Yes, I am one of you. I also watch YouTube videos daily. I watch topics of all sorts, as long as they are entertaining.
And many content creators are using YouTube to earn.
But you cannot just upload a random video on the platform and call it done. You must give value, and your content must tick the right boxes.
Learning how to make a YouTube video is the first step in earning through the platform.
How do you create a youtube video? Well, get to know how, here.
Should you be making YouTube videos?
YouTube is a popular platform. Aside from the over two billion monthly logins, the platform is set to overtake television in terms of total hours watched per day globally.
Populated with YouTube channels too numerous to count, the site seems saturated with video content. And the addition of more and more content creators aspiring to make money through YouTube isn’t certainly helping the saturation issue.
A Bloomberg article cites a study that a considerable majority of channels, think of a whopping 96.5%, do not make enough advertising money to pass the poverty line. Top YouTubers have expressed their dismay on the platform’s demonetization scheme taking a toll on the website earnings.
Recent changes in the monetization policies of YouTube left some channels “struggling to survive.”
So the question now is this, “Is getting started on YouTube worth the risk?”
Short answer: yes.
YouTube still grows. Aside from the billions of logins, the platform reaches the most 18-49 year-olds every day, more than any cable network.
The potential reach within this site is enormous, and this is a big part of why many social media specialists still recommend the platform.
“No platform has created more wealth and opportunities than Youtube,” is what Gary Vaynerchuk said in his book named Crushing It! And in a way, that is true.
Over time, YouTube has evolved into a marketing avenue. The videos are not used to create an audience from scratch; they are there to help grow your existing audience.
This way, you will profit from YouTube videos relying not primarily on ad revenue, but by getting them to purchase your off-site products or availing of your service. These include:
- Merchandise;
- Courses or guides;
- Membership subscriptions;
- Books;
- Speaking engagements;
- Housekeeping services;
- And many other offerings.
You can still make money even when the YouTube algorithm decides to restrict views from your channel, or even demonetize your channel altogether.
These days, YouTube acts as a gateway to your business, not the business itself. But before you could get around that, though, you must learn how to create YouTube videos.
Also Read: Picking your YouTube channel name
Steps to create a YouTube video
YouTube video content must also be planned, as is with any content. You do not want to waste time, effort, patience, and resources on a shoddy final product due to lack of planning.
In general, here are the steps to create a YouTube video.
- Decide on a topic.
- Come up with a strategy.
- If you want, try writing a script.
- Prepare your equipment.
- Set up your filming site.
- Record your video.
- Edit your work.
- Upload it.
That is how you basically go about the whole video-making process. There can be steps inserted or removed here and there, but that is the gist of the procedure.
To make it simpler, though, five steps encompass all those listed above, and those that may not have been mentioned.
- Create a video strategy.
- Film your content.
- Edit your video.
- Upload the edited product.
- Optimize your video/channel ranking for your next videos.
Creating your video strategy
Your YouTube video strategy will be the overall plan you will follow to come with video ideas and the content itself. This involves activities such as choosing your niche and audience, which are more or less long-term or permanent.
Making a video strategy also includes planning the scope of your video and scripting it, which changes for each video you will take.
Value > All
The secret to being a successful YouTuber does not rely much on you being a creator. Yes, being smart, charismatic, pleasant, and funny will help you keep your subscribers and watchers engaged.
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It’s not so much as that. If your videos do not give any value, then you must know that your videos won’t be that much of a hit.
If you upload to YouTube aiming for nothing else but monetization and money, then you will most likely fail. Focus not on what the audience can give you, but what you can provide to your audience.
Niche = Good
Before working on your storyboard or script, you must first know your target audience. Information about your audience will be a guidepost for many video decisions on your channel.
Ask yourself some questions, such as:
- What are their wants, needs, or problems you can address?
- What will they gain/learn from the video?
- How will the video benefit your viewers?
If you cannot give answers to these questions, then you might need to rethink your video strategy.
When starting, YouTube experts tell you to define your audience as specific as possible. You do not want to cater to a broad audience; focusing on a niche of viewers is much better.
Create relevant content
Once you have an idea of the audience you want to capture, then you need to plan the content you will come up with.
Focus on videos that will help viewers. For example, if you are a budget smartphone tech YouTuber, then your content must revolve around low-cost smartphones to help the viewer in their buying decision.
Get a sense of what your viewers like to see, what they find interesting, or those that do not interest them. Keep this information away somewhere because this will help in your future videos.
Let’s say you understand your viewers, but you still are not sure of what you want to make for them. In this case, it is better to give attention to the quality of your content, while still making sure it is still quite relevant.
Plan the video
Video content generally falls under three categories.
- Rouses people’s attention or turns their attention to a problem – an awareness video.
- Teaches a concept, skill, or idea – an educational video
- Something that sparks a reaction or inspires an action an engagement video
Knowing what you want to achieve with your content is essential in forming a plan to do it.
If you don’t know how to go around planning a video, I recommend answering these questions.
- What do I want to impart to my audience?
- What is the desired length?
- Do I have enough budget?
- Do I need more people to help my shoot? Where will the video be shot?
- Will I speak in the video?
- Do I need a script?
- Do I have the needed equipment?
Do note, though, that these are not the only types of videos you can do or the questions you can ask. There are more, and your video does not need to fit a particular description.
The point is, whatever you decide to film and create, have a plan so that the process will be more smooth and systematic, with little to no errors.
Film your content
Now that you have the policies in place, it’s time to make your video. But before you go about filming, you must have the needed equipment.
Prepare the equipment
There is no need for specialized equipment to film your video. Here are the essential things you need to create your video.
