"Do not wait for a special moment": foreign bloggers gave practical advice to young journalists at the National Centre RUSSIA

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On International Blogger Day, the National Centre RUSSIA hosted a meeting between young media activists from the Movement of the First and participants in the Young Journalists School project with popular foreign bloggers who live in our country and create content for Russian-speaking audiences. Each guest spoke openly, with examples and without embellishment, sharing their formula for success and personal secrets for producing bright, interesting and dynamic media content.

Federico Arnaldi from Italy, TV presenter of the "Let’s Go! Let’s Eat!" programme on NTV, focuses on pace and naturalness. He shared his tips for viral content: wordplay, close-up shots, emotions, relatable topics and a call for dialogue in the comments. But the blogger’s main advice was to avoid excessive polish and shoot content quickly, because in today’s world, regular media output is more important than masterful editing, professional colour correction and a fully prepared presenter on camera.

"Times have changed, and while people used to admire polished content made professionally, today they want to see real people and are wary of content if everything in it is artificial and brought to perfection," Federico Arnaldi said.

Chinese blogger and Turetsky Choir singer Xing Kaizheng moved to Russia in November 2024 and gains millions of views on his social media pages. He spends no more than half an hour editing each of his viral videos, and shows the most interesting part in the very first seconds. The young man’s recipe for success is speed, sincerity and unconditional self-acceptance.

"This is probably the most important advice: be yourself and try to be different from others. In China, there are many reels where people add all kinds of strange and sometimes funny filters to themselves because they are afraid to look natural. But we cannot be perfect. So accept yourself as you are, simply be energetic in your videos and understand what you want to give people. Because if you are lifeless and boring, why should people watch you?" Xing Kaizheng asked rhetorically.

Blogger and content creator Crystal Grecia from Peru emphasised that virality and results are not the same thing, and millions of views do not always bring any benefit in themselves. That is why, according to her, the main thing at the stage of creating a blog is to define its goal and work persistently in the right direction, without waiting for a special moment, confidence or inspiration.

"If I had waited for the moment when I stopped being afraid, I would never have left Peru, come to Russia or started a blog. So my main advice is: do not wait for confidence or the perfect moment. Act before you feel ready. Because confidence does not come before the first step, but after it," Crystal Grecia shared.

Together with the audience, the bloggers compiled and commented on a checklist for creating a successful media product, recorded joint videos about Russian proverbs and answered the moderators’ questions in a blitz survey format. The event ended with a group photo and the traditional presentation of a nevalyashka cat, a roly-poly cat toy, as a symbol of resilience, bright individuality and success.

The foreign guests did not hide their enthusiastic emotions after meeting Russian young people. According to Federico Arnaldi, the very space of the National Centre RUSSIA and the energy of the participants charged him from the very first second. He also admitted that he was pleased to share the secrets of the profession with the audience, because he does not want beginner bloggers to repeat his long journey.

"The National Centre RUSSIA is wow: modern life and life of the future! I walked in and was already amazed! And everyone in the hall was so smiling, energetic, ready to create and be inspired. From the very first second, there was such an exchange of energy that I could not even stay in my seat and kept jumping out to the audience and running around the hall. Yes, I am Italian, and we tend to be dynamic and energetic, but the audience, of course, charged me with that. And it is wonderful that I was invited to share secrets, because I do not want these cool young people to spend as much time on the path to success as I did," Federico Arnaldi said.

The audience responded to the guests with the same warmth. Young Journalists School participant Polina Gudkova admitted that the meeting with foreign bloggers became a real event for her.

"I am very grateful that Young Journalists School gives us this opportunity to meet media bloggers from different corners of our world. What I remembered most was the advice from the blogger from Peru that the best thing is to shoot content regularly," Polina Gudkova shared.

The foreign bloggers’ visit to the National Centre RUSSIA was not limited to the meeting with creative young people. At the Department Store RUSSIA, they discovered the best regional brands and folk arts and crafts. The cultural and educational platform "Space of Opportunities" served as a foundation for creating media content in real time using artificial intelligence and augmented reality technologies for the foreign guests. The visitors also explored the "Geography Lessons" exposition, and the blog tour ended at the Gastronomic Rows.