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Hey everyone,
I have been snowed in at a hotel in Kazbegi, Georgia for the last few days with no sign of leaving so I wanted to start a thread I have been thinking of for a while. One regret with my original web design thread is that I didn't start sooner. It is nice when it is possible to see a progress thread from the very early stages.
With that in mind here is my progress thread on growing a YouTube Channel.
First off some background context:
I didn't have much (hardly any) experience with making videos till about a year ago. I recorded a little when I was younger with skateboarding but these were just fun skate videos. I made one "sponsor" tape that consisted of having two video players and recording clips from one into one video on the other.
So in the last year I watched some free video tutorials on YouTube, took a great video course from my friend Thomas, and got some camera gear. I made a few practice videos in 2017 of traveling but I wanted to wait till 2018 to have a proper run at things.
Camera Gear:
My primary camera is a Sony A7 with 16mm, 35mm, and 50mm lenses. This is the camera I use for most of the cinematic shots within my videos. I am new to cameras but so far this has been great to use. The menu is super easy to navigate, very easy to use, and after a day or two it feels very simple to operate.
I also got a proper mic that connects to this but the sound actually isn't that amazing. Still working on this. Good sound is a crucial part of having a video that is enjoyable for people to watch.
Alongside the main camera I am using a Sony RX100 for the "vlog" style shots. It has a flip over screen that is great for seeing yourself as you film so you know what is in frame. Also a cool feature of this camera is super slow mo which is around 250 frames per second. It is really nice for some amazing video.
Other cameras I use are a DJI Mavik drone and a gopro (4 I think!!?). The drone I use a fair bit but I have crashed two already so I am a little more cautious than when I first started! The gopro hardly ever. They are quite annoying to operate although the video can look really good when you go to the hassle.
Editing:
I am using premier on a mac. Really easy once you play around with it. Again I was a complete beginner with this but some courses and free tutorials later and I feel like I know a few tricks. Still so much to learn on this but I will pick it up over time I am sure.
So that is the actual camera gear covered.
----------
Actual Video Format:
The aim of my videos is to inspire people to start learning web design, teach them how to sell their services and grow a business, and show them what its like to be your own boss. Web design is a cool job since you can work from anywhere and you don't need much equipment or set schedule.
I don't see anyone making "cool" web design videos - there are tons of boring tutorials but they lack any character or fun. I am aiming for part inspiration and part education.
YouTube:
It seems a huge challenge with YouTube is just getting the initial traction. By studying a lot of other channels it seems once they break through to around 5000-10,000 subs they start growing a LOT faster. I think the main goal for any newcomer should be to focus on nailing the format for producing great content and growing that core audience first. Once you lockdown the basics and hit 5k subs it should start to grow itself quite naturally if your content stays high quality.
Since I am so new I am still learning on creating a good format for each video. I have two general styles I like so far...
Vlog/lifestyle style - this is like a short video that is more focused on what goes on behind the scenes. I am using a 4/5 minute format with a cool intro, talking mid section, and nice outro. This is a great format to start with since its fun to watch and also quite easy to produce. Since you won't be talking as much as other formats it means you don't have to rely as heavily on voice only content.
Tutorials/talkative videos - these are actually surprisingly a lot harder to produce. You need to have a solid storyline/tutorial that can capture attention and keep it over 5-15 minutes. Usually these are going to be dialed in on a very specific topic. Since so much of YouTube is people searching for a topic the better you can match that exact search the better your engagement.
Right now I am doing a bit of both and working on becoming a better speaker and also delivering as much value as I can in an engaging way. I feel like I know my topic really well but the challenge is in communicating that as best as possible.
YouTube Hacks: Just like an system there are ways to improve you odds at success. Youtube has a bunch of different ways to improve engagement. These can be clickbait titles, the thumbnail pics, using video tags, channel tags, getting views to do an action (like/comment), running competitions, and much more.
So far I haven't been focused on this too far. I don't want to have some clickbait style channel and ovetime people usually will drop off if your content isn't delivering. Better to start small, make great videos, and improve your content while your channel is still small.
One thing I have been playing with those is the video tags. I will do a full post on this soon since there is a lot you can do here to improve your videos performance.
At the end of the day YouTube is just a platform and your main business should be your primary focus. That being said it seems to allow for a lot more natural growth in a short amount of time compared to Facebook and Instagram which I think are now primarily pay-to-play platforms. For those who manage to crack YouTube it is an amazing way to get your message out there and engage with people.
I will update this thread as I learn and grow my channel. If anyone else here is doing the same please feel free to join in also.
Some samples of my content so far:
Vlog style:
(travel style)
(travel/behind the scenes style)
Tutorial:
(shorter format)
(long format)
Any questions or suggestions - please let me know, thanks.
