5 Ways To Get Started on YouTube
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I'm so excited because in today's video I have a special guest, Trena Little, my friend and total YouTube expert. On her channel Tips with Trena, she teaches online entrepreneurs how to grow their business by using YouTube.
I have learned so much from her in the past year and today she's going to share with you five ways to get started on YouTube.
Hit play or read the post below.
1. Plan in Advance
Step number one is to plan in advance. Now, I want you to do some research on YouTube and see what kind of content people in your niche are currently creating. Now, don't get overwhelmed or think that your niche is already oversaturated. I just want you to see what people are doing. What thumbnails are they creating? What kind of content are they creating? Now, how can you make this your own content? You probably have your own way of teaching. You probably have your own thoughts and opinions in your niche. So what are some video ideas you can start writing down to create on YouTube?
Another thing you can do if you already have a blog, go to your website analytics and see which blog posts are getting the most traffic. You already have this content created. Now just turn it into a video - take that blog post and basically use it as a video script. Then you can use that video to upload to YouTube and embed it into your blog posts to give your blog post even more search engine optimization. So start writing down all these video ideas you currently have running through your mind.
2. Start Branding Your Channel
The next thing I want you to do it start branding your channel before you set it live. So what I want you to focus on is creating a channel banner that really reflects your brand, so that if they come from your Instagram or your website and they come to your YouTube channel, there's no disconnect. Or if they come to your YouTube channel and go to your website, there is no disconnect. I also want you to have your logo on that channel banner and also what value you are going to bring on that channel. Now, keep the text very minimal, only about five to eight words, but really pitch the value you're going to bring to them on that channel banner. If you know what your schedule's going to be post your schedule out there as well. This just allows people to see that you are committed to creating consistent content. They'll want to click subscribe so they don't miss your videos if you're posting consistently. Again, don't put too much on this channel banner, just enough to tease what your channel is about because this is the first impression people generally have of your youtube channel.
The next brand piece I want you to focus on is creating some thumbnail templates. Thumbnails tend to be the most time consuming part of a video. Yeah, thumbnails - not the video specifically, because the thing is, if your thumbnail doesn't get clicked, it doesn't matter how great your content is, they're never going to see it if the thumbnail does not grab people's attention. So, my graphic designer has about five or six different templates of thumbnails for me, so then all we have to do is just change the text out and change the photo out. She already has the colours and the overlay is done and it also relates back to my channel banner branding and my website branding and everywhere in my business. So create a couple of templates so that creating thumbnails will not be so overwhelming.
3. Get Started with the Equipment You Have
Now the next step is equipment, and trust me, if you have one of these guys right here - a smartphone - this is really all you need to get started with. Don't get bogged down with needing a special DSLR camera and a boom mic and light kits and all of this other stuff. I want you to first get started on the equipment that you already have. Again, your smartphone is going to be good enough. Make sure you use the front camera because this camera is always going to be a little bit better. You could also put your ear buds from your phone on because they also have a mic, so that gives you better audio. Another great audio recommendation is a Lavalier mic from the brand Rode. It's a great mic that plugs right into your phone, as well.
Now, as far as getting good lighting, all you have to do is stand in front of a window to get that natural light. That is the best light that you're going to get and you'll want to stand in front of it so that it's going evenly across your face. Now if you don't have those windows and you have to film at night, the best thing that you can do is buy daylight balanced light bulbs. These light bulbs emit a cooler, white-bluish light instead of the yellow light that are typical light bulbs, and you can get these on Amazon and in home goods stores like Lowes or Home Depot. You can easily put these light bulbs into regular lamps to give you better, more crisp white lighting.
4. Just Start Filming!
You've got your video ideas. You've got your branding. You've got your equipment set up. Now it's time to just film. Trust me. Your first video is going to suck. I'm sorry. It's going to not be what you expected, but you're never going to get better at it if you don't keep doing it. Just hit record. Just film that first video. Just start practicing because you will get better the more you do it, and if you don't start doing it, you're never going to get better, and it's going to take you longer to get to the point that you imagine in your mind, so just start filming. You're going to learn so much the more you do it.
5. Set Low Expectations
Now, the last thing that you've got to focus on to get started on YouTube is mindset. Here's the thing - when you post a video, you're not going to go viral overnight, so you've got to have kind of low expectations in your mind when you get started. Otherwise, if you think you're going to post a video and you're going to get like 500 views and you post it and you get five, it's really, really going to crush you. I know there have been times where I think I've created this amazing video and I just know it's going to take off and then when it doesn't, I get kind of unmotivated and depressed about it. And so set low expectations. YouTube is a tricky game to get started on. It is worthwhile. It is a longer game as opposed to seeing instant results like with Facebook ads, and Youtube content for your business is definitely worth it. So just have that mindset going into it.
So those are the five things I think you need to do right now to get started on YouTube.
Thanks so much Trena, for coming and sharing your knowledge with us! Guys, if you want to learn more about YouTube, make sure that you subscribe to Trena's channel and subscribe to mine right here!
