by Google
We often hear from various sources that it is much harder to break through on YouTube today, and we must modestly say that we disagree. Any success is difficult to achieve, and this also applies to YouTube. But perhaps the most important thing to remember is that YouTube is not a sprint, but a marathon, and you cannot expect thousands of subscribers to suddenly appear on your fresh channel after two videos. We would like to challenge you, don't be afraid to create, all you need is a good idea and courage. You can find the rest in this article or you can gradually learn.
Tip 1: Test yourself and learn how YouTube works
Tip 2: Create a channel strategy
Tip 3: Invest in audio technology
Tip 4: Create a video template
Tip 5: Create a graphic identity for your YouTube channel
Tip 6: Don't forget about the channel description and trailer
Tip 7: Tell everyone about your YouTube channel
TIP 1: TEST YOURSELF AND LEARN HOW YOUTUBE WORKS
Try out what it's like to be a YouTube creator. Your own experience is the most valuable and you can only gain it through practice. So turn on the camera and try it out. Shoot a few pilot videos and test how you handle the entire video production process. How long does it take you to shoot a video? How many hours or days do you need to edit one video? Do you enjoy it? Before you publish your first video on YouTube, find the answers to these questions.
It is very likely that your first video will also be the worst video you have ever made. But that is completely okay, because we all have to start somewhere and no one expects you to make your first video “explode the internet”. Although let’s be honest, that would be a great start. But what is more important is that you keep moving forward and make each subsequent video a little better.
So you have made your first video and now it is time to create an account and upload it to YouTube, but wait to publish it. The worst thing you can do is blindly upload videos without knowing how YouTube works, which can cause even a perfect video to get lost in the algorithm and no one will see it. Therefore, take the time to learn e.g. how to write a great video description, how to optimize your video, but especially how YouTube works in general, and gather experience that is always more valuable than any advice.
The basic strategic pillars for every YouTube channel are regularity, experimentation, and passion. Therefore, create a strategy that will adhere to all three. Although words like strategy or strategic pillars may sound intimidating, it is nothing to be really afraid of. Many of you have probably already done this subconsciously in your head. When creating a strategy, you just need to follow these steps and find answers to the questions: What do you want to say? What do you want to share with viewers? Who are your favorite YouTube creators? How can you influence other people? How many videos can you release per week? On which days will you release your videos? Will you have one or more types of content? Will you associate the content with a specific day of the week? Who is your competition? How are you different from your competition? What is the current trend on YouTube? How can I match my content with the current trend on YouTube? Publish content on a long-term and regular basis. Warn your viewers about any breaks in production in advance. If you are just about to start your YouTube channel and are wondering what technology you need to create quality videos, then we have the answer for you. You should invest your first investment in sound. Bad audio is much more distracting to the viewer than lower quality video (plus, nowadays you can record quality video even with a mobile phone in your living room). So if you have the opportunity to invest in a quality microphone, then definitely do so. From our own experience, we can advise you against the Rode brand, but many YouTube creators also use equally high-quality Blue Yeti microphones. For you as beginners, we would advise you to prefer USB microphones, since you do not need to buy an additional component, a sound card, and they will be easier to work with. Microphones that guarantee you quality sound in your videos range in price from 100 to 200 euros. If this is a big investment for you, we also have a cheaper alternative for you, such as the compact Rode SmartLav Plus lavalier microphone, which you can buy for around 50 euros. We have also prepared a short list of quality microphones for you to start with: Videos need some structure, which means that when preparing your video, think about how to create an imaginary template that you can later reuse for each new video. What do we mean by that? This does not mean that every video has to be exactly the same. The point is that the video should have a logical sequence such as an introduction, a core, and a conclusion. A video template could look like this: The first few seconds of a video decide whether the viewer will watch it or not. One of the common practices to engage the viewer is to cut the highlights at the beginning of the video. Try