Top 25 social media content creation tips for going viral in Dubai

Dubai: Call this your content-creator cheat sheet or your ultimate survival guide to go viral on social media. Dubai’s first crop of up-and-coming storytellers have pulled together their best lessons from behind the lens — the kind of tips you won’t find in a how-to video on YouTube.

From staying true to your creative voice to mastering light, sound, and story, this is advice built on real-world trial and error. What's more. They’re part of a new wave trained through the Beautiful Destinations Academy, a creative initiative backed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism. Together, they’ve turned Dubai into a living classroom — and Gulf News tracked them down to share their key takeaways they swear by. You can thank us later!

Olessia Pliousnina, 27, (Canada)

1. Be authentic and yourself:

Nobody wants to follow the “discount version” of someone else. Your weird laugh? Your obsession with iced coffee? That’s the gold. Lean into it.

2. The ⁠story is more important than everything else

Pretty shots are cool, but if there’s no hook and no payoff, people will scroll faster than you can say “subscribe”. Give us a beginning, middle, and end – even if it’s just your trip to the grocery store.

3. Create with curiosity, not pressure

Forget what the algorithm “wants”. Make the thing you can’t stop thinking about in the shower. Curiosity makes content fun – pressure makes it feel like homework.

4. ⁠⁠Let imperfection work for you

Your dog barking mid-shoot or a shaky camera angle? That’s not a fail, that’s personality. People don’t want Hollywood – they want human.

5. ⁠Treat feedback like a compass, not a rulebook

Yes, listen to your audience… but if 10 people tell you to vlog about your cat and you don’t even have a cat, maybe don’t. Take what helps, ignore the rest.

6. ⁠Protect your energy offline

If all you do is scroll, your content will feel like… scrolling. Go outside, touch some grass, eat something weird – then come back with a story worth telling.

Ethan Chang, 21 (USA)

7. ⁠Learning to delegate

Creating beautiful art often comes from teamwork. Trusting others and delegating roles will allow everyone’s strengths to shine, resulting in a stronger final product.

8. ⁠⁠Importance of storytelling

Having flashy visuals and beautiful transitions is great, but a storyline from beginning to end is what makes your work memorable. It connects with your audience on an emotional level, beyond visuals and edits.

9. Understanding Lighting

Understanding lighting is key. When done well, it can completely transform a scene, and learning to manipulate it will take your video to the next level.

10. Picking the right song

The right song sets the mood and energy of your video, helping the visuals resonate with your viewers.

11. ⁠Surrounding yourself with the right people

Your creative circle influences your growth. Being around a supportive and inspiring community can push you to do your best work – especially learning from one another.

12. ⁠Always be open to learn

The creative space is always adapting. By staying curious and adaptable you can ensure your work is always improving.

Arthur Edelmans, 28 (Latvia)

13. Pre-planning is everything

Know your shots, locations and structure before you even start filming. It makes the whole process smoother and the end result stronger.

14. Story first, with a hook and a payoff

Anyone can shoot pretty visuals, but if there is no hook at the start and no reason to watch till the end, people will scroll past.

15. Different platforms need different content

What works on YouTube will not necessarily work on TikTok. Adapt your idea to the format and vibe of the platform.

16. Make what feels natural to you

Do not just copy trends. Lean into what excites you, because that is when your content feels authentic and stands out.

17. Sound design can level you up instantly

The right music, clean audio and a bit of sound design can make your video feel 100x more professional.

18.  Consistency is the ultimate recipe for success

It is not about one viral hit. It is about showing up, refining your craft and letting the work compound over time.

 Hugo Sudraud, 27 (France)

19. Sometimes less can be more

You don’t always need loads of gear. It looks cool to shoot with a huge rig, but it can be challenging if you need to switch lenses, switch from photo to video, setup your gimbal. Staying handheld with just your camera allows you to find more creative angles, better composition and to be more mobile.

20. Don’t follow everyone else.

Stay true to your eye. If you believe one shot is going to stand out, go for it. If you’re shooting in a group and everyone is shooting the same thing, the same way, take a step back, look around you and find your own way of shooting it.

21. Keep the movement smooth.

Nowadays, edits are so fast and so dynamic that it’s easy to get lost and do too much. To keep it smooth, make sure that your shots are following each other. If your last shot was going from the left to the right, keep the same movement for the next one. If you want to switch, put a still, pushing in or out shot first to put an end to your previous movement. Unless your intention is very clear and it was your goal, it will be way better for the viewer to stay engaged and to understand your story.

22. Sound is everything.

It creates your atmosphere, but it can also be a transition. Before ending a scene, start a sound effect of the atmosphere of your next scene, a voiceover a few frames before switching to the action. It prepares the viewer for what's coming and makes your video more immersive and fluid.

23. Know when to stop.

We all want to shoot as much as we can, we might feel guilty if we don’t, but the truth is, don’t overshoot content you know you won’t use. You will use storage, lose time during the selects and be less efficient.

24. Be kind.

It might sound very basic, but it’s key to most projects. If you shoot a local, an interview and need people to feel comfortable around you, you need to make them feel like that. They’re not a product, they’re humans. Maybe get a coffee together first, show the human behind the camera, make it an exchange and not a monologue. Once people trust each other, they open up, it creates a genuine connection and the content will be much more authentic.