Do you want to become a YouTube vlogger? Vlogging has been a trend on YouTube for a very long. There are YouTube creators who keep uploading travel vlogs, kitchen vlogs, and so on! There are a lot of things that you need to keep in mind before starting a vlogging on YouTube. This might sound difficult to you as you know the competition on YouTube is constantly increasing. You must have read a lot about vlogging and all the information might lead you to confusion. You don’t have to worry or get confused, YouTube has always supported YouTube creators and helped them to build their passion into profession. Today let’s discuss how to become a vlogger.
What is YouTube Vlogging?
Vlogging means nothing but video blogging or video logs. Many YouTube creators have created travel vlogs, product review vlogs, tutorial blogs, and so on! While watching this on YouTube might look very simple and easy but that’s not the case. There are a lot of things that you need to take care of before starting a YouTube channel. Let’s discuss how to start vlogging on YouTube step-by-step.
What Makes a Great Vlogger
YouTube has many popular niches, and vlogging is the most popular. In fact, YouTube started a personal video-sharing format. However, over the years, audience preference has evolved. Many niches in vlogging have emerged, some Vloggers have stood out, others struggle. Let’s understand how to become a vlogger and what it takes to be special:
Be Authentic
No one likes a YouTuber who only talks about their sponsors or jumps on every trending topic. People easily find out that the creator is just uploading content to gain views or sell something. The content has no value; even if there is value, people get skeptical.
Create authentic content to build a connection and form a recurring audience base. For example, Emma Chamberlain puts up vlogs about the basic stuff. Yet, they are interactive and feel very personal, like a friend sharing why she likes too much caffeine or spent $450 on a GUCCI T-shirt.
Be consistent
How would you know what your audience wants? Well, there are tools to understand what’s trending, targeted keywords, trend shifts, algorithms, etc. However, each channel has its own type of audience. If you want to find out what you can do better and what your audience likes to see. Upload consistently.
Consistency will give you valuable data. Using Studio analytics, you can plan a content strategy. Markipiler’s channel is a perfect example of consistent uploads. Over the years, he has uploaded gaming, reaction, animation, and skits. Consistency helped him upload content that his audience wants, from Minecraft to horror games, reaction videos to comedy, and a blend of videos to engage his audience while uploading at proper intervals.
Add personality to the channel.
There is something likable about our friends, so we hang out with them. The same goes for a YouTube channel. The channel’s personality attracts an audience, and they subscribe to it. Maybe your silent cinematic day-in-life videos are unique, or your sense of humor, self-banter, stories, etc. Add personality to the channel with things you are comfortable with. As we discussed, “Be authentic”. If you are an introvert, don’t add a pretentious, bold personality to your channel.
Casey Neistat emits a unique vibe when it comes to Vlogging. He has shared the luxury side of his life, wisdom, and even some of his personal life events, from testing electric shoes to hospital moments where he found out he can never run. The channel has a personality, like catching up with an old friend.
Be a Storyteller
Creators earn primarily through YouTube ads. The longer the viewer stays on the video, the higher the chances of ad slots. To hold the viewers to your video, use storytelling. Your storytelling quality engages the audience, gives personality to your channel, and communicates your perspective that resonates with the audience.
Yes, Theory creates long videos, almost 40 minutes long, and still has millions of views. Although if viewers watch a video for around 30 seconds, it counts as a view. However, the channel has likes, comments, and shares, suggesting viewers are not bouncing back. They hold their audience with anticipation, engaging narration, and seamless editing to hook them, such as Montage, JumpCuts, SlowMotion, Flashbacks, and ColourGrading.
Be adaptive to platform
The YouTube platform’s algorithms change swiftly. This change also affects the search results ranking, making creators worry about what strategy to adopt. Some things always remain the same on YouTube, such as producing authentic content and being consistent, but these algorithm updates are necessary so that all creators adhere to community guidelines.
Mr Beast’s channel is mainly at the top of YouTube. It started with gaming and is now featuring trendy philanthropic challenges. Making engaging content while catering to the masses might be tough. However, channels such as MrBeast, DudePerfect, and MKBHD have proven that whether you stick to one niche or cater to multiple niches, you can still be successful in the long term.
Network with top YouTubers and agents to adapt to platform changes, rely on YouTube Studio data, trend analysis, high-quality content, and build a community.
Strong Video Editing
The YouTube audience evolves with time. When YouTube started, people uploaded low-quality videos, sharing whatever they felt like. Now, with the reduced attention span, the Short (1-minute video format) has risen. Although the long format still dominates, viewers need something that hooks them for a longer run. Creators can achieve this with exceptional editing in their videos.
There are many tech review channels, but Marques Brownlee is the epitome when it comes to tech channels. MKBHD differs from other channels. They present the product like an Ad shoot, with exceptional b-roll, color grading, cuts, multilayered scenes, and frames. The channel’s comment section is enough to know that the viewers are mesmerized by the professional editing.
How to Start Vlogging in 8 Steps
You will learn most things while continuing your YouTube journey. Before starting your YouTube channel, learn these 8 steps on how to become a vlogger that quickly accelerates a YouTube career.
1. Your channel name
Before creating a YouTube channel, make sure you have finalized your channel name. Once you achieve success, changing your channel name can affect your growth, although you can change it twice in 14 days from the YouTube Studio. But it impacts your branding, and you lose your verification badge and have to reapply. You also have to do the same with your social media accounts.