- Camera. If you plan to shoot a video in real life, then a camera is imperative. It can be a sizable investment, particularly if you want high-end DSLR cameras. However, you do not need to spend too much and learn how to use and adjust the settings of sophisticated cameras. A good smartphone or an external webcam (if you are filming indoors) are also good options when it comes to the camera.
- Microphone. If you plan to speak or record sounds in your video, then a microphone is another requirement. There are many microphones, some in a mobile device, some directly as an input device in cameras. For better quality, however, I recommend an external microphone. It doesn’t have to be pricey, just enough so that you can be heard loud and clear.
- Lighting. Especially when shooting indoors, proper lighting is essential. It affects how you look, and the overall quality of the final product. Lighting can improve the looks of a video shot using a mobile device, so it is an excellent investment for those using mobile cameras. You will not have to pay a lot of money for lighting equipment; a basic set is enough to make you look professional.
- Storage Cards or Drives. Unless you plan on doing one unedited take, you will understandably go through multiple takes. More videos equate to more storage space needed. Make sure that you have enough storage space from external drives and cards or built-in internal storage from your current equipment.
- Video Editing Software. Editing your work to clean up mistakes makes your video look more professional and appealing. There is a bunch of editing software, and it is up to you, or your editor, to make the changes you want.
Pointers on filming your video
- If you want, use a script. It keeps everything systematic and professional. Plan out the dialogue, and the visuals that will go along with it. If a script seems too much, then a simple outline to walk you through the points you want to raise is much better than filming a video blind without a plan.
- Ensure you have a lot of light. It is much more desirable to film during the day, but if you can’t, then make sure to provide light so that watchers can see the subject.
- If you are filming yourself, make sure to choose appropriate clothing. Wearing the right clothes makes you appear more professional. One rule is that you don’t wear clothing with the same color as your background.
- Keep your background clean. An organized background is, of course, more pleasant to look at than an untidy one.
- As a beginner, you may have to record more than one take. It is normal, and you can always edit out extra bits later on, so there is not much worry about getting the video perfect in a single take.
- If you are the one talking on your video, speak loud and clear. This makes the most of the audio quality while capturing the audience’s attention. Speak directly into the microphone, especially when recording using a built-in mic.
- Keep the camera rolling. Even if you make mistakes, don’t just restart everything; pick up from where the mistake is and don’t stress. You can fix everything during editing.
- Have fun. You are not there to stress over the video.
Enjoy the learning process, and play around shots and styles to see what sticks. If you have no play and all hard work, then chances are you won’t want to do it again.
Editing your video
The editing section of the video-making process is where the magic happens. This is where the mistakes are cleaned up and transforms your recording into online-ready content.
The editing process focuses on:
- Putting your scenes and takes in the right order
- Syncing the sound
- Filtering the noise out
- Removing unnecessary stuff
- Adding intros and outros
- Extras, such as adding clips or photos from other videos, adding a video thumbnail, etc.
Editing software may be considered as the most important investment you will make. They are multipliers, with the capacity to supercharge what you filmed and make it look stunning.
It can be quite confusing, though, which software to choose. If you have a dedicated editor, though, then there is no problem as they will handle the editing for you.
Video editing tips
- Time is a limited resource nowadays, and because of that, viewers want to get into the thick of the content at once. Go with a simple intro; do not overcomplicate it.
- Familiarize yourself with the rule of lower-third. This means that you place your text on the lower-third portion of the screen, either on the left or right. This is a great way to give out information as they don’t cover your subject.
- Focus on audio. Poor audio drags the quality of your video down. Make sure the music does not overpower and blends well with the voice over. Pay great attention to sound in your final edit. If it sounds off, adjust music levels.
- An outro is where you can add calls to action. This is the place where you can link them to a product, direct them to another video, ask them to subscribe, and many more.
Uploading your content
Now, the hard part is mostly over. What’s left is uploading the video on the platform and
if your editor directly uploads the video to your YouTube channel, then you don’t have to worry about anything. Just sit back and watch the views come rolling in.
If you plan to be a one-man content creator team, then you will upload to YouTube yourself. That is pretty easy, though.
After that, your video will be uploaded on the platform.
By default, 15 minutes is the upload limit for a video. Verified accounts are allowed longer videos; get verified here.
The maximum upload limit by any account for one video is 12 hours or 128 GB, whichever amount is less. You may see videos longer than 12 hours because those have been uploaded before this limit was placed.
Optimize for your next videos
Once you get the hang of creating videos, there will be some parameters you will focus on so that your videos will rank higher. Here are some of them.
Target keywords that lists videos on Google
More and more videos are popping up on search results. SEO is becoming more mainstream, and you must learn how to rank on YouTube.
Relevant: Learn all about YouTube SEO here
Make longer content
Longer videos reign supreme over shorter videos, according to a Backlinko analysis. YouTube will push the longer videos higher on the results page, and the study says that 14 minutes and 50 seconds is the average length of a video on the first page.
A unique introduction
Keep users engaged for the first 10 seconds or so. Retention is everything in the platform, so incentivizing the viewers to watch as long as possible goes a long way.
Wrapping up!
The key to creating a high-quality YouTube video is having a great topic, planning how to go about it, having a great place to shoot in, and having fun while doing it.
YouTube is brimming with opportunity; all it takes is guts, creativity, and hard work. Don’t worry if you are not gathering the views during your first few videos.
YouTube rewards persistence. Keep at it, and you will find your content on the top of the results page in no time.
Here are more articles for you.
- All you need to know about SEO
- Revenue and Profit – what the difference?
- Get more followers on Instagram
Did this guide help you in making your YouTube videos better? Let me know in the comments below!
