5 Things You Need To Know Before Starting A YouTube Channel

Over the years, YouTube has become the second biggest search engine in the world today. YouTube is a Google property, therefore, it is expected to have top quality content and deliver an experience that is consistent with other Google products.

YouTube is a booming platform, but inasmuch as it is not too late to start a channel, it doesn’t stop you from doing so now, remember, the earlier the better.

Before starting a YouTube channel, here are five things you should know:

Motivation here doesn’t refer to “being eager to act and work,” but rather “the reason why you act and work.” Your motivation forms the whole of your journey as a You Tuber; this is because it is the basis for three key elements shared by every successful YouTube channel, which includes topic coverage, target audience, and reason for existence.

Topic coverage is WHAT your videos will be about

Target audience is WHO your videos are intended for

Reason for existence is WHY they should watch your videos.

Your motivation is what defines these three things, and it’s very important you identify and define these things, else you’ll end up with a YouTube channel that fails to capture any kind of meaningful viewership, and no meaningful viewership means no long-term success.

2. Know Your Audience

It is extremely important to conduct thorough research before starting a YouTube channel and understand who your target audience is, otherwise, it is an aimless creation of content without specific viewers. Identifying your target audience gives purpose, helps you understand what you need to improve, and helps properly targeted promotions for that group.

This is the most important thing that you should take out time for because if you don’t plan your content properly, chances are that you might flop. Get creative and develop ideas, the best part about ideas is that they come anywhere and everywhere, take Inspiration from different places,  connect the. dots,  and create out-of-the-box content.

While these ideas are formed, it is important you keep a notepad ready to jot down your idea. This is because it is highly likely that you will forget if you don’t write. Fluffing on the same points, repeatedly, makes any content boring; this is why it is important to plan your content before execution. Plan, write out your script and practice it rigorously before uploading.

4. Consistency Is the Key

Perfection comes with consistency, and growth on a creative platform like YouTube takes time. You should not give up in the first few days or months of starting this journey because of one reason or the other.

Take your time to grow, you will surely succeed in due time, only if you are consistent and constantly working on providing the best content. Don’tworry if you think that your content is not good enough now because the only way you can get past that level is to grow and keep improving.

In addition, it is important that you set a goal for yourself and stick to it in terms of regular posting. You can force consistency for a while and before you know it, it would have transitioned into a habit.

Truth is, as a starter, if you cannot afford the perfect equipment, you can start by having the right equipment. At a bare minimum, you’ll want to have:

Camera: It is important to know that a high-quality webcam or your smart phone is good to start if you cannot afford a high quality camera.

Tripod: If you have a camera or end up using a smart phone, then you’ll want a tripod to hold it up and keep it steady.

Microphone: The microphone helps to increase your voice and wave off every other noise around.

In conclusion, creating and running a YouTube channel is easy, but growing one that is successful takes a lot of effort because it involves a lot of learning and practice.