Some tips for naming your channel
- Use your target niche to name the channel
- Your personal name, if you’re targeting multiple niches
- Brand name, in case you want to transition into merchandise or business
- Name Availability for domain, social media name, etc.
- A global name for a broader audience
2. Targeted niche & audience
It’s better to pre-plan what audience you want to target and in which industry you want to make your name. This will help you create content that resonates with the audience. For example, if you are a food vlogging channel, you can start by making a dozen pieces of content about what you know and are fond of. Once you understand your audience, you will not face creative block.
You will understand what demographic to target, such as age, gender, and location. Pre-identifying a niche will also help you network and sign up for relevant YouTube events or creator events.
3. Research Competition
Before investing time and resources in making content, research competitors. Your competitors are successful in your niche or have the highest subscribers or engagement. Analyse what they are doing, and how they started their journey. Adapt their good part and avoid the mistakes they made. To do research, pay attention to these points:
- How long are they on the platform
- Subscribers count
- View to subscriber ratio, View to likes ratio
- The editing and storytelling style
- Channel theme
- Social accounts
4. Plan content for 3 to 6 months
Due to a low engagement rate, your content will not initially reach a larger audience. The only thing that will help you increase your engagement rate is content quality. The audience will stay for your content if they find it appealing. So, instead of consistency or algorithm tricks, focus on delivering quality over quantity.
Plan to produce content for at least six months. Avoid worrying about metrics. After some time, you will see metrics rising, based on which you can form a further strategy. Planning will help you cover the main and valuable topics. If you are familiar with the topic, you can deliver better.
5. Purchase Equipment
Now that you know your target niche and have planned for at least six months, you can purchase equipment based on your needs. Let’s say you want to do a day-in-life Vlog. You won’t have to buy a heavy HD camera, but you might have to spend on a microphone to eliminate the bustling city sound. You might need a tripod or memory cards for travel vlogs. A light for indoor vlogs is more important than a mic.
Buying expensive lights, a lot of memory cards, and premium editing software is unnecessary. You can start with basic equipment once you start your journey. Eventually, you will realise what you need the most.
6. Your recording space
The recording space will save time when setting up the camera and the light. You will be familiar with space, adapting to natural light, sound, comfort, and the camera angle. You will be able to present yourself better. The space gives you confidence. You will be able to record footage quickly.
You can also change the room’s theme according to the video requirements. Many creators use their backgrounds to add depth to their videos. Change the lighting according to the mood of the video.
7. Be familiar with the platform and tools
Once you start your journey and start working full-fledgedly, you will not have time to deviate from your schedule. So be familiar with all the features of the YouTube platform, editing software, and tools you will use.
Let’s say how to plan your production, the metadata, thumbnail dimension, video files, and platform features such as community posts, descriptions, pinned comments, end cards, more videos(I-button), studio analytics, etc.
Be familiar with the editing software, the light set, camera functions, etc. The goal is to know everything about the things that you will be interacting with regularly.
8. YouTube video promotion
A common practice among Vloggers is to promote content. Promotion gives the content an initial boost. You have produced excellent content, but thousands of videos are uploaded regularly. Promotion is the prominent way to catch viewers’ eyes.
Understand how YouTube video promotion is done. Policies should be adhered to promote content. Budget for the promotion, your goal for the promotion, for example, you want likes or to gain subscribers.
How to Monetize Your Vlogs and Earn
Monetizing your vlog can take some time. You have to meet the criteria to earn money from YouTube. Nonetheless, we understand how to become a vlogger now, so let’s see how to earn money from the platform. But first, we can discuss how you can earn from YouTube.
YouTube Monetization
You must be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program to earn from YouTube. Once eligible, you can earn from ads, channel memberships, and the YouTube Premium revenue policy.
Affiliate Marketing
Apart from YouTube, you can earn money through affiliate programs. Enroll yourself with an affiliate program and paste the affiliate link in the description or pinned comments. You get the commission whenever someone uses that link to purchase the product.
Sponsorship and Brand Deals
You can earn from sponsored deals and brands by promoting their products or services in your videos. The promotion makes you money, and the larger the audience base, the higher the sponsorship deal.
Sell your own products, courses, or merchandise
You can sell your own course, service, or products and earn from it. Add your e-commerce website link or landing page in the description and comments. You can also promote the brand on social media accounts or in collaboration projects.
Conclusion
While you learn how to become a YouTube vlogger, you need to be patient. You will not get popular overnight on YouTube. Keep working hard and be consistent in posting videos on your YouTube channel. If you want to become a YouTube vlogger, you need to be creative and on your toes to create content and engage with the YouTube community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. What is the difference between a blogger and a Vlogger?
A blogger creates written content, while a Vlogger creates video content. The blogger publishes content on a website, Medium, or Blogger, while the vlogger publishes content on YouTube, TikTok, etc.
Q2. What do you need for Vlogging?
To start vlogging, you need basic equipment such as a camera, a microphone, a tripod, editing software, storage, etc.
Q3. Do YouTube Vloggers make money?
Yes, YouTube Vloggers can make money from the YouTube Partner Program, Sponsorships, brand deals, affiliate marketing, and selling personal products or services.
Q4. How often should I post vlogs on YouTube?
You can start by uploading high-quality content once a month. Once you get familiar with it, you can upload 2-3 times a week. You can also begin daily vlogging to increase your YouTube growth.
Q5. How do I grow my audience as a Vlogger?
To grow your audience, you can start producing engaging content consistently. Plan strategic content deployment. Optimize your content for the platform, collaborate, or promote your content.
