by Connie Aronson
Those are just some of the most famous and successful YouTube (or simply YouTuber) streamers in the world right now. It’s a crowded field for sure, but the good news? There’s always room for one more, and that could be you.
Similarly to being a successful online gamer, watching and learning from the best in the biz is a good start, but you won’t get far if you only want to emulate your YouTube heroes – you have to set yourself apart. Here are a few tips to get you going on your path to being a great YouTuber.
Choose your category
Being a YouTuber isn’t defined as one thing, as there are dozens of categories that exist on the video streaming site. Deciding on your niche is important, as you can literally be whatever you want on YouTube, depending on your skills and interests. For example, you could pick from any of these categories:
- Movie and TV reviews
- Sketch comedy
- Thoughts and opinions on news and current affairs
- Fashion, beauty, or hair advice
- Yoga or fitness tips
- Video game streaming
- Recipe tutorials
- Teaching videos such as history, maths, science, etc.
- Playing your own music
These are just some of the options you have, but there are so many more. Choosing one category when you start doesn’t mean you can’t transition into another later on, but the main fact is simply to pick something that you know you’ll give 100%.
The right equipment & recording space
You won’t be popular on YouTube if your videos look and sound awful. Viewers expect crisp videos with premium sound in 2022 and beyond, and you can bet your bottom dollar that they’ll click away if their standards aren’t reached.
If you’re a gamer, especially, then most of the time your equipment will be on show, such as your keyboard, controller, and mouse. Make sure that your desktop area is clean and tidy, without any grime or mess where the camera will pick it up. Clean your keyboard correctly and efficiently so that viewers aren’t seeing your dirty gadgets!
A quality camera such as the Sony HDR-CX405 is a good start, or you could even pick up a great webcam (these have improved dramatically since the grainy ones back in the early 2000s) like the Logitech C922 Pro Stream. A great external microphone is also a must, and we recommend the Samson CO1U.
As for lighting, many YouTube streamers opt for ring lights if everything they do is facing the camera, such as reviews or opinion pieces. These illuminate your face really well and aren’t majorly expensive, so if this sounds like your thing then go for the Nanlite Halo LED ring light.
If you have a well-lit room with plenty of natural lighting, then you may not have to buy any external kits. However, if you’ve done a test shoot and seen that your face is still looking too shadowy, then a softbox on a tripod is a great idea to help highlight your features.
Lastly, you’ll need editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut to help your videos look and sound amazing, as well as adding any special effects and snazzy transitions.
Figure out your brand image
Just like any sports team, business, or even band name, you need a title that’s cool, memorable, and easy to write and type. There are dozens of random name generators online that will provide you with unique and interesting names if you simply have no idea what to use. You can, of course, just use your real name if this makes things easier!
Learn about SEO
The life of a YouTuber isn’t just performing in front of the camera, but also ensuring that people are able to easily find your work online. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, will help your content to be found by those searching on Google and YouTube itself.
Everything from using keywords to descriptions to tags will assist your videos to rank higher on these websites. After all, you do want people to watch your creations, right? Check out some useful information here about SEO and YouTube.
Sticking to a routine
Services like Netflix have broken the mould in terms of delivering entertainment by releasing every episode of a TV series at once. However, more often than not, people like to have a weekly or daily piece of content to look forward to. Regardless of how often you make a video and put it online, try to stick to a schedule to ensure that your followers come to expect a new creation on a certain day of the week.
Community engagement
Interacting with your fans and followers on YouTube is paramount towards building up an active community. Most YouTubers and influencers reply to messages and give comments a “like.” While it’s not a must when you’re a streamer, engaging with your followers just a bit has become a sort of unwritten rule.
Furthermore, posting on Instagram and Twitter is a good way to build up followers on YouTube, and you can tell everyone on social media when there’s a new video online to help boost views.
While it can take a long time to build up a fan base and get your videos seen by millions, not to mention actually making money on YouTube, the main thing is to enjoy what you do and be happy with whatever form of viewership you will receive. Of course, earning a living from YouTube is not so bad, but don’t expect it to happen overnight, instead, consider the above tips and have fun making videos.
