You probably know Robby Ayala for his silly Vine videos, and if you do, you're not alone. The Vine star has 3.2 million followers (and counting), which elevated him to a full-time job with social ad agency Niche. Yes, he gets paid to goof off.
We talked with Robby about what makes a killer Vine and what he can't live without (hint: it's got quite a beat).
GWC: What is the biggest challenge when it comes to working in such a short format, like Vine?
Robby: I think the hardest part about getting really condensed content, is finding a certain point in time on the Vine where you deliver your punchline or joke. With me I wait till the very very end, but sometimes a lot of people do it in the beginning. I think the hardest part is figuring out when to deliver the punchline.
GWC:What's the creative process behind your Vines?
Robby: A lot of my stuff are just daily observations and I mess around with them in my head and think of what would be a really funny scenario that could come from that. The other day, I went to the grocery store where they had a lobster tank. I was with my mom, and I was like, "Wouldn't it be funny if someone thought that it was an aquarium for pets?" So, I just acted it out. So, I just mess around with it in my head and try to go with the funniest thing possible.
GWC:
What's one weird fact about you that your followers don't know?
Robby: Oh I worked at a
Cold Stone Creamery in college for like two years. I would sing to the customers and do all that awful stuff when would they tip you. Yeah. It was bad.
GWC:
How do your viewers influence the Vines you make?
Robby: I try not to let [negative comments] influence me because that's how a lot of people change their content. If they see a lot of negative comments, they go, "Oh, I'm not doing that again," and that strays them away from being authentic and organic. It [the negative comments] does affect you, but you can't let it change your content. You have to brush it off. The positive stuff is awesome; it's so cool seeing everybody like the stuff you post.
GWC: Did you ever analyze which posts ended up being more popular and try to recreate things that are similar to that?
Robby: Yeah, absolutely. Not the same exact ideas, but go off the same theme of successful Vines. Though people can always tell that you've done the similar ones, so you always have to go with something new. I've definitely done that in the past, like "oh this one's awesome let me try to redo it a different way."
GWC: What themes do you think define your Vines?
Robby: Oh boy. I don't think I have one. I try to be really random and authentic. I don't have a music base, some Viners have all music Vines or dancing. I don't really have a theme I guess is the answer.
GWC: What are three things you can't live without?
Robby: Oh, that's a good question. Number one, music. We're talking like seriously here or hypothetically? Oh [hypothetically]? Oh cause I was like, water, food, then music, family and friends.
GWC: As a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Robby: I wanted to be a veterinarian, I had all these pet toys and I would carry them around the house and take care of them. When I was little, that's what I wanted to be and now I'm taking selfies.
GWC: Has making Vines ever gotten to become a chore for you, and what would you do about that? Robby: No, not necessarily. To make a successful Vine, you have to have fun doing it. Most of the Vines I've made, I've had a really fun time making it, and those are always the most successful. When people treat it like a chore saying, "Oh, I haven't posted in three days. I have to make a Vine, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube," you lose what makes it special and fun. I try not to think like that because it will alter your content and make it seemed forced.
GWC: What advice do you have for getting your Vines popular?
Robby:I would just have fun with it. Put thought into making funny skits, and just post it. Don't overanalyze or overthink it. It sounds kinda corny but it's all about having fun with what you make.
Check out Robby's Vine account here!