If you are wondering how to start a YouTube Channel, you need to read this.

Whatever is your goal as to why you want to start one, YouTube has definitely been on the minds of many, yet not everyone does it. It is very simple to do and in the era of the smartphone, you really do not need to invest anything to start…

So why so many people still do not start?

I reckon the below two things stop people from taking the leap…(disclaimer- these are my own observations)

• lack of knowledge
• shyness

Or both, which is where I was just 3 months ago…

I actually had to take coaching to overcome my fear of the camera.

Read more on:

An Interview with my Personal Mindset and Confidence Coach Beata Podgorska

The lack of knowledge is easy to fix, as you can learn anything using… YouTube… (duh!). Since Youtube is the second largest search engine (after Google obviously, oh! and guess who is it owned by?- You got it!- Google!) you can find any answer on this platform.

There are so many fantastic free videos on how to start a Youtube channel and I strongly recommend Cathrin Manning, who is a, in my opinion, a YT guru.

When it comes to the second obstacle- shyness, I have learned a few things and I hope they can help you too- keep reading to find out more!

How To start a Youtube channel?

This post contains some affiliate links (mainly from Amazon) and if you click and purchase any item I might get a small commotion at no additional cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for more info.

1. Prerequisites

You will need a camera and some kind of editing software to put your video together.

To begin with, I really don’t recommend you splashing money on a camera or software alike. As long as you have a smartphone, you’re sorted.

iPhone is the best choice for two reasons:

-It’s easiest to use (that might be arguable by none iPhone users)

-It has it’s own free editing software (iMovie) which does not come with any other phone- you need to download a third-party app which is often not that good and might have watermarks after downloading the video.

But obviously, any smartphone would be good enough to start with (I just love iPhone hence I am a bit bias here).

Once you have been doing YT for a while and really see yourself continuing and want to invest in a camera, let me send you to a Camera guru– Sean Cannell. He knows it all when it comes to a camera, microphones, camcorders etc.

You can also then get an editing software for your laptop or a PC. Mind you, this requires quite a powerful machine for the software to work well and speedy. I use my Lenovo All In One PC which I have recently upgraded by inserting additional 8GB RAM which made it work faster when editing.

Here is the link to the 2020′ video on the best computer for video editing.

I currently use my phone (iPhone X) and a Sony camera (depending on where I’m filming).

For the edits, I use iMovie or the Adobe Premiere Pro 2020- Not an affiliate link- prices start of £9.98/month.

The iMovie edits I do on my phone which is not great as it’s a small screen and I prefer to do it on my computer.

2. Decide what you want your channel to be about

The best point to start off is to consider a few things:

-What do you enjoy watching on YT?

-What do you like doing/ talking about?

-What can you teach others/ how can you entertain them?

Which takes me to the next point-  think of whether your channel would be entertaining or educational.

You would have seen many of those “How To” type of videos which are educational, and many funny type videos (pranks, music etc) which are entertaining.

If you are not sure yet, that is ok too, you will find out sooner or later in a process of creating those videos what kind you feel better in creating.

 

3. Set up a Youtube account

If you haven’t got an account yet:

You will need a Gmail as YouTube is owned by Google (as mentioned above), therefore you will have to register with your channel name (or your own). This is a smile process and I don’t think it needs much explaining, but do let me know if you need any help here.

Now you can create a channel, where you will not need to do much especially at the start.

But once you have done the initial video or two, I would recommend you do the following:

Set up your profile:

• Add a little picture which displayed next to your name
• Upload a Banner- you can create this on Canva which is free of charge (by the way if you use this link and sign up we will both get 1 credit so well worth it!)
• White a little into in ABOUT section
• Link in any website if you have (like a blog)
• Link you IG, FB, Twitter, Pinterest etc
• Create short Trial video

Later down the line once you have more video you can further customise your channel by adding Playlist etc.

4. Plan your content

If you are serious about it and really want to success on YT it is a good idea to plan your content.

Think ahead about what kind of video do you want to create.

I recommend using something like a content calendar which will help you schedule in content and think off all of the necessary things especially if you are new to the social media marketing.

Who do you want your target audience to be- so who you think would like to watch your videos? Having this in mind will help you “talk” to this person when filming your videos. It’s a good idea to have one particular person in mind (like your friend) so when filming you talk to them.

Also plan before filming what roughly you will talk about so that you can focus on the subject and stick to the point.

Once you become comfortable and up to speed with editing etc, do your Keyword research. So look for ideas on what others search for.

I will cover this in some other post as Keyword research is a post-worthy topic to spend at least a 1000 words on.

You can if you like just roll with it and start filming without the hope planning process but it will show in the quality of your video (unless you are just naturally good at it and talented to go with a flow).

 

5. Decide how often you can upload

 

In the beginning, I would recommend doing 1- 3 videos a week. And stick to the schedule. The way that YouTubes algorithm works, it’s best for you to upload regular as opposed to 10 videos in one month and then none next. You do need to be consistent.

The filming part is the easy part.

You then need to edit it, create a thumbnail (again you can use Canva), put a description in, upload it onto your channel.

Overall it can take anything from 5 to even 10-15 hours on one video so bear this in mind when committing to 3 videos a week or more (especially if you have other things to do, which I am sure you do).

 

6. Start filming

I mean, you could skip part 4 and 5 but I really recommend you don’t if you want to do this in the right way. Although I don’t think there is such a thing as “the right way” but I hope you know what I mean.

So here is where the Shyness might kick in…….

And I get it as I too have been there.

Not everyone was born a confident and it might take you some time before you gain this confidence.

But you will get there I promise!

It takes practice and patience. Be patient with yourself.

Before starting my channel- I was filming myself- just for myself – with my phone while cooking dinner or getting my makeup done just to get practice on speaking to a camera.

I would then watch it back to get used to listening and watching myself too. It is rather cringe to do but it helps you build your confidence up.

Once you get a little practice and you know what you want to film as your first video- JUST DO IT!

It won’t be perfect, but that’s OK. You will get better with time and practice.

Now just edit it and upload it onto YouTube.

And this is how you start a YouTube Channel!

I know it’s easier said than done, but if you told me a year ago that I would be doing a YouTube Channel I would have laughed out loud. And yet here I am, done 18 videos already (as of 15AUG 2020 when writing this) and steadily growing my channel truly enjoying the journey.

I wish I had more time to invest in this, however having a full-time job, 3 kids, and running a blog really stretches my availability to do this, but I am determined and committed.

Consistency is the King in everything so I will carry on until I decide that I have had enough (upon my retirement probably lol).

Most importantly- Enjoy it!

If you find that filming is really not your cup of tea, then maybe it is not for you, but I think since you have stuck until now reading this, you must be deep down really wanting to at least try it.

So why not give it a go, even if you are not sure what’s it gonna be like…

You never know, you might become a successful YouTuber and make a career out of it doing something you truly enjoy. Wouldn’t this be just a perfect scenario?

Not Impossible!

I want to know if you have yet given a thought about starting your own channel? If yes what is stopping you to do so, or if not, why not?

I hope you have enjoyed this post and let me know if there are any other things you would like to know.

And please don’t forget to subscribe to my channel and help me grow it so that my dreams will come true one day!

 

If you are interested in this kind of content (YouTube related one) let me know in the comments below.

Thank you