I have been snowed in at a hotel in Kazbegi, Georgia for the last few days with no sign of leaving so I wanted to start a thread I have been thinking of for a while. One regret with my original web design thread is that I didn't start sooner. It is nice when it is possible to see a progress thread from the very early stages.
With that in mind here is my progress thread on growing a YouTube Channel.
First off some background context:
I didn't have much (hardly any) experience with making videos till about a year ago. I recorded a little when I was younger with skateboarding but these were just fun skate videos. I made one "sponsor" tape that consisted of having two video players and recording clips from one into one video on the other.
So in the last year I watched some free video tutorials on YouTube, took a great video course from my friend Thomas, and got some camera gear. I made a few practice videos in 2017 of traveling but I wanted to wait till 2018 to have a proper run at things.
Camera Gear:
My primary camera is a Sony A7 with 16mm, 35mm, and 50mm lenses. This is the camera I use for most of the cinematic shots within my videos. I am new to cameras but so far this has been great to use. The menu is super easy to navigate, very easy to use, and after a day or two it feels very simple to operate.
I also got a proper mic that connects to this but the sound actually isn't that amazing. Still working on this. Good sound is a crucial part of having a video that is enjoyable for people to watch.
Alongside the main camera I am using a Sony RX100 for the "vlog" style shots. It has a flip over screen that is great for seeing yourself as you film so you know what is in frame. Also a cool feature of this camera is super slow mo which is around 250 frames per second. It is really nice for some amazing video.
Other cameras I use are a DJI Mavik drone and a gopro (4 I think!!?). The drone I use a fair bit but I have crashed two already so I am a little more cautious than when I first started! The gopro hardly ever. They are quite annoying to operate although the video can look really good when you go to the hassle.
Editing:
I am using premier on a mac. Really easy once you play around with it. Again I was a complete beginner with this but some courses and free tutorials later and I feel like I know a few tricks. Still so much to learn on this but I will pick it up over time I am sure.
So that is the actual camera gear covered.
----------
Actual Video Format:
The aim of my videos is to inspire people to start learning web design, teach them how to sell their services and grow a business, and show them what its like to be your own boss. Web design is a cool job since you can work from anywhere and you don't need much equipment or set schedule.
I don't see anyone making "cool" web design videos - there are tons of boring tutorials but they lack any character or fun. I am aiming for part inspiration and part education.
YouTube:
It seems a huge challenge with YouTube is just getting the initial traction. By studying a lot of other channels it seems once they break through to around 5000-10,000 subs they start growing a LOT faster. I think the main goal for any newcomer should be to focus on nailing the format for producing great content and growing that core audience first. Once you lockdown the basics and hit 5k subs it should start to grow itself quite naturally if your content stays high quality.
Since I am so new I am still learning on creating a good format for each video. I have two general styles I like so far...
Vlog/lifestyle style - this is like a short video that is more focused on what goes on behind the scenes. I am using a 4/5 minute format with a cool intro, talking mid section, and nice outro. This is a great format to start with since its fun to watch and also quite easy to produce. Since you won't be talking as much as other formats it means you don't have to rely as heavily on voice only content.
Tutorials/talkative videos - these are actually surprisingly a lot harder to produce. You need to have a solid storyline/tutorial that can capture attention and keep it over 5-15 minutes. Usually these are going to be dialed in on a very specific topic. Since so much of YouTube is people searching for a topic the better you can match that exact search the better your engagement.
Right now I am doing a bit of both and working on becoming a better speaker and also delivering as much value as I can in an engaging way. I feel like I know my topic really well but the challenge is in communicating that as best as possible.
YouTube Hacks: Just like an system there are ways to improve you odds at success. Youtube has a bunch of different ways to improve engagement. These can be clickbait titles, the thumbnail pics, using video tags, channel tags, getting views to do an action (like/comment), running competitions, and much more.
So far I haven't been focused on this too far. I don't want to have some clickbait style channel and ovetime people usually will drop off if your content isn't delivering. Better to start small, make great videos, and improve your content while your channel is still small.
One thing I have been playing with those is the video tags. I will do a full post on this soon since there is a lot you can do here to improve your videos performance.
At the end of the day YouTube is just a platform and your main business should be your primary focus. That being said it seems to allow for a lot more natural growth in a short amount of time compared to Facebook and Instagram which I think are now primarily pay-to-play platforms. For those who manage to crack YouTube it is an amazing way to get your message out there and engage with people.
I will update this thread as I learn and grow my channel. If anyone else here is doing the same please feel free to join in also.
Some samples of my content so far:
Vlog style:
Tutorial:
Any questions or suggestions - please let me know, thanks.
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