2. Do you want to be the next big thing on YouTube?
YouTube has quickly become the spot for up-and-
coming filmmakers and personalities, but you'll
have to put in some work if you want to stand out
from the crowd. From cultivating your brand to
creating quality content, becoming popular on
YouTube requires more than just a camera
4. The most successful channels on YouTube are designed
with one specific audience in mind. The audience may be
people who enjoy sketch comedy, people looking for
product reviews, people interested in video games,
people looking for fashion advice, or any other audience
you can imagine. Good channels focus on one thing that
they do best, and then excel at that.
#1 Determine your niche
5.
6. Besides choosing a niche, you'll also need to
develop a personality. PewDiePie didn't get 40
million subscribers because he plays video games,
he got them because he plays video games with a
unique personality and approach. You'll want to
cultivate an identity that sets you apart from the
other content being produced in your niche.
#2 Set yourself apart
7.
8. #3 Build your brand.
Before you launch your first video, you should have the basic building
blocks of your channel established. This includes having a good profile
image, unique banner art, and a basic description. All of this put together
is the starting point for your personal brand, which is how viewers will
relate to and remember you.
• Look at all of your favorite channels and see how they brand
themselves. You'll find that virtually every popular channel has a
custom look that helps identify themselves.
9.
10. Your profile image will appear next to the name of
your channel in searches and comments on YouTube. It
will be the first thing viewers see when your content
appears in their search results, so make sure that it is
representative of you and your brand.Your profile
image can be a picture of you if you are the focus, or
your logo if you are not the focus.
#4 Create a profile image
11.
12. This is the image that appears at the top of your Channel, and acts as the title.
Channel Art is what makes viewers feel like they're on your "personal"
YouTube, and helps cement your name in their mind.
• If you are creating your own art, YouTube recommends that the image be
2560 X 1440 px. This is the size of the image that will appear on the TV. All
text and logos should appear in the center of the image in a 1546 X 43 px
rectangle.[1]
• Channel art can be commissioned from a variety of sources including oDesk
and Elance. If you can, create a basic banner to get by for a while, and then
use your first ad earnings to invest in commissioned art.
#5 Create or commission Channel Art
13.
14. #6 Fill out your Channel's description tab
Use this space to give a brief overview of your channel and to link
viewers to your other webpages and social networking sites. The
description of your channel appears in searches, but doesn't have to be
incredibly in-depth.
• Make sure to link to your company website, blog, Facebook page,
Twitter account, and any other place on the web you have a presence.
16. #1 Get some good equipment
• The equipment isn't necessarily expensive. A stand-alone webcam will work
better than virtually any built-in webcam, and will only set you back a few meals
out.
• If you're filming actors or anything other than yourself, you'll want a decent
camcorder. Taking videos with your phone is convenient, but if you want to keep
an audience you'll need better production values than that.
• If you're going to be recording your screen, find a good screen recording program
such as Camtasia or the free OpenBroadcastingSoftware(which can also do live
streams). Filming your computer screen with a camera while you use it will make
it nearly impossible to see what's going on.
17.
18. Unless you're doing improv or filming something you don't have control
over, you should prepare a script and rehearse it. This will lead to less
awkward pauses and will improve the flow of your videos.
• Youtube doesn't allow videos longer than 15 minutes unless you meet
specific guidelines. Keep this in mind when writing your script, and
break up long videos into a series.
• See this guide for detailed instructions on writing your first script.
#2 Write a script
19.
20. Do a dry run of your script a few times before you turn on
the camera. This will help you iron out any kinks and solidify
your talking points before you begin filming. You don't want
to be reading directly from your script while filming, so
practice is important.
#3 Rehearse before shooting
21.
22. Before you start filming, gather everything you're going to need for the
video. For example, if you're recording a tutorial on your computer, make
sure all of the windows you need are open and your important files are
easy to access. If you're filming a scene, make sure that all of your props
are in order.
• While preparing to shoot, make sure that the lighting is good enough so
that everything can be seen. Do a test shoot with the camera to check
the lighting.
4 Prepare anything you need
23.
24. Once you've got everything ready, it's time to start rolling! Shoot
your video, and don't be afraid to do multiple takes. You can
splice and edit in your different takes during the editing process.
• Remember, don't read off your script! You want your talking to
feel natural, and people will be able to tell when you're reading
off a page.
• If you're directing other actors, check out this guide on good
movie directing techniques.
#5 Start filming
25.
26. Before you start editing, take a few minutes to watch everything you
recorded. If you aren't happy with any part of it, reshoot that part now
while everything is still set up. This will save you a lot of time in the
editing process.
#6 Review your recording