” videos on YouTube earned him more than 6 million subscribers. BTC chatted with Brad about his social media career and his advice for stylists, so keep reading for his top three tips for content creators and more juicy details!
More background on Brad: He grew up in his father’s hair salon, and always knew the stylist world was the career he wanted. At the same time, he was fascinated by YouTube and was eager to create his own niche using the platform. Fast forward to now—he’s not only garnered a massive YouTube following, but he’s also exploded on TikTok, with 6 million followers, and on Instagram, with 1.5 million. He’s super skilled at adapting his approach to every platform, and he even released his own line of products, XMONDO.
A Viral Sensation: “Hairdresser Reacts To DIY Fails”
Is it every stylist’s worst nightmare to watch a non-hairdresser DIY their own hair? Probably—but that’s why Brad started “reacting” to at-home hair videos. Instead of roasting people for what they did wrong, he tries to coach them on what they should try next time, while educating them on why salon pros should be the ones to do the heavy lifting.
“It’s really heartbreaking,” he said about the hair fails he’s seen. “Every year there’s one more person who outdoes the last person. How do you guys keep coloring your hair when you know it’s already falling off?…It’s heartbreaking to watch these girls ruin their hair. Their confidence goes down.”
But especially now, in a COVID-19 world, more and more people are attempting hair at home. To Brad, there will always be people who will try things at home, even if stylists wish they wouldn’t. What’s important is that they understand how to minimize damage and care for their hair properly.
Creating XMONDO
“When I created my own line, I just wanted user-friendly products for the average consumer with professional salon quality,” he said. So he started XMONDO, a line of shampoos, conditioners, treatments and stylers with the tagline “Bold Looks: Zero F*cks.”
And as part of the research and development of the line, Brad turned to his fave platform: YouTube. “I owe YouTube for a lot of my education for different ethnicity hair types,” he said. “Through videos of people explaining what they like and what they don’t like, I’ve used that information to make my own products for people with hair not like mine. When we’re stuck on a product and wondering what a curly-haired girl would love in a certain shampoo, we’ll watch 25 YouTube reviews on shampoo and write down every single note.”
So, How Do You Become Successful On YouTube?
In terms of how social media shakes out, pro stylists seem to use Instagram more than YouTube. To Brad, that means there’s huge opportunity for stylists to get in the YouTube game. He shared some tips for stylists who want to push their content for any platform to the next level.
1. Be yourself and be authentic. “That’s what people gravitate towards,” he said. “Even if you hate the world and that’s your attitude—okay, show everybody else that you hate the world! It’s relatable, people want to see the authentic you.”
2. Be consistent in posting. “Choose a day of the week where you’re going to post, and make sure to be constantly posting on your platform,” he said.
3. Find the best content type for you. “It might take a while for some people to perfect their content—it took me like 50 videos to do anything on YouTube—but you have to keep pushing yourself and pushing your boundaries and trying things out,” he said.
How To Handle Haters
With someone with as massive a following as Brad, of course not every comment he gets is peachy. “It’s hard spending so many years perfecting what I do and loving what I do and then being told, ‘You’re fake, you’re phony,’” he said. “But in order to do social media, you just have to say ‘f*ck it,’ and have a thick skin and not worry about other people.”
His advice to stylists who are working on being an influencer? “Ignore as many comments as you can. People don’t know what they’re talking about, they’re honestly just writing a quick comment under your stuff, and I have to remember that all the time,” he said. “I just repeat to myself that this doesn’t matter, and what I’m doing is great—I set my goal and just achieve the goal and ignore the stupid sh*t that comes with it.”
Use Analytics To Guide Your Content—But Don’t Rely On It Too Much
Whether you’re just starting to create content or you’re a full-fledged influencer, sometimes what you post might not go viral. And that’s okay, Brad said. Experiment and do what feels right for you.
“Sometimes I post content that I know will actually not do well on my channel, but I feel very passionate about it,” he said. “I’ve stopped looking at the numbers for a full 24 hours after I post…that helped me tremendously.”
He’s also noticed a piece of content finding its footing later on. “I’ve noticed a video will do really bad and later on, it will find its audience, even up to a year later,” he said. “Well, good thing I made that thing I didn’t think would do well just because I wanted to make it.”
It can be really hard to lighten up about the data you see on your account, but try to find a balance of creating what your audience wants AND what fuels your own fire.
“It shouldn’t be about the numbers, truly,” he said. “When it becomes your job, it does matter, but being happy and loving what you do definitely comes first, and people will follow you and recognize that if you’re creating something that you love.”
Watch The Entire Interview Below!
