After having a YouTube channel for many years, I often have people who come and tell me about how they want to start a YouTube channel. They tell me their awesome ideas for their new channel, their fears (everyone has them), and ask “Where do I start?” This post is for you if you’ve always wanted to start a channel or have already started one and still in the beginning stages of starting a YouTube channel.

1. Just Start

If this is something that you want to do, just do it! It does not matter what people think. You don’t need anyone else to start one with, you just need yourself. Your first videos will be awkward and you might feel weird, but the more videos you do, the more comfortable you will get. The more comfortable you get, the better you’ll do! (#FACTS) I remember when I started, I hated the way my voice sounded on camera and my first video was just an out-of-focus, awkward thing. I pushed through that and here I am 300+ videos later!

2. Start with What You Got

If you don’t have a fancy camera to start with, just start with your phone or whatever you have. If you wait to get the highest quality camera, you’ll just keep making excuses as to why you can’t get started… so just get started. Recording videos and editing them are new processes when you’re just starting out. When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing at first. Also back then, iPhone camera quality was not like it is today and I had a little digital camera that didn’t even come with a flip screen. I would set up a mirror behind my camera to make sure I was in frame. Before I upgraded to a Sony or Canon camera, I wanted to make sure that this was what I wanted to do as a career, so for now, you can get started with what you got.

3. Bring Your Unique Voice

Remember that everyone learns differently, so don’t think YouTube is oversaturated with content. We all have our own unique voices, and we all teach or talk differently; some things will resonate better or differently with someone, especially if they’ve heard it explained the same way a million times. Don’t let that hold you back; we are all human and unique and you can reach someone who relates to you.

4. Niche Down

Pick a topic you’re passionate about! Picking a “general” topic is going to have you stuck. Don’t think that picking a specific topic is limiting, because in the world of YouTube, it is not...in fact it is a key to success in the YouTube world. For example, you watch HGTV for the home improvement shows or the The Food Network because you like cooking shows, right? The same thing goes for YouTube, people come for specific content, you want to make sure your channel contains specific content. As they say, if you try to please everyone, you’ll end up pleasing no one.

5. Set Up Your Channel and Optimize It!

To get started on setting up your channel, you should pick a photo and a banner. You can find templates for these on PicMonkey and Canva. In your channel description, you should let people know what your channel is about (who are you, how you came to create this channel etc.) To stay consistent, pick when you want to upload your videos. If you can’t commit to a certain day, but you can commit to weekly uploads, you should do that and let your audience know that as well (TIP: Add when you upload to your banner!) Consistency is another key factor in YouTube success, and to be honest, that was one of my mistakes when first starting out. 

6. Keep Videos On Deck

One thing I learned is to always have a running list of video ideas. Anytime you have an “AHA!” moment of an idea for a video to make, write it down. Most of the time, you have your phone in your hand,  so just write it down in your notepad on your phone. I’ve thought of so many good video ideas, but I would forget them because I wouldn’t write them down right away. Now, I always keep a running list of content ideas, so I can never use the excuse of, “I don’t know what video to do!”

7. Upload!

The first time you upload, upload a few at a time or back to back. If you have more than one video, it gives your audience a feel for what you and your channel are like (compared to only have one video on your channel). This will give people more of a reason to subscribe, and the more people subscribe, the closer you’ll get to monetization. People usually watch more than one video, and the more watch time you have, again, the closer you’ll get to monetization. Also, if you have your next video (or your next few videos) planned out, you can hook your audience in with a “Subscribe to see my next video about (topic)”.
 

8. Don’t Give Up

Remember that YouTube is a long game. Don’t be discouraged if your videos don’t get views right away! Videos usually pick up within two weeks of posting, but it is also common for successful videos not to pick up for a few months. YouTube is not like Instagram where the first 24 hours after posting a picture is when you get the most likes. If you optimize your video correctly, your videos will get picked up. To be honest, most of my videos don’t get many fews at first, but within time they start to pick up and rack up views. If after about a month they’re still not picking up, I will go back into my analytics and see if maybe my thumbnail or the title of the video can be changed to create more uptick in views. One thing I do leave alone are my tags, because I feel like it could mess something up in the YouTube algorithm; I could be wrong, but that’s just how I see it. Sometimes, increasing your views and watch time is just a simple fix.

For more YouTube tips, subscribe to my new channel that I created to help people like you with their new channels!