If you saw my last post, you may be familiar with me and Matthew Allen’s current series, How To YouTube. It’s Thursday, and our last video in the series was just released. There are a few things I wish we’d thought to include in the video, but didn’t. Here are a few bonus tips that will help you out!
Content, Content, Content.
I feel like we may have focused on gear and camera tricks a bit too much in our series – we forget to stress how important content is. You can have pro audio and video, lower thirds, transitions, and all of that, but if your content sucks, you’re powerless. The main key to success is being unique. People don’t want another iPhone unboxing or drop test. People want unique content that is interesting. A perfect example that I always use of this is Linus Tech Tip’s video on external batteries. It’s unique in a number of ways. (1) I haven’t seen anything like it before, (2) it’s in a unique location – instead of a typical office or desk, they went to a nice area to shoot, and (3) it’s more of a “live” style. My point? It’s original. If you have original content, you’ll have much better chances of success.
Networking
YouTube is a community. That being said, you’ll get noticed much more if you build legitimate relationships with others in your niche. I’m not talking about trying to comment “WATCH MY VIDEOS” on an MKBHD video and hoping you get noticed, I’m talking about building a relationship with other channels that are your size. Get to know them, subscribe and watch them, collaborate with them. That adds a whole new aspect to YouTube, and is a lot of fun! I’m friends with every writer at The Tech Ninja – we all talk to each other almost daily, and they’re some of the nicest people I know! By networking, you not only meet some cool people, but it can indirectly help you grow your channel.
No, You Won’t Get Rich Or Famous
This one I did cover in our video, but no, you (most likely) won’t get rich or famous from YouTube. When I started my channel, I had the mindset that I was doing it to get a million subscribers and make hundreds of dollars a month in ad revenue. While I still would love this to happen, it may not, and I’m learning to be ok with that. As long as you’re in it for numbers or money, you’ll crash and burn. It’s important to do YouTube because you want to, not because you’re expecting something out of it.
Don’t Be Too Critical
If you have super high standards like me, it may be easy to be critical and get discouraged about everything. In the end, as long as you have fun, that’s what counts! Try your best to produce a quality product, but if it doesn’t come out perfect, don’t sweat it! Also, don’t get discouraged by big YouTubers. You don’t have the $50,000 camera that MKBHD has, so don’t expect your shots to look as good as his!
If you haven’t seen the How To YouTube series yet, be sure to watch the videos here.