placing one or two great moments from the video in the video that would convince the viewer to watch the video to the end. Remember that you are fighting against time, so the cut of the highlights should be a maximum of 10-15 seconds. However, every creator starts a video differently, someone with an interesting greeting or cut, you can find a completely different way to start your video, the most important thing is to interest the viewer and give them a "taste" of what awaits them in the beginning of the video. Keeping the viewer's attention is difficult, but that's what you want as a creator and you have to do everything to get them interested. Don't make the greeting with the introduction too long and try to squeeze it into just a few seconds. For inspiration, see how well-known YouTube creators start their videos. Don't forget about brand new viewers who clicked on your video for the very first time. Welcome them naturally in the first half of the video and invite them to subscribe. You can also combine the channel introduction with welcoming new viewers. Again, it should only be quick and fresh information about your work that you can say in one or two sentences. Invite viewers to subscribe. It's free. A viewer who subscribes to you can later become a loyal member of your YouTube community. Don't forget to naturally incorporate this call to action into each of your videos. It doesn't have to be the beginning or end of the video, but rather try to push this information to viewers during the main content when you feel the call to action fits in. The main content of the video is what you create, whether you're playing games, educating people on the internet, or doing various experiments. Try to create dynamic video content that will engage the viewer. When viewers see that the video is over, they tend to leave before it is completely finished. So try to make the farewell very quick and concise, along with a call to subscribe. See how our YouTube partners end their videos. Creating your own template can take some time, so try to get inspired by your favorite creators. Think about videos on YouTube and look for templates in them. As random as some videos may seem, there is always a structure and a story behind each one. You can convince the viewer to stay on your channel longer and watch more videos with nice visuals. Also pay attention to the appearance of your channel and create nice channel art that will match your logo, video thumbnails and create a coherent impression. You don't even have to be an expert in Photoshop to be able to create nice graphics. For complete beginners, we recommend the web platform for creating graphic material Canva, where you can find everything you need to get started. We often encounter a situation where the description of a YouTube channel is too short and does not describe its content at all. Why does the description matter at all? A good description can simply explain your story to the viewer, giving them a sense of who you are, what kind of content you create, and what they can expect from your channel. By telling your story in the description, you can also convince the viewer to subscribe and become your loyal fan. Just like with the description, you can also use a trailer to tell your viewers your story, which can convince them to subscribe.TIP 2: CREATE A CHANNEL STRATEGY
STEP 1: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL?
STEP 2: PREPARE YOUR VIDEO PUBLISHING PLAN
3. STEP 4: RESEARCH YOUR COMPETITION AND TRENDS
STEP 4: BE CONSISTENT
TIP 3: INVEST IN AUDIO TECHNOLOGY
CHEAPER ALTERNATIVE:
MORE PROFESSIONAL ALTERNATIVE:
TIP 4: CREATE YOUR VIDEO TEMPLATES
1. HIGHLIGHTS CUT
2. GREETINGS WITH INTRODUCTION
3. WELCOME NEW VIEWERS
4. CHANNEL INTRODUCTION
5. CALL TO SUBSCRIBE
6. MAIN CONTENT OF THE VIDEO
7. FAREWELL
TIP 5: CREATE A GRAPHIC IDENTITY FOR YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
TIP 6: DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CHANNEL DESCRIPTION AND TRAILER
TIP 7: TELL EVERYONE ABOUT YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Content is king or content is always king. That's a rule that will always apply on YouTube. But what if you have great videos and no one knows about them? Especially with a new YouTube channel, it's important to share your creation on personal social networks. Your friends and acquaintances can help you spread your creation to other people at the very beginning. First of all, try to create great videos that your viewers will want to share, and don't forget to let your potential viewers know about your new videos.
When creating on YouTube, content is crucial, and no guaranteed tips and tricks can replace it; they can only help you on your way to a successful YouTube channel. And we will try to help you by regularly creating such guides. Remember that building a channel can take a long time and rely on building a long-term strategy rather than one-off trends and viral videos. We believe that we have encouraged you to create with this article and that more new faces will soon appear on the Slovak scene.
