Everything You Need to Know About Starting a YouTube Channel in 2023.
Starting a YouTube channel can be a great way to share your ideas, talents, or knowledge with the world. Whether you’re looking to create content for fun, to promote your business, or to make a career out of it, there are a few key things you’ll need to know before you get started. I got serious about Youtube back in 2019 and failed in just about every possible way however through those failures, I learned a lot of valuable information I’d like to share with you in today’s post, so let’s dive in.
Find Your Focus,
(But Don’t Hyper-Focus)
Choosing a focus for a YouTube channel is an important step in building and growing your audience. A focused channel is more likely to attract and retain viewers because it provides consistent and valuable content centered around a specific topic or theme. This doesn’t mean you can’t branch out though.
For example, on my channel, Eric J. Kuhns, I anchor my content around a concept rather than one specific thing, which for me is exploration. I create videos around skateboarding, urban exploring, travel, and product reviews, but all of these have to do with exploring either a physical place or physical thing. It’s also a good idea to choose a focus that aligns with your interests and passions, as this will make it easier for you to consistently create content and remain engaged with your audience.
When deciding on a focus, consider what sets your channel apart from others and what value you can provide to your viewers. One important lesson I learned along the way was that I needed to consider the potential size of my target audience and whether there is a demand for content on my chosen topic. For me, my initial failure was that I hyper-focused on not only skateboarding as a niche, (which was already a pretty saturated market) but also on a specific location. This drastically limited my potential audience. You also don’t want to hyper-focus because you can get burnout really easily creating similar videos over and over. With all of this in mind, if you carefully select a focus for your YouTube channel, I’m positive you can create a compelling and successful YouTube channel.
To dive deeper into this subject, consider watching the documentary below on one of YouTube’s most successful creators of all time, Mr. Beast.
Planning & Creating Content
Planning and creating content for YouTube is an important aspect of building and growing a successful channel, but it can also be pretty difficult to do consistently. To create a cohesive and engaging content plan, it's helpful to start by setting clear goals for your channel. These goals could be related to the type of content you want to produce, the frequency of your uploads, or the impact you want to have on your audience.
Once you have established your goals, you can begin to brainstorm and organize ideas for your content. It's helpful to create a schedule or calendar that outlines the topics and formats of your upcoming videos, as well as any deadlines or milestones. Personally, I use Trello to write down ideas as they come to me. I separate each video concept and assign them to the month I want to release it in. As I get closer to filming and editing, I try to write out a detailed outline of the video, but if something spontaneous happens during filming, don’t be scared to deviate from the outline. Some of my best YouTube moments were completely unplanned, like when I explored an abandoned mall in Dallas, Texas.
As you create and produce your content, it's important to consider factors such as the quality of your visuals and audio, the value or entertainment you are providing to your audience, and the overall appeal of your content. By thoughtfully planning and creating your content, you can build a strong foundation for your YouTube channel and attract and retain a dedicated audience. There are a bunch of helpful tutorials out there to accomplish this. For example, check out Vanessa Lau’s video on this topic below. I’ve been subscribed to her for awhile now and she consistently puts out super helpful how-to videos on YouTube and other social sites.
You Don’t Need The
BEST Equipment To Get started
One common misconception about starting a YouTube channel is that you need the best equipment in order to produce high quality content. While having high end cameras, microphones, and other equipment can certainly enhance the production value of your videos, it is not a requirement for starting a successful channel. In fact, some of the most popular and influential YouTube creators have started out with minimal equipment and have built their audience through consistent, engaging content. There’s even some YouTubers who have half a million subscribers and barely edit, like FeatureMan’s YouTube - he mostly just eats on camera.
The most important aspect of starting a YouTube channel is having a clear focus, your own unique perspective, and a willingness to put in the effort to create and share valuable content. As you grow your channel and gain a larger audience, you can gradually invest in better equipment as needed. In the meantime, don't let the lack of resources or equipment hold you back from sharing your ideas and passions with the world. For tips on inexpensive cameras, lighting techniques, and more, check out my friend Nigel Barros’ YouTube channel.
The Importance Of Thumbnails, Titles, & Tags
Thumbnails, titles, and tags are the very first things potential viewers interact with on your YouTube video and can help to attract and retain or do the complete opposite. Thumbnails are small graphics that appear in YouTube search results and on your channel page, and they are often the first thing that a viewer sees when deciding whether or not to watch a video. Choosing a clear and eye-catching thumbnail that accurately represents the content of your video can help to increase its visibility and appeal to viewers.
