How to Kickstart Your YouTube Channel
Since 2005, more than 800 million videos have been uploaded to YouTube!
YouTube is a magical world where anyone can upload nearly any kind of video content for FREE and, with enough exposure and hard work, even make a career out of it.
Youtube is the largest video-streaming platform in the world.
It’s the largest video-streaming platform in the world, so it’s no wonder that businesses, companies, and individuals use YouTube to promote themselves and what they do.
If you have ever wanted to start your own YouTube channel, but didn’t know where to begin, we are here to clear the fog and shine some light on how easy (and fun!) the world of YouTube can be.
We will give you practical tools to brand yourself correctly, take advantage of YouTube’s user-friendly uploading system, and familiarize yourself with the platform’s analytics.
Step 1–Clarify Your Message Using HeroGuide
Whenever anyone comes to us for help with growing their brand, we ask them, “Do you know about HeroGuide?”
What is the HeroGuide method? Oh, nothing . . . just the best thing since sliced bread.
The HeroGuide method helps you build the foundation of your brand and clarify your message.
The HeroGuide method helps you build the foundation of your brand and clarify your message.
After you’ve gone through the HeroGuide process, you can establish a plan that covers the best avenue(s) for the information your audience is interested in and what tools to use to get the best out of them.
To learn more about the HeroGuide framework, click here.
Step 2–Define Your Visual Design & Style
Coming up with your brand’s story was only part of the job. Now you need to bring your vision to life!
Think of launching your YouTube channel as similar to opening an online dating profile–this is your opportunity to introduce yourself, shine your brightest, and tell people exactly why they should choose you . . . and it all starts with the visuals.
Ask yourself, “Does my brand represent me well? Do I even have clear branding?”
Ask yourself, “Does my brand represent me well? Do I even have clear branding?”
If you haven’t yet established your branding, now is the time to explore how you can use visuals to express yourself best.
Using the HeroGuide method, deep reflection, and a bit of imagination, come up with your “YouTube Starter Pack,” which should include:
- Logo (if applicable)
- Color pallet
- Fonts
- Graphics
After that, list all the small and big ways you can insert your branding into the visuals of your channel. Think of including the following in your videos and on your channel’s page:
- Logo (if applicable)
- Page banner
- Profile picture
- Thumbnails
- Intro/Outro
- Lower Thirds
- Transitions
Our graphic designers will help you solidify your design.
If you are not a graphic designer and these tasks overwhelm you, feel free to contact us. Our graphic designers will help you solidify your design.
If you want to get the ball rolling on your own, we recommend using Canva, a graphic-design-for-beginners tool.
Now that you’ve anchored down your visuals, it’s time to launch your channel.
Step 3–Launch Your Channel
Congratulations, you’ve made it this far!
Now that you’ve anchored down your visuals, it’s time to launch your channel.
Back to our dating profile analogy: while filling in all the details in your settings, profile, and video descriptions, it’s important to include the correct information. Include a call to action, such as a reminder to your audience to comment, subscribe and hit the notification bell, as well as links to things you mention in your videos and where they can keep tabs on you through other social media platforms.
You are ready to upload your first video.
The uploading process is user-friendly, simple, and intuitive.
First off, choose a title. Is the purpose of your title to:
- Inspire?
- Entertain?
- Educate?
- Sell?
Then work within that framework, using keywords, matching the title to your content, and avoiding clickbait. (You’ll never guess what happens next!)
Often, people will click or not click solely based on whether or not your thumbnail is intriguing.
Now add your thumbnail. Often, people will click or not click solely based on whether or not your thumbnail is intriguing. For that reason, keep your image simple and curiosity-sparking, with a contrasting color scheme, and make sure to stick to the best image size, which is 1280 × 720 pixels and a minimum width of 640 pixels.
Now that you’ve done all that, create a playlist so that people can easily find similar videos, and, once you have enough videos uploaded, remember to add cards and end screens to guide your audience to more videos they might find interesting.
Pro Tip: create a playlist so that people can easily find similar videos
Step 4–Follow Your Analytics
Once you’ve got the ball rolling and have enough videos on your docket, YouTube will gather data about your videos’ performances and make them available to you in the Analytics section.
In Analytics, you can find data on who is viewing your channel, what times your audience is most engaged, through which avenue they found you, and even which keywords people are searching for that led them to you!
Why is this important? Because the more information you gather, the better you know what works and what doesn’t, and, most importantly, how to reach a wider audience.
As your audience grows and changes, so will your analytics. Make checking Analytics regularly a priority, since it is the main tool that indicates how well your video is doing and the changes you might need to make.
Step 5–Engage With Your Audience
Now we get to the fun part–your audience.
The one and only way for you to maintain a thriving YouTube channel is if you are constantly engaging with your audience.
Pro Tip: reply to comments on your video
When you post a video, we recommend being available to reply to their comments. When you do so, the YouTube algorithm picks up on this and detects it as interest in your video, causing it to be rated higher on lists of recommended videos.
Another key factor in keeping your ever-growing audience interested in your content is to post on a consistent basis. Whether that is once or twice a week, be faithful to post at times when Analytics shows that most of your audience is engaged.
It’s not enough to create a great-looking video, ghost your audience, and expect it to grow
Why is it important to be consistent?
Because it’s not enough to create a great-looking video, ghost your audience, and expect it to grow. Just like relationships, which need consistency, attention, and nourishment to grow, so does your audience.
Remember, if your audience found you, subscribed, and hit the notification bell, it’s because they are looking forward to seeing your next video. After a while, if you disappear, so will they.
One of the most important things to keep your audience engaged is to insert hooks into your videos. A hook can be a simple statement at the beginning of your video that keeps your audience engaged till the end; for example, “Stay tuned to the end because we have a very special, life-changing announcement to make” or “Make sure to watch my next video for a special surprise.”
Step 6–Start Strong & Be Yourself
When it comes to videos on YouTube, the competition is fierce. What stops you from being a small video in an ocean of videos is the content you post and making every second count.
No, that wasn’t a typo–we do mean every second. According to a study conducted by YouTube in 2021, the average attention span is only eight seconds. Yikes!
That’s why you need to start every video strong, putting your best foot forward, and keep your audience engaged throughout the length of your video.
For example, starting on the wrong foot might include cold, individual facts or rambling without quickly getting to the point: “Hi everyone! I love brownies. They are my favorite dessert. My mom makes the best brownies.” So . . . what?
Starting on the right foot might include welcoming your audience, telling them what is planned for the video and giving them an incentive to keep watching: “Hey everyone! Welcome back to my channel. Today I’ll be making my mom’s famous brownies recipe, so follow along and stay till the end for a bonus tip on how to keep your baking tins clean!”
Make sure that your message is concise, your visuals are engaging, your audio is clear, and you are presenting your “story” in the most genuine way possible.
The best pro tip we can offer you is be yourself, because everyone else is already taken!
Playing the YouTube game takes patience, consistency, and creativity, so go wild and have fun!
YouTube is Fun, So Enjoy It
See? That wasn’t so hard. If you follow these simple steps, you will see how easy it is to kickstart a successful YouTube channel that creates value for your audience and brand.
Playing the YouTube game takes patience, consistency, and creativity, so go wild and have fun!
If at any point you find yourself discouraged, remind yourself that, eventually, your hard work will pay off.
You do your best job when you are NOT stressed, but act organically.
CAUTION: don’t fall into the pit of perfectionism. You do your best job when you are NOT stressed, but act organically.
Still need guidance toward becoming the best YouTuber you can be?
We’ve got you. Feel free to contact us to set up an appointment with one of our marketing experts.