Faceless creators have become something of a phenomenon right now. Choosing to remain anonymous – keeping both their real name and appearance under wraps – the idea is to let the social media content speak for itself. And the frisson of mystery doesn’t hurt, either. With more creators and influencers than ever before choosing this route, we take a look at why it’s become so appealing.
Audience Relatability
By remaining faceless, anonymous creators have a better chance of appealing – and relating to – a wider audience. There are no audience assumptions regarding, say, their age, gender, or appearance. Some examples? A well-known fashion and beauty influencer who wants to create content on contemporary theatre may struggle to shake off audience assumptions. Similarly, a creator in their fifties may (however wrongly) feel that there are barriers to their ability to reach out to a younger audience.
A faceless social media profile, however, has the opportunity to represent universal ideas or messages without prejudice.
The Focus Stays on the Content
As we mentioned at the top, by using voice over and keeping their real name and face out of the picture, the content remains front and center. There’s no distraction by the creator’s identity, lifestyle, or anything they may be known for.
It’s a great way to highlight the creativity and quality of the content without the risk of the creator’s personality overshadowing their work.
Increased Authority Within a Niche
There’s a major plus to letting your content do the talking: you have the opportunity to build a super-engaged audience and become an authority within your niche. Social media creators and influencers who choose to remain anonymous but create consistent, quality content tend to have viewers who keep coming back for their high-value videos and guides.
The Privacy Factor
For social media creators who want to keep their identities on the down low for reasons of privacy and security, going the faceless route is a great idea. If you’d prefer to keep your creating career separate from your private life, remaining anonymous offers peace of mind.
According to a recent survey by Later, around 43% of creators experience burnout as a result of the pressure of being always in the spotlight. As well as being draining, this can lead to a drop in content quality, or even the creator deciding to step away from their digital career for a while.
The Benefits for Brands
Brands are getting on board with the faceless creator trend, too, recognizing its many benefits. For one, hitting up a faceless creator is typically significantly less expensive than shelling out for a celebrity influence deal; plus, brand safety is maintained by keeping the creator’s personal life separate from the marketing message.
As well as keeping the focus on authenticity – something consumers are increasingly concerned with – there’s also the potential for brands to scale up reach, by collaborating with multiple anonymous creators operating in the same niche.
Tips to Get Started as a Social Media Faceless Creator
If faceless content creation sounds appealing, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your content has its own personality – even while yours is kept under wraps.
Branding Consistency
Make your content stand out and boost its audience recognition factor by creating a solid brand image. This could include a motif, logo, avatar, colors, backdrop, or music that you use in all content.
Consider Voice Over
As you’ll be keeping yourself out of the content, you’ll need to consider how the voice over element will work. You may want to simply record your own voice or alternatively opt for an AI-generated voice-over if you’d prefer to keep your voice anonymous, too.
Make the Most of Digital Tools and Assets
Boost your content’s message and value by making the most of the wide range of digital tools and assets available, such as stock photos and video footage, innovative templates, and music and sound effects.
The Future
While the past decade may have been very much about personality branding within the social media creator space, the tide is turning. Today, digital marketing is driven by a focus on content quality over personality, with the underlying ethic being that anyone has the power to make a positive impact.
In the near future, expect to see more social media creators choosing the faceless, anonymous route, with an emphasis on unique, consistently high-quality content that doesn’t rely on a knowledge of the creator’s style, lifestyle, or persona to be effective.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Daily Caller were not involved in the creation of this content.
