Did you know that there are over one billion hours of videos watched per day on just YouTube alone?

Gone are the days when YouTube used to be about posting funny videos of your dog chasing a cat out of the yard. This platform is the second largest search engine online after Google and full of opportunities like creating a video blog to get the word out about your organization—and make money doing it.

The only problem is that starting a video blog can seem almost daunting from the start, there are so many options it can get overwhelming to know where to begin.

Thankfully, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to teach you everything you need to know about starting a video blog the right way. Keep on reading to learn more!

Discover Your Niche

When you search online for how to discover your niche, most experts will tell you to just go with what you are passionate about. While this does have an element of truth to it, it is not enough to help you discover a profitable video vlog niche.

Find a Topic That You Enjoy

The trick is to find a topic that not only are you passionate about, but something you can enjoy teaching to others and talk about till the sun comes up.

When the going gets tough, this enjoyment will help you to push through those struggles and come out on the other side, where the grass is much greener.

Start by writing down ten video blog ideas off the top of your mind. This will help you to figure out your niche. You must have some level of expertise to teach others about your niche unless your video blog is about your journey learning more about that niche.

Discover If It Is Profitable

There are many niche categories that your video blog could fall under, however, there are only a few that are profitable. By maneuvering your vlog to fit under one of the main profitable categories, you’ll have a better chance of reaching a wide audience.

Trade schools and colleges can take advantage of any and all of these niches depending on the courses of study and campus events they offer. If you want to post videos in the gaming niche, for example, have the animation and computer science department break down the programming and design behind recent game releases. If you want to get into the beauty niche, have your cosmetology department do hair and makeup tutorials.

Know Your Audience

The more specific you can get with your niche, the more you can dial into your target audience. Once you know and understand what your exact audience’s pain points are, you can establish yourself as an industry leader that has all the answers to their problems.

This adds your unique flavor to a saturated, yet profitable category. People will follow you because they love your energy, not just because of your information.

Get Inspired

Now that you have your video vlog niche and know your audience, it is time to look for some inspiration. Look for successful vloggers in your niche and notice what they are doing right and wrong.

Never be a carbon-copy of another vlogger’s channel. Learn from their mistakes, and fill in where they are missing with your flavor, such as unique editing cuts, etc.

Learn About Editing

Before you even get started on your video blog, you need to know if you will even enjoy creating one!

Video editing is one of the most important success-determining factors of a video blog. A well-edited video works well with timing, sound, music, energy, and blends them all to draw in the emotions of the audience. Some video bloggers have made it famous just by their video editing tricks, which is something most vloggers aspire to do as well.

Keep in mind that YouTube will only start rewarding you once you hit 4,000 watched hours on your channel, so if people are skipping through your poorly-edited video, it will hurt your success rates!

There are multiple courses online to teach you how to use each one of these video editing programs.

If you are not into spending a ton of money on an expensive editing software, you can start with free editing software such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. If you cannot be bothered with editing, you can always film multiple video blog episodes then send them to a professional video editor.

Purchase the Equipment

Many newbies in the video blog world feel that they need to have the most expensive gear to make it big in the online world. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Many famous vloggers started out using just their smartphone or laptop cameras! The key is to start basic and work your way up to purchasing expensive gear once you feel confident with the rest.

Many smartphones these days have 4K video quality, which is beyond good enough for resolution, as many YouTube viewers will only be watching at 1080p resolution.

These are essential components of a successful video blog. No one wants to listen to background noises while you are speaking, which is why you need a good microphone. You also do not want any wind noises to take over your voice, which is why you need the dead kitten piece.

Every professional vlogger knows the importance of good lighting. Nothing is worse than distracting shadows and awkward dark moments, which is why you need to illuminate your face with a ring light.

Start the Planning

Now that you know a bit about editing, what equipment to use, and your focus niche, it is time to start planning out the strategy behind your video blog episodes. First, create a mind-map of multiple episodes and topics, starting with an introductory episode.

In the intro, you want to explain what your video blog is about, what information you will be covering, and everything your audience can expect in the future. You want your intro to be so enticing that your audience will subscribe to your channel right away!

Begin Scripting

Many famous video bloggers believe that scripting is a very important part of creating a vlog, while others love to freestyle theirs and keep the bloopers.

This all comes down to your style and how you want your video blog content to appear. Your knowledge in editing will come in handy by this point, as you will be able to envision your video blog and know how to make it happen.

Get Comfortable in Front of the Camera

Even with all the planning and researching, many newbie video bloggers can get very nervous once they hit “record”. This is why it is essential to plan out your vlog, especially in the beginning.

Interact With Your Audience

Remember that your audience is interested in you because of your introduction and your unique energy, so don’t hold back, and let your full authentic self shine! Each person watching is not a subscriber number, they are a human being, like you, with problems that you may be solving in your video.

You can practice getting comfortable by going on Instagram or Facebook Live and force yourself outside of your comfort zone until it becomes more comfortable.

Add Your Flavor

Remember that editing can be your best friend for your video blog, you can edit out any mistakes and make it fun. Keeping some mistakes are also a great way to show your authenticity, this makes you seem more human and relatable.

There is no other video blogger like you, so know that and show your audience what you got!

Include a Call to Action

At the start of your video, explain what you are going to be talking about and doing during the duration of the video. This will entice people to stick around and watch until the end.

In addition to that, make sure you tell people to press “like” and “subscribe” to the video in the introduction and at the end of your video.

Set up Your Channel

If you have subscribed to a YouTube channel before, you already have an account. However, if you are starting a new channel with its own niche, we suggest you start a new channel. This way, you can see who is subscribing to your channel because they like your videos.

You want to take some time to build your brand and ensure that your channel, banner, and information reflect the overall tone of your blog.

Your banner is the horizontal image at the top of your screen. It should be 2560 x 1440 px in size and be captivating for your audience. You can use free online design programs such as Canva to create a visually appealing YouTube banner.

Keep in mind that your banner should include a high-resolution image, reflect your brand’s colors, phrases, energy, and attract your audience.

You also want to have catchy thumbnail photos with a size of 1280x by 720px. You can also use Canva to create a thumbnail image for your channel. Otherwise, YouTube will select one for you—and it may not be the best image.

Keep It Enticing

With over 300 hours of videos uploaded every minute on YouTube, there is a sea of competition to grasp your viewer’s attention.

To stand out from the crowd, you need to use captivating titles and appropriate keywords.

Include Epic Titles

Before you create your title, do some research and find out the most popular related keywords to your video. Add the most important keyword to your headline and make it clear, concise, and fun!

YouTube Optimization

Behind every successful YouTube video is a sea of tags and phrases for YouTube’s algorithm to know what it’s about. This is just like Google search engine Optimization but targeted to reach your audience on YouTube.

Learn More About Creating an Epic Video Blog

There you have it! The most comprehensive guide to creating a successful video blog.

The most important takeaways are to enjoy the journey, have fun, and trust in your abilities. Be consistent with your videos and only set up a routine that you can stick to, such as one video per week. Once you have 1,000 subscribers, you can become an Adsense partner and start making money as well!

To learn more about YouTube marketing, branding, and how to have a successful video blog, feel free to contact us at any time.

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Lights, Camera, Action: How to Start a Video Blog (The Right Way!)