YouTube is a massive platform that has become a daily part of many people’s lives. Whether you watch YouTube content creators to learn something new, be entertained or just to fill time in your daily commute, there is no escaping that YouTube is the place to go for online videos. If you want to become a content creator and create videos for YouTube, then check out our list of 5 things you need for YouTube success.
Part 1: What is a YouTube content creator?
There are many different types of YouTube content creators producing videos for a vast range of niches and audiences. With over 2.1 billion YouTube accounts, the platform is saturated with creators wanting to become the next big YouTube influencer.
How and why you create your content will depend on what you want to achieve; some YouTubers are looking to develop channels that earn money through the YouTube monetization program, while others use their content to sell products or services.
One thing all YouTuber video creators have in common is the need for an audience. Growing a YouTube channel, above all else, requires time and consistent effort; if you want to become a content creator, you need to put the work in to stand out.
Part 2: Get to know the platform
If you want to become a content creator, the first step is to get to know the platform you’ll be using. You might have watched a few YouTube videos and even subscribed to a few accounts, but how much do you know about behind the scenes?
Learning how to utilize the YouTube video content tools is pretty straightforward, but optimizing your videos can be confusing if you’re new to YouTube. Fortunately, Artlist has an awesome guide to Starting your YouTube Channel to help your YouTuber skills.
One of the most effective methods to get to know the platform is to look for content creators who produce similar videos. Look for the popular and less popular channels in your niche and compare them. Look at the video title, description, thumbnail and tagging to help you create a picture of what is and isn’t working for your competition.
Part 3: Picking a niche
Picking a niche shouldn’t be too difficult; if you want to create videos for YouTube, you probably already have an idea for your video and channel. It is, however, an essential step to understand.
The content you create needs to appeal to an audience, and it is vital you know who that audience is before you start your videos. Views are great, but subscribers are better as they will be notified about all your future video uploads as well. The key to attracting more subscribers is to offer a range of content they will like; think about your ideal subscriber when you plan your content.
Whether you want to start a vlogging, how-to, a cooking show or sketch show channel, knowing who you are making your content for can help you master the YouTube algorithms to be seen by more people. Create YouTube videos with a purpose, and make sure they are seen by the right people.
Part 4: Creating quality content
Once you understand the platform and have researched your audience, you can get to producing your videos. To attract a sustainable and growing audience, you need to create quality content.
Quality content doesn’t mean you need to buy top-of-the-range cameras or spend months editing each video; it simply means taking the time to ensure your offering provides value to the viewer. Whether you aim to entertain, teach, amuse or inform, you need to give the viewer what they expect when they click on your video.
Naturally, you shouldn’t cut corners on your video skills either; pay attention to your editing, add YouTube End Screens, add music to your videos and don’t forget to insert subtitles. It doesn’t need to be perfect, and you can improve your YouTuber skills and the look of your content as your channel grows.
Part 5: Find an audience
Many aspiring YouTube content creators make the mistake of thinking that once they create videos for YouTube, that is it. The fact is that creating a popular and successful channel takes a lot of work outside of the platform itself.
While you create YouTube videos, your audience won’t immediately find you on the platform, so it is essential to use a range of social media platforms to share your projects. Since you already know your audience, you can quickly find them on Facebook, TikTok, Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram.
Join fan or niche groups where your target audience hangs out, follow other accounts that complement yours so you can start discussions, and create trailers to post to the other platforms. Promoting your YouTube channel can be as much effort as it does to create videos for YouTube, but once you start to find your audience, they will begin promoting it for you with likes, comments and shares.
Wrap up
It can be easy to mistake YouTube content creation as a fun way to make some quick money, but creating YouTube videos and running a successful channel is a lot of hard work. No matter what you want to leverage from your Channel, producing quality content is key to growing and sustaining an engaged audience. If you want to become a content creator but need some help making your video, check out this beginner’s guide to making a video.
Did you find this article useful?