5 Mar 2020 - Written By
You’ve got yourself some sauces and products, maybe even a challenge or two, and you want to share your chilli love with the world? Let’s take a look at what you should consider if you want to start a YouTube channel then!
First off, do it for the right reasons
You should be creating a channel because you love the thing you are sharing, not for any other reasons. Whilst it is possible once you meet the requirements to get revenue from adverts on videos, 95% of channels on YouTube don’t meet those requirements. So, if you are only doing it for the money, don’t. You need upwards of 100k subscribers to really make anything you could consider an income.
Secondly, uploading regular content
One of the keys to growing a channel is that your upload schedule is predictable. Think of it like this, your favourite TV show is on at the same time, on the same day, every week right? You know that you need to tune in at that time so you don’t miss it. It’s the same with YouTube, keep to a regular schedule and people will know when to watch – most people will be subscribed to a number of channels, so it is easy for your video to get lost in their feed if you upload sporadically.
If it ever feels like you’re ‘having’ to upload stuff just to meet that schedule, scale it back or take a break. If you’re not having fun, it will come across in the video.
Thirdly, quality
While it is true that anyone with a camera phone can upload, think about the quality of what you want to produce. Audio quality is especially important. A Lavalier (or lapel) microphone can be purchased cheaply and will be much better quality than the one on your phone, giving you clearer audio. You just plug it in to your phone. Tip, check the number of contacts that are on the plug on the earphones that came with the phone and make sure the mic has the same – it’s usually 4, but make sure!
Get a stand for your phone, stops the wobbling around that happens if you are holding it. You could improvise one if you’re just starting out.
And for the love of all that is chilli, remember to put your phone on silent. Nothing worse that bleeps and pings drowning out what you are saying!
If you are really serious about it, then lastly this is for you
If you want to take it to the next level, you should be looking at software, microphones and cameras. You will need a computer to edit and render videos on as well. This lot isn’t cheap, but hey, no one shot a Hollywood Blockbuster on a smart phone. There are a number of different software options; Adobe Premier, Sony Vegas, Power Director to name but a few, all of these allow you to add effects, titling and transitions to your video – making for huge leaps in quality of the final video.
The most important thing about running a YouTube channel is that it should be fun. It’s true that once you really get into it and start getting serious, there is a lot to posting a video with; production, editing, rendering, scheduling, adding cards and end screens, maybe a lot more than you first thought, but if you post quality regular content, your channel will grow over time and so will your community.
