Sabelo Hadebe is one of the country’s favourite social media content creators. He’s funny, fearless, and authentic. Turns out, he’s also a great speaker and strategist.
During our interview, I suggest that he speaks more as a guest on podcasts and confidently, he points out the notoriety of South African podcasts in shifting the narrative to something negative, setting an agenda of their own and I fully get that.
In today’s social media age where content is king, the KZN-born digital influencer has carved out a lucrative niche in the space. Earning a six-figure income through vlogging, he’s become a beacon of success in a rapidly growing industry—and you simply can’t scroll past him on the TL.
The influencer economy is booming in Mzansi, with the industry valued at over R1 billion and continuing to grow. But with so many vying for attention, how do you rise above the noise? Sabelo The Kreator, a master at turning views into revenue, shares his blueprint for success with OCZA.Online. Are you ready to transform your content into cash?
“I’d rather have 5 brands that value me and the work that I do than have 20 brands that don’t value me”
I was genuinely excited for this conversation. I’ve known Sabelo for over nine years—he’s been a close friend since our varsity days. What many don’t realise is that Sabelo isn’t just clever and social media savvy; he’s a marketing graduate with serious insights. With experience working with top brands like Coca-Cola, Unilever, Woolworths, and Eucerin, the ever-witty Sabz shared his next big move, “my next goal is go international with the work that I do.”
During our conversation, I picked up valuable insights that anyone looking to break into the social media space should learn. I’ve distilled Sabelo’s wisdom into eight key lessons—essential tips for anyone aiming to make their mark online.
Lesson 1: Start with content you’re passionate about
Key to Authenticity and Longevity
For Sabelo, the foundation of successful content creation lies in passion. He advises, “If you love fashion, start with that. If you love food, start there. A lot of people chase trends, but it ends up feeling like a job. If you do what you love, it comes naturally and doesn’t feel like work.”
He adds that passion and authenticity resonate to the audience, and his shines through in everything he does: “I’m very authentic, and I create whatever I like, and my community loves it.” His audience resonates with his humour and genuine personality, making his content relatable and engaging. Sabelo advises against imitating others, stressing the importance of staying true to yourself in a saturated market. “Most of my audience knows that I’m funny, even though I do home videos. I have funny moments every now and then,” he says.
Lesson 2: Build a Community, Not Just a Following
Sabelo, who boasts over 186K followers on Instagram alone, believes that the size of your following is less important than the strength of your community. “For me, community matters more than 100k followers who don’t engage with you,” he says. Brands are increasingly valuing authentic engagement over sheer numbers, seeking content creators who can truly connect with their audience.
He suggests positioning yourself in a way that attracts brands by showcasing how well your followers engage with your content. Providing analytics and demonstrating your community’s involvement can make you more appealing to potential collaborators. “It’s all about how you position yourself to be attractive to those brands,” Sabelo notes.
Part of building that relationship with your audience, he adds, is involving them in your life’s developments. “For instance, if I’m moving into a new apartment, my audience is expecting me to furnish the apartment and buy some homeware, so it’s important that I bring them on that journey to build that connection with them.”
Lesson 3: Essential Skills for Content Creators
Mastering Brand Language, Engagement, and Business Savvy
According to Sabelo, three key skills are crucial for success in content creation:
- Brand Language: How you communicate with brands matters. From email negotiations to pitching ideas, maintaining a professional yet authentic tone is essential. Sabelo shares, “In my emails, as much as I will be professional, I’m still fun and witty to show more of myself to the brand. Sometimes I’ll suggest a call to negotiate ways that work for both me and the brands wanting to work with me if I see [that] there’s alignment.”
- Engagement: Interaction with your audience is vital. Responding to comments, handling negative feedback, and maintaining consistent behaviour across your platforms all contribute to your brand’s image.
- Entrepreneurial Mindset: Treat your social media account as a business. “I don’t treat myself like an influencer but as a business. I’m running a business, and I need to make a profit,” Sabelo explains. Understanding your value and aligning with brands that reflect your core values is crucial.
