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Growing a youtube channel (Advice needed)
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Hi Everybody
I have recently set up a youtube cooking channel
I have no qualifications regarding editing (such as media degrees etc) but I can do most “basic” video edits such as cutting video’s, removing audio, creating titles etc etc etc
In the 15 days since I set up my Channel I have uploaded two videos and have received about 25-26 views so far (Although no subscribers) .
However I want to know how to really grow my channel.
There are a lot of hints out there but None of them seem really useful for my format ie “Make videos regarding popular subjects/ responses to a popular creators content”
I understand that some of these would be fantastic for other content creators with different formats/ subjects but I don’t feel that constantly changing the subject matter of my videos would be appropriate.
I have considered making an alternate channel and making vlogs/other content to popularise on these subjects and trying to “branch out” but I have a lot of problems with other formats
1. I know it sounds stupid but I don’t really feel comfortable making videos of “myself” in the sense of showing my face or looking at a camera.
2. I don’t really want to make low quality videos based around youtube “drama” just for views (due to the demanding nature of keeping up with what’s going on in the vast youtube community even on a day by day basis)
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What those hints and types are aiming at is in regards to general youtubers without a hook, as you can tell by those who are repeatedly on the trending page.
Content creation means after all you have to think about content, and to start with it’s best to aim for a niche, an area in which you have interest or experience and that you can share with an audience.
You need to decide WHO your audience is. A particular age group? A particular sub culture, like cyberpunk, metal music, diy, fiction, facts, etc?
Youtube has a good guide called a Playbook, which helps you guide you through best practices. Some of it may be relevant, some not.
A big question you have to ask yourself is who are you doing this for and why? Is it for yourself because you enjoy it? Do you want to go down in youtube fame? Perhaps you genuinely want to educate and entertain. This question you’re gonna ask yourself every week, and every time you get a creative block.
And time scale. It’s going to take a long time and a lot of personal investment from writing, editing, reshooting, uploading, sharing. Forget any illusion of hitting it big, as that’s all behind the scenes marketing which is another thing you’ll need.
As for general tips:
– Good description. One paragraph description, links, credits, merchandise.
– Thumbnails. Make a couple of templates in GIMP/Photoshop, vary them, and upload them. It’s the thumbnail that’ll pull in people.
– Interact with commenters…. INITIALLY. To create a following, you need to make your followers feel like they’re appreciated.
– Intro and outro, and I don’t mean theme song or end credits. Straight off the bat, say what the video is gonna be about, 15 seconds. Try not to fall into the ‘Youtube voice’ category => “Hey guys, I’m so&so and welcome to my channel where I do this and this.” like for example at the start of EVERY GODDAMN MINECRAFT VIDEO. Just launch straight in. “How do we do this? Like this.”
Outro: Call to actions genuinely work. Not just telling them to subscribe, like, share, etc. Tell them why. “Just starting out, so any likes would be appreciated, and share with anyone you think this could help.”
These are basics that my brain has vomited upon you while suffering from lack of sleep. Hopefully some will help.
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Thank you
I don’t really want to become youtube “famous” in the sense of “doing anything for views/fame” I do want to educate and entertain people but….. I just want more exposure on my videos.
I like your idea about thumbnails I’m already using close up images although I might start adding titles/annotations to my thumbnail images to try to draw people in.
I have considered merchandise but honestly I wouldn’t know what to sell…… and whether I would be comfortable charging people for “Junk” merchandise (although I would consider making DVD’s of my instructional videos/ pdf guides)
I think that one problem with my channel is the name…
I decided to call my channel “Wok U Wanna Cook” because I thought that people might enjoy the pun. (Should I change this name I have thought about other names such as “The English Chef” or “The Handy Cook” but I don’t really know if this would work
The only thing is the name might be a little bit misleading as people might be expecting videos on wok cooking (this might be why I get so few views/ relatively short duration views.
I’ve shown people my videos and they generally say that my camera angles/ filming looks good but I’m not sure tbh. I only have a cheap camera (although it’s capable of filming in 1080p)
To put it frankly I think my first video was….. awful to say the least I made it impulsively as a “test” video
I try to use a mixture of shots but angle towards close ups (I don’t know if this is the best method of filming)
Here’s one of my videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUE6i6n0rwg&t=6s I’ve already installed a water mark and made a title using blender but I might do a channel rename/revamp and see if this brings in more views (although this would mean potentially more editing and re-making water marks etc) I do have some videos that are ready to upload but I think that a weekly upload schedule would be the most manageable choice for me.
