Thinking About Becoming A YouTuber? Here’s What You Need To Know

If people tell you that the golden age of YouTube has expired, don’t believe them! The video blogging culture continues to skyrocket with hundreds of hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute. Its soaring popularity has made it the second-largest search engine after Google.

If you have anything interesting, funny, or useful to talk about, YouTube can be a great platform for you. It will help you meet new people, earn some extra income and who knows, you might be really popular someday!

Image Source: InVideo

Before you dive in, consider the following pointers to maximize your chances of success.

1. Pick A Specific Channel Niche

You’ve probably decided on the kind of content you want to post. Maybe you want to start a tutorial or a product description channel or simply inspire others with your lifestyle and choices.

Whatever may be your motivation to start a channel, the more specific you are while picking your niche, the higher is your chance of success.

It all comes down to YouTube’s video delivery system. YouTube initially sends out your new video to a small section of your subscribers to see whether they click on it and watch. If they do, YouTube expands the audience and sends the video out to more subscribers and non-subscribers.

That means every video needs to appeal to all your subscribers so they’ll click, watch and give YouTube those positive signals.

If you talk about anything and everything, you’ll attract a diverse group of subscribers that are interested in different things. The result is that when you publish a new video, many won’t be interested in it. This sends a bad impression to YouTube, thereby severely affecting your growth.

2) Bring Something New To The Table

You can add uniqueness to your substance or to your style. The age-old adage ‘Content is King’ is still true, but only to a certain extent. It’s not just what your message is, but also how you deliver that message that defines your success as a YouTuber.

If you’re going to be on camera, you’ll need to work on your body language, posture, and articulation. Be confident, look into the camera, and do not fidget. A smile can go a long way!

Some amateur YouTubers have the habit of upspeaking, which many people find annoying. You can always watch some popular YouTubers in your niche for inspiration. Try to study them and see what they’re doing differently.

Adding the right music can also enhance the quality of your content and set them apart from other videos. Look for royalty-free songs online or use a free youtube converter to rip audio from YouTube videos.

3) Gear Yourself With The Right Equipment

As a beginner, you don’t require the most advanced recording equipment in the world. The following basic equipment can easily ensure a high-quality video.

a) Camera

If you already have a DSLR, you should certainly use it to produce a high-quality video. Otherwise, a high-quality webcam or simply a smartphone is just fine for a beginner.

b) Tripod

You’ll want a tripod to hold your camera and keep it steady.

c) Microphone

Don’t rely on the built-in microphones that come with the camera. Bad audio is far more distracting than a lousy video. External microphones are the best to pick up all the sounds you want to pick up clearly. They’re especially great for vlogging, voice-overs, or street filming.

d) Green Screen

You might have noticed some great backgrounds behind YouTubers while watching their videos. That’s the magic of the green screen. With it, you can add any background of your choice to your video.

An actual green screen could cost you $50 or more. However, there are many virtual ones available on the google play store that you could try.

e) Screen Capture Software

It’s required if your videos involve screen capturing, such as Excel video tutorials or PC gameplays.

Edit! Edit! Edit!

A smaller, edited video is way better than a long, lousy video. Editing ensures the smooth flow of your content, which will keep your viewers engaged till the end.

An advanced editor might not always be convenient to use, especially if you’re new. Try using an online youtube video editor free. It can save you valuable time and cost without compromising the quality of your video.

4) Pay Attention To Video SEO

All your efforts in creating the video will go in vain if it doesn’t reach the targeted audience. Hence it’s essential to optimize your video so that they are ranked on the search engine result pages.

• Craft an engaging video title and description
• Do keyword research to target keywords that people are actually searching for.
• Use tags that reflect what your video is about.
• Use categories to help YouTube get a better understanding of who to show your videos to.
• Use a compelling video thumbnail to encourage people to click on your video.

Adding captions (transcripts) to your video is another excellent way of ensuring maximum reach. Transcripts get indexed by search engines since they come from a text file. This will increase your discoverability and make you accessible to a broader audience.

5) Promote Your YouTube Channel

A lot of times, the audience won’t come to you. Rather, you’ll have to put your content out there for them. Take a peek at some ways to do that.

Also Read: Best Blogging Tools & Resources

6) Social Media

If you already have a following on other platforms like Facebook or Instagram, share your link with them. You can also find dedicated groups on these platforms especially meant to promote small YouTubers.

7) Forums

If you can find a community relevant to your content, try sharing your best material and see what kind of response you get. But please refrain from spamming.

8) Collaborate

Collaboration has a valuable outcome for everyone involved. You stand to learn something new and will also be exposed to one another’s demographics. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

Finally, Have Patience!

YouTube does not guarantee overnight success: it might take months, even years, to build a clientele. Those looking to YouTube as a way to make a quick buck are likely to be disappointed. But with persistence and these clever hacks, you could be well on your way to a stellar YouTube career.

Be consistent with good content. Subscribers and money will eventually follow!