Welcome to the exciting world of YouTube content creation! If you're ready to set yourself up for success in this dynamic platform, I’ve got you covered.
Before you hit that record button, there are a few things you need to know to set yourself up for success on YouTube, because it requires a lot of planning and work, but it can be extremely rewarding.
Let’s get into it…
Picking Your Niche
YouTube has become a powerful platform for content creators to showcase their skills, knowledge, and creativity. However, with millions of videos being uploaded every day, the competition to stand out and create viral content can be challenging. Picking a niche is one of the best things you can do when starting a channel.
Focus your channel on a specific topic, hobby, or interest. It could be beauty tutorials, travel vlogs, comedy skits, or educational content.
For example, if you’re talking about 3-5 different things on your channel, like softball, cooking and beauty, it’s going to be for YouTube to put you in a category.
Things that people don’t talk about is having a broad niche like beauty or fashion. They focus on one part of the definition instead of the word as a whole! It’s more than just saying your niche is beauty.
So think about what types of content do people in your niche love to watch and share.
Ask yourself: who is my content for? What problem am I solving? Why should someone subscribe to my channel? What am I passionate about? What topics do I want to cover?
For example, instead of saying you’re in the beauty industry, your niche can be hairstylist for young children. That answers what kind and who it’s for.
Knowing this will make your content easily bingeable for new viewers and help the YouTube algorithm understand what your channel is about.
But for those of you who do operate in a wide range, you want to focus on the who, the type, and highlight your uniqueness, instead of focusing on the topic.
Maybe your topics could be
- Hairstyles with me
- Transformation (how I apply frontal lace)
- Braiding techniques (learn feed-in braids hairstyles)
- Hair class (hosting a one-on-one hair class)
Test out different ideas and don't be afraid to pivot if something isn't working. The more you create, the more you'll find what feels natural and authentic to you.
Content Pillars
Once you've settled on a niche, come up with a few content pillars - the main topics or types of videos you'll rotate between.
My theme and niche is social media tips for content creators. My subtopics would be social media platforms, ways to use these platforms to make money, and my story (my journey as a lifestyle content creator on social media).
Again, everything fits under my niche. When you look at my website and instagram, you’ll see that I rotate talking about these subtopics.
For those who have general niche like beauty, think about the type of content you want to make.
This could be anywhere from educational and entertaining to relatable and inspirational or anything else that fits your brand. Variety keeps people engaged!
Let’s look at some examples…
Educational: This could be a tutorial or "how to" video. Teach a skill or provide some tips like sharing a few hacks you know of in your industry. These always seem to get people’s attention since everybody is always looking for the latest tips and tricks for accomplishing a task.
Entertaining: Review or unbox a popular product. Capture the product details. What does it look like? How does it smell? What’s the texture? What did the packaging look like?
Relatable: Tell your story. Share behind the scenes. Do a “day in the life of” video. Use this as a chance to show your life and personality while also educating anyone aspiring to be in the same industry as you.
Inspirational: Create videos with positive messages about motivation, kindness, following your dreams or overcoming adversity.
Transformation: These are videos where you can say, “I did such and such for 30 days and this is what happened!”
When you’re brainstorming ideas, think about:
- What questions do your target viewers have that you can help answer?
- What types of videos would be entertaining or interesting for them?
- What challenges are they facing that your videos could help overcome?
At its core, YouTube is about creating value for your audience. Focus on solving problems, teaching new skills, providing entertainment, or otherwise delivering value with your videos.
SEO and Keyword Research
What is SEO? SEO are the words and phrases that searchers enter into search engines. SEO is so important, especially when it comes to YouTube, it’s the second biggest search engine! Before you script and film, do your research. Your research results will be able to give you relevant topics you can discuss in your video.
While YouTube's algorithm will help surface your content, you also need to promote your channel elsewhere to reach new viewers. Share it all over your social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, by linking your videos in your bio. You could also just create ONE link for ALL of your social apps, brand links or even your own website links here. The more exposure you can gain, the faster you can build an audience on YouTube. Just be sure you aren't spamming and are adding value wherever you share your channel.
You want to utilize tools like Google Trends, TikTok and YouTube's search suggestions to identify popular search queries and topics.
A little tip: when you’re searching for keywords, try to find keywords that are used not too often but often enough. You can also create videos responding directly to trending search terms and news events.
Want to track down your competitor’s SEO keywords. The website you can utilize to do this is called similarweb. Have you heard of them? …Well now you just did! Head on over to their website by visiting the link here.
For more juicy secrets on ways you can utilize websites to boost your business, grab my free e-book Websites You Didn’t Know Exist.
Types of Content
Trending Content: Creating content about trending topics can get more initial views, but that performance won't last. Combine trending content with evergreen content that nurtures your relationship with subscribers and continues performing over time.