Thumbnails are boxed in red on the right.
Titles are also crucial in attracting an audience, as they provide a brief overview of the content of your video and can help to differentiate it from others. It's important to use descriptive and relevant titles that accurately reflect the content of your video, while also making it clear and enticing to potential viewers. I like to imagine the thumbnail and title are brother and sister, but not twins. In other words, you don’t always have to put the title of the video on the thumbnail, but instead you can design it with like-DNA where the thumbnail is a picture that represents what the video’s title is; not duplicate the exact information.
Finally, tags are keywords or phrases that you can add to your video to help it appear in relevant search results. Using relevant and popular tags can help to increase the discoverability of your video and attract a larger audience, but you don’t want to use an over-used tag.
The best advice I can give is to find a combination of thumbnails, titles, and tags that work for you while also finding a happy medium in a highly-searched topic pinned against a topic with not a lot of videos based on it; sometimes it’s difficult to identify, but it’s well worth the research. This strategy worked well when I made my EMO Desktop Robot video since there was a lot of interest, but not a lot of videos created about it. This video currently has over 200,000 views and is a great example that even if you ignore the title/thumbnail relationship advice I gave in the first paragraph of this section, as long as you do your keyword/topic research your video should perform well.
Collaborate and Make Friends
Collaborating with other creators on YouTube can be a valuable way to grow your channel and reach a wider audience. Working with other creators allows you to tap into their audience and expose your content to a new group of viewers. It can also be a fun and rewarding experience to work with other creators and produce unique content together. This is something on this list I go out of my way to try and make happen as often as possible. As with almost anything in life, networking can be pretty beneficial, but more than that - collaboration has been one of my favorite parts about being a YouTuber.
In addition to the potential benefits it can garner for your channel, collaborating can also help to foster a sense of community and support within the YouTube creator community. By working together and sharing resources, you can help to lift each other up and create a more positive and collaborative environment. I’ve heard often that when seeking out collaborations, it's important to choose partners who align with your brand and values and who have a similar target audience, however I don’t entirely agree with that last part. I think working with other creators who you enjoy hanging out with, regardless of their target audience, can propel you into a broader base which in turn, can help you create and try out new subject matter. Aligning with someone who matches your values though is important.
Ultimately, I’d say that by carefully selecting your collaborations and putting in the effort to produce high quality content, you can gain valuable exposure and build stronger relationships within the YouTube community. Here are a few of the collaborations I’ve done on my own channel:
Utilize YouTube Shorts
To be honest, I was against YouTube shorts when they were first released. I always felt that what made YouTube so special was the long format videos, however with time and seeing how lucrative they can be with bringing more traffic to my long form content, I've changed my mind.
Shorts can be an amazing tool when they are picked up by the YouTube algorithm and from what I can tell, the Shorts algorithm has gotten a lot better since it's inception. I do not suggest inundating your viewers with shorts though unless your channel is focused on this short form type of content, (which is totally fine if it is). Personally, I post once a week and it seems to be a good balance of giving my audience something to hold them over until I post my weekly, full length video the following Friday morning. If you'd like a quick crash course on Shorts and some helpful tips and tricks, check out the video below from one of my favorite YouTube growth tools, TubeBuddy.
Lastly, Love What You Create
This is the most important thing you should know about starting a YouTube channel. Loving what you do is an important factor in achieving success and fulfillment in any field, and that includes YouTube.
When you are passionate about your content and your message, it shows in your work. When you are genuinely excited about what you are creating, it can inspire others to become interested and engaged as well. In addition to the external benefits, loving what you do can also bring a sense of personal satisfaction and joy to your work.
When you are able to pursue your passions and interests through your YouTube channel, it can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience that adds value to your life. YouTube can work against your mental health if you ignore this. If you are not truly invested in your content and are just going through the motions, it can be difficult to sustain motivation and momentum, and your work will suffer as a result. Reiterating what I said earlier in this article: it is incredibly important to choose a focus for your YouTube channel that aligns with your interests and passions, and to continuously find ways to stay inspired and engaged with your work.
I hope this post can help you on your journey to creating your own personal or professional YouTube channel. If you like this content, consider subscribing to this blog at the bottom of the page and to my YouTube channel, (where as previously mentioned) I focus on exploration through skateboarding, urbex, traveling, and product reviews. Thanks for reading!
