YouTuber

I think the number one easiest way to get started is to just do it. Just literally get started. A lot of people try to get it perfect the first time, which it won't be. I mean, even if you have it really, really planned out, you're going to look back at your first video even probably just a month from now and think, oh gosh, I can't believe I put that out there in that state. But the nice thing is when you're starting a channel, a new venture on YouTube, chances are you're not going to have that many followers anyway. So you can use that first month or so to just get creative, realize nobody's going to be watching for the first little bit anyway, but your audience will grow with you though. For me, it was kind of nice knowing that as I was beginning, I wasn't disappointing too many people if I was getting it wrong. And in the meantime, I was learning a lot.

Okay, so you're getting started on YouTube. I would say I have a couple thoughts on that. Number one is find resources that can teach you what you need to know. I would look up Daryl Eaves. He has a book called YouTube Formula and also there's another book that we love that's How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck and the reality is sometimes YouTube can get really hard to continue doing. There's things that can get difficult but I would just say be consistent and continue being yourself. Also just don't try to be somebody else and show what you're passionate about because people will resonate with what you are passionate about. They will see the passion behind the video and enjoy that and resonate with you. Also be flexible and just continue working hard and you're going to do great.

I'd recommend you just get started really, just don't wait for anybody to approve your content, just start that's all and you'll be okay.

Most people I talk to are really concerned about getting it right the first time, getting the right equipment, having the right concept, all that kind of stuff. And I say, just jump in with what you've got. You know, the camera you have isn't going to make a difference. What's going to make a difference is you learning how to do it. So starting, getting up whatever content you think is going to work. You'll figure out if it's working or not when you put it up. And it's not going to be perfect. It's never going to be perfect. So just don't worry about it. Use the equipment you've got, use the resources that you've got, whatever concepts in your mind, try to film it. You might figure out that it's too complicated after you filmed it. And so you can spend a ton of time trying to perfect the concept before you film it. And then you'll figure out once you do film it and put it up that it wasn't the right one. So just go for it and do it for fun. Don't do it for money. Do it because you enjoy doing it.

When you're getting started on YouTube, I think the most important thing is that you find something that you absolutely love and can see yourself doing long term, especially as far as content is considered. So make sure that you find something that you can talk about over and over and over and that you're not going to get burnt out on or get sick of because you want to make sure that you're in it for the long haul and that you're not going to get super tired. The average channel length or timeline I guess for a channel is seven years, at least successful and ongoing and active for seven years. Now a lot of times you'll live past that. I'm on year 11 right now, but finding something that you can do for a long time makes a lot of sense. Second with that, when you're getting started, connect with other people who are also in YouTube. Find people who are bigger than you, who are smaller than you, follow the right people on social media, and by the right people I mean anybody who can give you advice from experience. It's going to make a huge difference. So get out there and make it happen.

So you're thinking about starting a YouTube channel. I've got some advice for you. First of all, what an exciting place to be. YouTube is so much fun. The number one advice that I think I would have is it doesn't matter if you have expensive fancy equipment or fancy microphones, fancy cameras, fancy editing software. A lot of that doesn't really matter. What matters is that you, as a creator on YouTube, follow your passion. Do something that you love. Something that you get so excited about. Something that it wouldn't matter if your videos got views or if you made any money. You would do it because you love it. That, I think, is the best advice I could definitely give. Do it because you love it and you'll never fail.

So if you're thinking of starting a YouTube channel and becoming a YouTuber, I would advise you to commit to doing YouTube until you get to at least a thousand subscribers. I would also encourage you to have realistic expectations when you get started, just realizing that, you know, it's probably going to take a year or two before your channel really takes off. It could take off earlier, but I would set an expectation that you're going to need to publish maybe a hundred videos before you start to see some success as you're trying to, you know, learn what video topics to do and titling and thumbnails and pacing and so forth. And so you just need to have your expectations kind of realistic and you need to have a lot of commitment because just about anyone can become a YouTuber. It's just I feel like only one or two percent of people like have the grit to stick it in there the first year or two.

I run a YouTube channel called Working With Lemons. We have over 3.5 million subscribers and we do a lot of Disney covers, Broadway stuff, brought in like real life. So I think the biggest thing is finding something that's going to be popular. There's a couple of little gold, well not little, gold veins on YouTube of sweet spots. It could be gaming, vlogging, music, entertainment, educational. And then you want to find something that is unique, that's not out there right now, or you need to do something, you need to do it better than the rest. So if you're going to be a video game person, you gotta be the best or you gotta be entertaining, you gotta provide something unique.

This is going to sound completely cliche, but getting started on YouTube is just like anything else. You just need to get started. And again, that sounds kind of funny, but it's true. Don't look for perfection. Don't look for a full understanding of what you're getting into. And definitely don't ever search for something that someone else is doing. Do your own thing, get started. And if you already feel like you want to get started and it's a desire of yours, then just go ahead and do it. By the way, that is the most difficult part is getting started. And then consistency is the next difficult task when it comes to being a YouTuber.