Nurture Content: Allow yourself to be open. Tell an interesting personal story. Nurture content that fosters connection with your subscribers is equally important for long-term growth. Think about how you can use storytelling elements to make people laugh, cry, feel understood or motivated.
Enjoyable Content: This is content you choose to create for YOU. This type of content may not get the highest amount of views or even rank high in search results. It doesn’t have to be within your niche either. Or… maybe you do want to create new pieces that no one is talking about within your niche, that works too.
Ultimately, the most important thing is to create a content you enjoy it. Don't get stuck over-planning every video or waiting for perfect equipment. No one gets YouTube figured out overnight.
Planning and Execution
Invest in good quality equipment and learn basic video editing techniques to enhance the visual appeal of your content.
- tripods: This allows you to keep the camera steady and control framing. Look for one that's easy to adjust and transport. For a cost effective tripod, check out this one.
- lightening: This could be as simple as facing a window on an overcast day. Avoid harsh shadows or overly yellow lighting. Or you can try this selfie light instead.
- microphones: The mic built into your phone or camera is likely insufficient. Consider getting an external microphone for improved audio quality.
- editing software: Websites like Storyy.co and apps like CapCut work great for content production.
- camera: While a phone camera will suffice, using an actual camera will give you more control over focus, framing, and video quality overall. Keep in mind the 4:5 dimension - vertical videos optimized for mobile viewing are highly preferred by brands nowadays.
Creating YouTube content involves various stages, including planning, scripting, filming, and editing. Take the time to map out your pillar rotation - those different types of videos and topics we just talked about. This will help you maintain a consistent flow of content while catering to your audience's interests.
Post consistently, but don’t burn yourself out. Commit to a realistic posting schedule that works for your lifestyle, even if it's just once a week to start.
There is no rule that says you have to post this many videos a week or that it has to be a certain length. Ask yourself how often can I post? How long could my videos be?
But I will drop a gem and say, as you grow and is able to monetize your channel, your video needs to be at least 8 minutes long to add ads, but that’s another conversation…
Find the right balance of content. Post a mix of short- and long-form videos. Quick tips and viral challenge videos can help attract new viewers, while longer tutorials and documentary-style videos keep people watching and build authority.
Optimizing Your Channel
Your YouTube channel is your online persona, so it's crucial to set it up for success. There's definitely prep work involved in running a YouTube channel. You'll need to set up your account, pick a profile photo and banner, write descriptions, and optimize with keywords. And let's not forget about creating optimized thumbnails and titles.
The thumbnail and title are the first things people see when deciding if they want to watch your video. Using emotional appeal, authenticity, and transformation as a guideline will help you capture viewers' attention and increase your Click-Through-Rate (CTR) and Average View Duration.
Which videos generated the most views, comments, and engagement?
Your CTR shows you how many people clicked on your video out of everyone who saw your thumbnail. Your average view duration is the length of time your video is watched per video.
YouTube make sure you stay on their platform by pushing out videos they know people are watching longer. So make sure you’re packing your videos with value and entertaining content.
Don't Get Stuck on Metrics
This platform provides robust analytics to track how your videos are performing. Overtime, pay attention to factors like view count, audience retention, traffic sources, and demographic data. This info can help you better understand your audience and fine-tune your content strategy.
Just don't get obsessed with stats, especially early on. Don't get discouraged by low views in the beginning, we’ve all been there. Instead, focus on creating content because you enjoy it and because it solves a problem for your target audience. You can tweak your strategy over time. But you'll never grow a YouTube channel if you don't take the first step and hit upload on that first video.
Success Leaves Clues
It's motivating to watch your views and subscribers grow over time. Building an audience takes time. If you’re looking for instant gratification, YouTube is not for you! YouTube rewards persistence and consistency.
Stay motivated by remembering why you started, and the rewarding feeling of growing your community.
One of the best ways to improve your YouTube game is by studying successful creators in your niche. Go to their accounts, analyze their strategies, and understand their audience. You’re there for inspiration and ideas… to gain valuable insights into what works and help you refine your own content creation approach only. Don't get caught up comparing yourself to established YouTubers. Your journey is your own.
Pay attention to things like video topics, length, upload frequency, thumbnails, and more. But don’t copy—find what feels natural and authentic for your channel.
Understanding Social Media Platforms
Learn how to understand the algorithm. Understanding a platform is also understanding the users of that platform.
Did you know that YouTube has over 2 billion logged-in monthly users? YouTube is the second most-visited website globally with about 70% of YouTube watch time coming from mobile devices.
You want your content seen right? Well start that channel right now.
Grab Your Camera and Start Filming
Creating successful YouTube content requires trial and error. Test video ideas for yourself and see what performs best for your channel. With the right combination of planning, creativity, and optimization - your next viral hit could be just around the corner! Just pick up your camera and go.
I can't wait to see what you create. Wishing you huge success on your YouTube journey!
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