Lesson 4: Knowing When to Say No
Maintaining Integrity in Brand Collaborations
Having earned his stripes in the industry, Sabelo is selective about the brands he partners with, prioritising alignment over money. “If there’s no alignment between me and the brand, or I don’t believe in what they’re selling, I will decline—even if it’s a lot of money,” he states. He adds that any content he publishes must resonate with both him and his audience.
He also emphasises the importance of understanding contracts, particularly exclusivity clauses that may restrict your ability to work with competitors. Additionally, Sabelo values his personal brand highly, sometimes requesting higher compensation if a campaign requires him to feature his face prominently. “I feel like every time I have my face on content, you need to pay me more.”
Because he has built a strong community, even within the content creator space, Sabelo can easily pass on opportunities he declines to others who might be a better fit. “We can all eat,” he says.
Lesson 5: Stay Relevant Across Platforms
Consistency is Key
Sabelo’s journey to social media stardom began on X, formerly known as Twitter, where he consistently posted content that resonated with his audience. Despite setbacks, like losing an account with over 200K followers due to copyright issues, he’s rebuilt his presence across platforms, including Instagram and TikTok. His content remains consistent, focusing on everyday activities that his audience finds relatable, with his Sunday vlogs being a notable highlight.
Sabelo also finds motivation in negative feedback, using it to fuel his success. “When I started on Twitter, I was getting dragged, friend [laughs], but I was still in demand, and I even had to increase my rates,” he recalls. He tells OCZA that South African male content creators were once not expected to tap into niches like cleaning, cooking, and skincare, and his goal was to pave the way for those coming after him, helping them gain respect for their content and opportunities in the industry.
Self-care was also important to him—taking care of your skin, waking up early, having clean sheets—especially from the gents’ perspective.
Lesson 6: Top Money-making Niches & Mastering Algorithms through the Art of Storytelling
Where the Money Is
Sabelo identifies alcohol and food as particularly lucrative niches for content creators, while skincare, despite offering lower budgets in his experience, still presents good opportunities. However, he emphasises that success in any niche hinges on the power of storytelling. “The first mistake people make is creating a video that doesn’t have storytelling behind it. A lot of people miss that, and more brands are interested in your story,” he explains.
In his own Sunday vlogs, Sabelo crafts narratives that keep viewers engaged from start to finish. “I tell a story from waking up; I brush my teeth, I shower, I’m sitting down to eat—you don’t get lost. What toothbrush am I using, what roll-on, what cereal brand? There’s a deeper story there,” he says. Authenticity, he notes, is crucial: “It doesn’t have to be fake—just be you, and it will work out.”
Sabelo also stresses the importance of being unique to build a community and points out the critical role of details, like choosing the right music to enhance the story and maintaining a clean, neat background. “If you love something, you do it perfectly,” he says, underscoring the value of originality and attention to detail in content creation.
Lesson 7: Pitching to Brands and Valuing Your Work
Strategic Approaches to Collaboration
Sabelo’s approach to pitching has always involved thorough planning and manifestation. Now, he’s in a position where work naturally attracts him, and pitching is no longer necessary. However, in the early days of his content creation journey, he would create a vision board with a list of brands he wanted to work with, along with his goals and strategies for aligning with them. He would then reach out to these brands, showcasing his value through analytics and past work. “You need to have receipts,” he advises, emphasising the importance of knowing your worth and not settling for less.
Lesson 8: How can brands approach influencers
Sabelo has noticed a trend where brands approach him with no clear idea of what they want, but they’re eager to collaborate and open to ideas. “Honestly, that’s how I prefer it—it allows creators the freedom to create,” he says. He contrasts this with the more common approach of brands simply picking top influencers without doing proper research, which often results in repetitive content. “Because they have money, they will tell you to create a specific video, but as creators, we understand our audience better,” Sabelo explains. He values the creative control this trust brings, noting, “It’s amazing that we get to have full creative control when it comes to content creation.” This autonomy, he believes, leads to more authentic and engaging content.
