So You Want to Start a YouTube Channel?
300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube per minute and over 5 billion videos are watched on the platform every day. As YouTube’s popularity continues to skyrocket, you may be interested in starting a YouTube channel. There are some things to consider before you decide to make this leap.
Some Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Start:
- What do you want to focus on/ What do you want your videos to be about?
Your channel is a reflection of who you are and what you like. You don’t have to pick a specific genre but it’s helpful to know what the scope of your channel will be.
- Why do you want to start this channel?
Know your own motivation and reasoning for starting this channel. YouTube can require a lot of commitment so know why you want to do this and what you hope to achieve.
- Who is your target audience?
Who are you doing this for? Who will watch the content you create? Anyone who makes things has to think about the audience who is receiving it and what they want.
- Why should people watch your videos?
What is different and unique about you? There is a lot of content out there so you have to think about why your perspective and your videos are different than what’s already out there.
- How often are you going to produce content?
Before you start creating, it’s important to think about how much stuff you want to make and how often. Are you going to create daily videos or are you going to post something once a month? Once you determine that, you can begin producing a schedule of when things will be done.
Starting a Youtube Channel Checklist
-YouTube account
If you have a Gmail account, you automatically have a Youtube account so you may just need to customize it to fit your vision.
-Camera/recording device
A DSLR is your best bet for recording as it will be produce quality video. Smartphones are not as dependable but can be good when on the move or travelling.
-Place to record
If you want to focus on vlogging, having a clean, quiet place to record is key. This can be generally done in your room but think about lighting, sound, and what you want your viewers to see.
-Tripod
A tripod is necessary mostly for vlogging videos but it is definitely something you should invest in. You can’t hold the camera and talk at the same time without shaky cam- a video viewers’ least favourite thing.
-External mic (USB Microphones, Camera Microphones)
Though most DSLR and mirrorless cameras have built in audio, external microphones are the best for picking up all the sounds you want to pick up clearly. An external mic can be especially helpful if you want to do vlogging, voice overs, or street filming.
-Public speaking skills
Confidence and enthusiasm is key when becoming a YouTuber. This may not apply to all styles of channels but can be good when you are doing a voice over or are speaking in front of the camera. You don’t want the viewers to be bored or turned off by your presenting skills.
Photo by Denise Jans
Photo by Hector Martinez
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Photo by Courtney Clayton
-Topic/concept you are interested in
If you plan to dedicate some time to this channel, it’s important that you are interested in this topic. You will have to spend a lot of time researching and editing these videos so make sure you love what you’re doing.
-Editing software
There are plenty of great softwares out there though we definitely recommend Adobe Premiere Pro for most video editing projects.
-Laptop
Editing is mostly done on a laptop or some kind of computer so be sure to use a reliable computer that can handle large video files.
-Upload schedule
Figure out how often you want to upload and how much time you’re willing to put into the creating and editing process each week
-Marketing plan
This is optional but if you want to get views, you need to put your content out there. This can be done just by publishing your videos on your social media channels and getting your friends to like it and share them.
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