What you need to know before starting a YouTube channel

YouTube the same as blogging takes a lot more than you think; it takes a lot of passion and consistency to make a success out of it. More and more people are interested in becoming a YouTuber but what does it actually mean and where do you start with it? It can be scary and overwhelming with all the different types of software programmes and different equipment that’s out there, especially if you don’t have any knowledge about it. That’s why I’ve asked the lovely Natalia (who you can find on instagram and YouTube duh) who is an full time Youtuber herself as well as an film student for some advice that I could share with you guys!

Her first very important piece of advice that applies to YouTube as well as blogging is ‘Make content that you would like to watch! Talk about the topics that YOU like and YOU find interesting and useful, don’t be so worried about what other people ‘might like’, tell your story the way you’d like to hear it, and edit your videos the way you’d like to watch it. Talk about the topics that you’re passionate about, and raise issues that you care about. I can guarantee you, most people in this world might not like you and that’s okay! Because there will always be that 1% that WILL enjoy what you’re making. Just be yourself and express what you feel and what you want, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not, people like authenticity.’

I couldn’t agree more, to gain an audience you need to be true to yourself as well as them and be authentic and never listen to people when they have negative things to say about what you’re doing as they might think it’s silly or pointless at first but when your hard work starts paying off they will start asking you how did you get there. For example if Zoella listened to what people had to say about what she was doing she wouldn’t be one of the best earning vloggers as well as the owner of her own brand that’s stocked in most retailers.

Natalia’s second piece of advice is ‘Be passionate about what you make. Don’t start a channel because its trendy, or you want money. Do it because you have a good message to spread, do it because you want to create a nice little community online and connect with people, do it because you want to contribute in a positive way to the world.’ and most importantly ‘Be prepared to put in the work. Many people think that it’s so easy to set up a camera, talk for 10 mins, edit for an hour, done. That is not the case. The process goes on for days and sometimes weeks! Ideas need to be refined, the research needs to be done. For a two minute video, you need to film for at least an hour and sometimes even up to a couple of days if there is a variety of shots! Then the editing will take at least a couple of hours, and don’t forget to make the thumbnail. You need to know what equipment to use, how to use it, how to edit, how to use different softwares (in my case, it’s all the Adobe Softwares. I use Premiere Pro and After Effects to edit videos, and Lightroom and Photoshop to make thumbnails and Instagram content). Be prepared to wake up early to catch good lighting, and stay up all night editing. I also see many people putting in the work for a week and then stopping because they don’t see any money. It will take months or even years to see growth, so don’t be discouraged and just keep grinding!’

Now if you haven’t been put off by all the hard work you need to put in then let’s talk about the sort of equipment you need to use! ‘All you need is a some sort of thing that you can record decently with and your audience can hear you properly. Although, don’t spend loads of money straight away on fancy cameras and equipment! I recorded my first video with a 2006 camcorder I found in the attic. Then I brought my first Canon 1200D Camera with money I got for my birthday. As years went by and I started pursuing filmmaking more seriously, I slowly began buying better equipment, starting with a ring light and a rode mic. If you carry on making videos, naturally your interest in equipment and cameras will grow, and you will want to learn all about new techniques, new options, lenses etc. just to make your videos better! I currently shoot with a Canon 80D and a 1.4 50mm lens.’

Like in every industry there are things that you shouldn’t do and Natalia has mentioned so of her no go’s!

DON’T: be money motivated. It will take a long time before you start seeing progress, let alone some coin! Don’t go into it thinking about money and business. I sometimes see people with 50 subscribers making merch, and there is nothing wrong with that if they’re doing it for the good of their subscribers, but you can notice very fast when someone is just in it for the money! You can see when they don’t enjoy making content, the audience picks it up imminently and doesn’t enjoy watching it! Don’t expect to be receiving tons of PR packages and free stuff. None of this happens straight away! (Especially with the new Youtube rules)

DON’T: Create or live off other people’s Youtube drama, and dragging others. For the past year, this has been something that’s been really bothering me about the platform; You see many small channels picking up drama that is trending, like whatever Logan Paul did on that day. That is a shortcut to gaining short-term attention. Your video might get 100K views but no one will care as soon as the drama is no longer relevant! And think about it, do you really want to become ‘successful’ riding on the back of other people’s success and spreading negativity to earn money? That is not a good long-term plan.

I hope you enjoyed reading it and if you did please like and share it and if you have any questions about starting your YouTube channel I’m sure Natalia will be more than happy to answer them. Make sure to check out her video below!