So far I have written 2 posts covering tips for streaming. But what if you want to jump into the deep waters that is YouTube? Well, I have some tips for YouTube too! Here are 5 tips for YouTube that nobody tells you (sort of, I mean some of these you might have been told I can’t know for sure.)
Have a regular upload schedule
Just like streaming on Twitch, having a regular schedule is paramount to growing on YouTube. If you really want to succeed quickly, daily uploads will be the way to do that. But for many people, especially those just starting out, that’s a bit tough. To begin with, once a week is pretty achievable and will put you in the good books with YouTube after a while. This is one of those things that you might not see an immediate return from, but it is worth doing to appease the YouTube Algorithm gods. Additionally, having a good schedule for your growing audience is a beneficial idea too, as they know what day to expect a video from you. This encourages return engagement.
Make an effort with Thumbnails
The art of thumbnails is honestly very underrated. No matter how good your content is, if your thumbnail game is weak, your views will suffer. Learning what makes a good thumbnail is now pivotal to growing on YouTube, as it is the first impression you make on a potential new viewer. Keeping with the default thumbnails YouTube provides, or making something incredibly basic in Microsoft Paint is not a great way to help a channel grow. Keeping tabs on what popular channels are doing with their thumbnails and creating something unique for you is a great way to stand out and add some branding to your channel.
Have decent equipment
Note that I said decent equipment. That doesn’t specifically mean it has to be expensive. A lot of people start their YouTube or streaming careers thinking they need to spend hundreds of dollars on equipment, but that’s not necessarily the case. However, investing a bit on some decent equipment is worthwhile. Having a PC that can record game play without any issues, decent editing software, as well as a good mic and (if you want) webcam, can make all the difference for your overall quality. Right out the gate, nobody makes amazing content. But having a good mic and good quality footage, can separate you from the herds of other videos without them. If you want some advice for good USB mics or webcams, check out our post on it HERE.
Find your niche
So, you might not know this… but there is a LOT of content on YouTube. Trying to be “the next Pewdiepie” or like any other popular YouTuber is probably the worst thing you can do. Taking inspiration from someone is one thing, but on YouTube it’s particularly important to take note of what’s trendy, but also to put your own spin on things. Don’t just play popular games and expect to immediately take off. Find a way to share your love or passion for something in a way that’s not done already. This might take some time, but establishing your own uniqueness will help your channel tenfold. On top of this, having some sort of established theme or type of content you are creating consecutively will help you grow more. Just uploading random things all the time will only get you so far. So, decide from the get go what you want. Are you a gaming channel? An art channel? A review channel? Make the call, then you can begin to craft a channel that reflects you.
Develop a community
This is harder than it sounds, and is probably the item on this list you can have the least control over. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Uploading to no-one or getting low views is a part of the start of any content creators’ journey, and while it can be discouraging at times there are ways around this. For starters, telling friends or family to support you by watching is a great way to start out. On top of that, finding other content creators who are just starting out in their journeys too and supporting their content is a great way to grow your community too. Also remember the importance of replying to comments! Early on, the few comments you get are vital to acknowledge and will help encourage return viewership. Also look at other forms of community building like creating a Discord, to encourage even more engagement.
So, there were 5 tips for YouTube that nobody tells you! Do you have any other tips for YouTube? Feel free to share them below!
Also remember to check out very own YouTube channel HERE if you haven’t already!
