Should You Start a YouTube Channel?
Are you thinking of starting a YouTube channel? It can be a great way to share your passion with the world and build your brand while you're at it. But there are a few things you should do before you launch your channel to increase your chances of success.
In Episode 56 of Growth Hack, Derral Eves stops in to give you some tips on how to get started on YouTube the right way. Derral Eves is the mastermind behind some of the most successful channels on YouTube. He is also the Executive Producer of The Chosen and is the founder of the VidSummit YouTube and Video marketing conference. In short, he is an authority on everything YouTube-related.
What You Should Do Before Starting a YouTube Channel
Before you start a YouTube channel, you need to ask yourself a few questions. What are your goals for your channel? Do you want to build a brand? Do you want to grow a following? Do you just want to share your passion with the world?
Once you know your goals, you can start planning your content and building your channel. As per Derral, the most important thing you can do when starting out is to define your audience. Knowing your viewer avatar will help you tailor your content to a specific group of people that are likely to respond to it positively. If you don't start with the intended viewer in mind, you're playing a guessing game with low odds.
Does Copycatting Work on YouTube?
Copycatting is when you take someone else's idea and try to make it your own. It's a common tactic in the business world, but does it work on YouTube? The answer is: it depends.
If you're starting a channel from scratch, it can be hard to gain traction if you're just copying someone else's idea. But if you have a solid following on another platform, you can use that to your advantage. If you already have an audience, they'll be more likely to follow you to your new channel.
If you do decide to copy someone else's idea, make sure you put your own spin on it. You want to stand out from the rest, so don't just copy someone verbatim. No one likes a ripoff artist and the backlash can be painful if you're outed as a copycat.
Common Mistakes YouTube Creators Make
So you want to be a YouTube creator, eh? You've seen the success of Jake Paul, PewDiePie, and Logan Paul and you think, "Hey, I could do that!" Well, before you quit your day job and start posting videos of yourself unboxing cereal, there are a few things you should know. Here are some common mistakes YouTube creators make when starting out:
Not doing their research
You can't just start a YouTube channel without any prior planning or knowledge of the platform. You need to do your research first and figure out what kind of content is popular and what kind of videos are likely to get views. Otherwise, you're just shooting in the dark and wasting your time.
Not being original
Remember what we said about copycatting? There's already a ton of content on YouTube, so unless you're bringing something new to the table, you're not going to get very far. Be original in both your idea and execution if you want people to watch your videos.
Not having good production value
A lot of would-be YouTube creators think that they can just throw up a quick video with no production value and it'll be fine. But that's not the case - viewers can tell when a video looks cheap and amateurish, and they're not going to bother watching it. If you want people to take your channel seriously, you need to invest in good production value.
Can you start a channel with a mobile phone camera and some open-source editing software? Sure. Production value doesn't necessarily mean breaking the bank on audio and video equipment. Some channels do fine with the most modest means and some channels thrive on offering the realism of a low-production style. However, unless you're in the handful of cases that can do this, you want to provide a modicum of presentation quality.
Not promoting their videos
Just because you've made a great video doesn't mean people are going to find it on their own. You need to promote your videos through social media, forums, blogs, and other channels if you want people to actually see them.
Focusing on the right elements
Derral explains that the most important hook for getting views is the video thumbnail. It;s the first thing to catch the user's attention and direct their gaze at the video title. The title follows the thumbnail in importance. It has to offer a preview of the value your audience can expect to receive within the video.
If the viewer finds your thumbnail compelling and would like to see the type of content your video title describes, you need to be able to deliver asap! Once the user clicks on your video, you have less than a minute to prove that they're getting what they clicked for!
Not interacting with their audience
YouTube is all about building a community around your channel. If you're not interacting with your audience and instead, you're just throwing contact at them, they aren't likely to be very responsive.
Finding ways to make each audience member feel like they're a part of a community will help you build loyalty. This channel loyalty will transfer to your brand if done correctly.
Entertain, Educate, Inspire
Derral Eves has distilled his extensive knowledge on creating a successful YouTube channel and poured it into his book: The YouTube Formula. The book is divided into 3 parts:
- History of YouTube
- Opportunity
- YouTube formula.
The essence of the YouTube formula is understanding people and providing them value. If you can entertain, educate, and inspire, you are on the way to building your brand on the biggest video platform in the world.