Most college students dream of making 20,000 pesos in a month once they graduate, but singer and personality Inna Morata is already able to make that amount in the span of a few hours. The 21-year-old college graduate regularly livestreams on mobile app, Kumu, where appreciative fans give her tips in the form of digital gifts.
While there are several livestreaming platforms available to Filipinos, Morata initially choose Kumu because she was looking for a safe space where she could stream her music, and it had a very supportive community compared to the others. “I was also very excited about the fact that I would be part of an app that’s run by Filipinos! It’s always a joy to support local,” said Morata.
Since downloading and joining Kumu, Morata shared that her fans – who she calls her “Kumu-rata babies” because she is there “INnA” – have been very appreciative. “They have been nothing but kind and generous to me ever since I started livestreaming,” she said.
Morata first earned 20,000 pesos on a livestream she themed Throwback Thursday: She asked viewers to request songs from the 2000s, which she would then play. Though Morata was overwhelmed with the outpouring of tips, she is most thankful that she can now sustainably perform her passion of music.
“More than anything, I appreciate my viewers’ and gifters’ presence & interaction on my stream—they make time to watch me and talk to me even if I stream at 11:59pm almost every day!” said Morata.
Though many other content creators are eager to duplicate Morata’s financial success on Kumu, she actually advises against actively soliciting tips. She even reminds viewers that they don’t need to give tips, as counter-intuitive as it sounds. The most promotional she’ll get is telling viewers that they can unlock challenges or games by raising X amount of coins, which is fair because it provides them with more value in return for their contributions.
Whenever Morata gets tips, she also tends to be self-deprecating. “Thank you for all your gifts, as it’ll help me feed my cheeks, which are my only asset,” she’ll often chide.
Though Morata has already found success as a livestreamer, she has many more plans for her loyal fans, including the creation of more games and challenges for her shows. “I also have collaborations with other streamers coming up, too! My co-streamers, RJ Jimenez, Nef Medina, Miles Fajardo and Danielle Mortel, are planning to do a KUMUserye really soon! Learn more about it on our streams,” she said.
For other aspiring livestreamers, Morata advises to build relationships with both fans and content creators in the community, always strive to provide quality content, and be tactful with what you say. Her most important piece of wisdom came down to authenticity.
“Be true to yourself: That’s the core of being a livestreamer. That’s what makes livestreamers very different from other artists because since we do things live, we need to be transparent about who we really are,” she said.
Karina is not your ordinary supermom. She juggles her time bonding with her three amazing kids while being in the loop on the latest happenings in the tech and lifestyle scene. Follow me on Instagram (@digitalfilipina) regularly visit www.digitalfilipina.com for daily dose of updates not just for moms but for everyone!
