YouTube is a fantastic platform that allows you to create your own channel and connect with a worldwide audience. With such easy access to camera equipment and video editing software you can start a channel by using your mobile phone, but there are right and wrong ways to start a channel.
After many years creating content, researching best practices and helping others launch their channel I’ve learnt a thing or two about the best way to approach channel creation. I recently looked on Amazon to see if there were any helpguides on the topic, and while there are lots of journals, they all appear to be the same templates that looks to me to have been designed by someone who has never run a YouTube channel.
These aren’t going to be very helpful to new creators, so I’ve put together the workbook I wish I’d had access to when I first started my channel.
Tips for YouTube channel owners
If you’re thinking of starting a new channel, or you have one you’d like to improve, here are my top tips:
Be clear about your channel topic: It’s important for small channels to focus on making videos about a particular topic. If you’re making a review video one week, a cooking video the next and a vlog the video after YouTube won’t be able to work out who should watch your videos.
Be clear about your idea viewer: If you’ve done any marketing you’ve come across the concept of customer profiles. The same can be applied to your idea channel viewers, understanding your viewer profile will bring understanding about the type of content they will want to watch.
Content is king: Don’t worry about a fancy camera, mic, or lighting setup. Your content is the main reason viewers will keep watching your videos. You can improve other aspects as you go along. Incorporating story telling can help retain viewers and make them more likely to keep watching your videos.
If you’re unsure how to define your channel topic or ideal viewer don’t worry, the workbook contains exercises to guide you through the process. It’s a practical workbook that takes you through the steps required to gain a clear vision for your channel.
YouTube studio on a single stand
One area I don’t cover in the workbook is what equipment to purchase. This is primarly because technology changes so quickly. I’ve filmed on DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, action cameras, mobiles and even AI controlled cameras.
One thing I’ve been experimenting with recently is putting everything I need to record a to-camera video on a single stand.
Here are the parts I mention in the video:
👉 K&F Tripod: httpss://geni.us/AmazonKandFTripod
👉 Ring Light: httpss://geni.us/Amazon10RingLight
👉 UTEBIT Magis Arm: httpss://geni.us/AmazonUTEBITArm
👉 Canon M50 Camera: httpss://geni.us/AmazonCanonM50camera
👉 Sigma 16mm Lens: httpss://geni.us/AmazonSigma16mmLens
👉 Deity D4 Duo Mic: httpss://geni.us/AmazonDeityD4Duo
👉 Mic Stand: httpss://geni.us/AmazonMicStand
👉 BigVu teleprompter: httpss://desk.bigvu.tv/ref?fpr=mark-draper54
I used a tripod as the main stand and have managed to attach my camera, ring light, microphone and a stand for my mobile should I wish to use a teleprompter.
Teleprompter for YouTube
I don’t often use a teleprompter in my videos, but I probably should! They make it much easier to stay on script and they can keep you on topic.
I’ve found BigVu to be an excellent app. It runs on my mobile, I can record video on my mobile while it’s displaying the script and it has a ton of features like background removal and a web app for creating your scripts.
I highly recommend it for any video creation, be it videos for YouTube, LinkedIn or your website.
Can Launching a YouTube Channel Help Me Access America Netflix Outside the US?
Launching a YouTube channel may not directly help you watch American Netflix abroad. However, using a reliable VPN service can easily grant you access to American Netflix from anywhere in the world. Simply connect to a US server and enjoy all the content you want.
Getting Started
After figuring out your channel topic and ideal viewer the best way to get started on YouTube is to get started! If you’ve never made videos before you will need time to understand how to shoot and edit them, so the sooner you start making videos, the better.
So before you get to the fun part of shooting and editing videos remember to follow the exercises in my workbook to kickstart your YouTube adventure: httpss://geni.us/AmazonYTVideoPlanner
