How to Setup a Profitable YouTube Channel
You have the talent, you have the creativity, and you feel it is time for your big idea to go viral. YouTube is one of the best platforms to showcase your talent to the world and make money. Before you create that YouTube channel, here are a few things you need to know.
For thousands of people all over the world, YouTube is more than just a fun video content platform. To them, YouTube is a community, a place to let out their creativity, and most of all it is a career. Whether you are considering starting a gaming channel, a live stream of your day-to-day life, or a YouTube channel to complement your blog, it is important to ensure you get it right the first time.
There are hundreds of people starting YouTube channels every day, however very few of them get it right. First things first, the equipment. For a YouTube channel to stand out, you need to invest in the right equipment for this job.
Equipment is the most important part of any YouTube channel. It determines the quality of your videos, which is what people care about. A video done in poor lighting or using an inferior camera will reflect in the finished product. When you get the right equipment, your content will stand out, which is what attracts viewers and subscribers.
The five essential items needed to set up a profitable YouTube channel
A camera
The camera is the most important piece of equipment you need for a YouTube channel. There are tens of cameras in the market, but the best choice would be a DSLR camera. These are the best cameras to use when filming in low light conditions, high video quality, and very clear images. A decent DSLR camera can cost anything between $100 and $1000. There is something for every budget.
If you cannot get a DSLR camera, the quality of most smartphone cameras has improved greatly over the last few years. Some of the most successful YouTuber’s have recorded movies and videos from smartphones.
Camera lens
When you buy a camera, it comes with a standard lens. However, you will need to invest in better lens for better video quality. You will need a fast lens with a large aperture (low f-number), especially if you plan to shoot in low lit conditions. Fast lenses are better for vloggers who do not have a professional light setup.
Lighting equipment
If you plan to do most of your filming outdoors, you might not really need lighting equipment, since you can use natural light. If your videos will be shot indoors, you need to invest in lighting equipment. Since you have already invested in a good camera and lens, you will not need to spend an arm and leg on lighting.
You can begin with a lighting kit, a ring light lamp like a 40W 5400K ring light lamp. This will give you the amount of lighting you need for indoor videos.
A microphone
A microphone is an essential piece of equipment for any YouTuber. If you plan to be recording your videos outdoors or in noisy environments, you will need to invest in a noise cancelation microphone. Relying on just the camera for sound may produce very low quality and muffed sound. This is one of the easiest ways to turn off viewers. No one likes to watch a video with poor audio. Fortunately, most good quality microphones are not expensive.
Video editing software
Video editing for a YouTube channel can make your vlogging life significantly easier. Editing software can be used to add effects and music on videos if you want to make the content more enjoyable and stand to get more views.
If you have never edited a video before, this can be the most challenging part of the job. While it is tempting to do it yourself, a poorly edited video will show in the final product. The best way to get perfectly edited YouTube videos is to work with a YouTube agency. This is a video editing service dedicated to editing high-quality YouTube videos.
The importance of video editing for a YouTube channel
A video editor plays a critical role in your YouTube business. The video editing process is what created the final part of your project. The process involves cutting video and audio cues to maintain flow in the video from beginning to end.
Editing allows you to review the entire footage
When shooting a video, the process is fast-paced, which makes it easy to overlook different
aspects. It is in the editing stage the editor and creator of the content get to review every part of the footage as they try to piece the different parts together to create a coherent product. The best video editing agency can blend related clips from raw footage and turn it into a meaningful complete story.
Editing creates a flow
When a video is edited, it is turned into organized and smooth footage. A YouTube video editor will capture the flow using the right cuts, sound, and pace to invoke emotion in the viewers.
Video editing helps to create smooth transitions
In the editing stage, the YouTube video editor is required to make major decisions like the visual effects, color, and scene transitions. They have to possess the knowledge of how to use dissolves cuts, fades, and visuals effects to make it easy for the viewer to see the relationship between the different scenes and shots in the video.
Transitions are used to connect the scenes together. It is only with proper editing that these transitions can run elegantly and smoothly.
Editing ensures smooth audio cues
In video editing, it is important to get the sound right. Sound editing requires the editor to assemble the right sound cues in the final clip, adjust the volume, and choosing the right sound pieces for the visual part of the video. Without proper sound editing, it is impossible to convey the right message to the audience.
Skillful video editing is the only way to enhance the footage created in pre-production into content worth sharing with your audience. Editing is the most important part of any video channel, and is also the most demanding.
Working with a YouTube editor or a YouTube editing agency is the best way to ensure your content is perfectly edited. The right video editing service offers more than just video editing services, they avail channel managers, unlimited edits, and other extra features to help turn your raw footage into YouTube gold.
How to grow your YouTube channel
Post a few times a week
According to marketing reports, YouTube channels that avail fresh content a few times a week perform better and have more recommended views. If you want your channel to be profitable, you have to post at least three times a week.
Regular content on a channel shows consistency, which viewers enjoy. Having fresh content regularly also raises your channel in the algorithm, making it more visible to more YouTube users.
Get a hook for your videos
How well you keep viewers hooked to your channel depends on your persona as the host and the content of your videos. If your video is about building or making stuff, you can start it by showing the final product. Seeing the stunning result makes viewers want to know how to achieve the same results.
Stories are another way of hooking your audience. When you start your video with a story, your audience will want to stick around to see what happens. Personal stories endear the host to the audience.
Whatever methods you use to hook your viewers, the opener should always be related to the subject of your video.
Opening credit and titles should remain short
When your channel is new, most people come across it when scrolling for other options. This means that your intro part determines whether they stick around to watch the entire video or not. Having a very long opening credit or introductions is the easiest way to get people to lose interest in your channel.
The best opening credits and video titles are short and punchy. They should not be more than 5 seconds long. Make it short, quirky, and delightful enough to make your viewer stick around for longer.
Include end screen to promote other videos, website, and channel
An end screen is an interactive graphic window that links to a website, playlist, video, prompt, or channel. End screens can only be added to a video in the last 20 seconds of the video. It is important to place where you want your end screens to appear.
You can choose to plan the content of your main video to create room for an end screen. You can talk over the end screen to engage the viewer. You can also add a slate with your log and image for your end screens. This is a better option if you prefer not to have the end screen interfering with your content.
Use video thumbnails
Suggested videos are the main source of organic traffic on YouTube. Whenever a viewer is on YouTube, your video thumbnails should stand out when they appear as suggested videos on the right sidebar. Suggested videos are YouTube’s way of promoting content related to what viewers are watching.
YouTube will only recommend videos that have a high clickability. The more people click on your videos, the more frequently they show on suggested videos. The thumbnail should always relate to the content of your video. Never try to use it as clickbait as nothing turns off YouTube users than a misleading title or thumbnail.
Conclusion
Producing the most relevant content for a YouTube channel can grow your YouTube business beyond your wildest imagination. Today, there are tens of brands enjoying high returns from YouTube. The journey to thousands of subscribers and millions of views starts with investing in the right areas, and focus your time on creating content that will capture your audience.