I am still considering whether I should monetize my videos or even if I should make/sell merchandise (although I think the latter might give me valuable exposure)
The good thing is that I haven’t made channel art or an avatar yet so I still have a lot of “leg room” to make changes
I’m really considering renaming my channel “The Handy Cook” or something similar but I don’t know whether this would be a good idea or whether I should carry on with my current name/format until my channel’s one month anniversary and then review my “progress” and make changes accordingly
Edit: “Behind the scenes marketing”? I know about paid ads/endorsements and using social media but I don’t really know how to do all this…. (or given the type o channel I have whether I’ll need it I know you can “buy” subscribers (which might push my videos up a bit in searches) but I feel that even if it did work (It’s a bit risky given the fact that they might just unsubscribe or you might not even get the subscribers due to the nature of these listings) it would just be “cheating” in the sense of buying out people who may not even really like my content (and it’s pretty expensive just for a few subscribers that you might not even get)
I’m happy to edit etc to the best of my ability because I enjoy it (and i want to share my recipes/skills with others) but sometimes I feel like my video quality is just inferior to other channels.
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Greetings, Soldier Of MisFortune!
I just finished watching your Madeira Cake video, and enjoyed it very much. You did a great job listing out the individual steps of the process, and if I were in the kitchen right now, I feel as if I could follow along quite easily.
That being said, here’s what I noticed from a video editing POV:
1. Sound. There is none.
Depending on what demographic you decide to reach out to (see Sgt. Dutch’s earlier comment), or what ethnicity of food you choose to make, this should slightly influence your choice in background music, should you choose to include some. There are plenty of Royalty Free music sites on the web where you can look for a song that fits the episode that you’re planning on posting. Most songs are free, but some songs you may have to pay for. The songs you have to pay for are just like any iTunes purchase, though. Once you buy the song and download it, you can use it as many times as you like. (If you choose this method, I would recommend giving credit to the writer of the music in your description section: “Song Title – Artist Name”).
Another option, is YouTube itself. Once you upload a video, you can add free Royalty Free music to your video, and you have full control of when it comes in, etc. Plus, YouTube automatically adds the credit in your description.
2. Repetition is key.
One thing I noticed is that the exact measurements for the ingredients was only marked in the beginning of the video. Make sure your audience is clear on how much of each ingredient they need to use. So when you’re adding that flour to the creamed butter, sugar, and an egg, repeat how much flour the person watching would need to add. That way, they don’t need to go back to the beginning of the video to reference how much you stated that they would need.
3. Annotations.
So this is something that I learned about helping Dr. Modius with her YouTube channel. At the end of each video, you have a 20 second portion of video, where the point is to promote yourself. There’s a section in the video manager called Annotations & End Cards, and in there, you can add a button to your channel, to one of your videos, to an outside link, to another channel, etc. Only thing about these, is that there needs to be 3 put on your video in order for them to save.
And that’s it! Great job, Soldier Of MisFortune! And welcome to the world of YouTube!
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As Malice said, you need audio.
I recommend using the royalty free music from Incompetech.com, that’s what I use on my own channel.
A voice over delivering the instructions as well as the text would also be a good idea. If you’re not comfortable recording that yourself or lack the equipment to do it cleanly then perhaps somebody here would be willing to help you out.
Having a poke around your channel I would also recommend putting together a channel trailer, some kind of custom avatar and getting some nice channel art for the banner section.
On the subject of custom thumbnails, there’s a browser add-on called Tube-Buddy that’s really useful in putting together custom thumbnails for YouTube videos. I’ve been using it a lot lately. It also give you some interesting extra analytical information on your channel and how your videos are doing and can help streamline some aspects of video production.
Also, make sure to use the tags for your videos. These are really important.
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Amazing idea here
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Construct Videos Around a Single Keyword/Topic
Reformat Existing Quality Content.
Draw in with Your Audience.
Get Branded.
Advance Your YouTube Videos on Other Social Channels.
Appear.
Post Great Thumbnails.
Influence YouTube Cards.
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