This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Stonehill chapter.
About a year ago I embarked on a new journey when I started a YouTube channel. I had been wanting to do so for a while, and I finally gathered up any courage that I could find to go for it. After a year, I have seen my audience grow from just my close friends and family to complete strangers that are so kind and care about the content that I post.
Have you ever wanted to start a YouTube channel? Here are some things to consider before starting one:
- What are you planning to share?: This might seem like a basic question, but it is definitely an important one. What is something that you are so passionate about that if someone asked you about it you could talk to them for hours? Or if you are starting a journey of some sort, you could film that as well.
- What makes you different?: There is an important topic that we learn about in Marketing (I am a Marketing major!) called the ‘differentiation factor’. Basically, it is asking what makes you unique? The market is very saturated with people creating content, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room at the table for someone new. There is always room for you! However, you must figure out what makes you special and then use that within your content.
- Do you think you could invest time into this?: One surprising thing that usually shocks people when I tell them is the amount of time that it takes to create content. For me, it can take anywhere from 3 hours to 10 hours because I have to plan the video, set up my equipment, film, edit, create a thumbnail, upload it to YouTube, and then promote on Instagram. Although I am sure other people take varying amounts of time to make content, it typically is not a quick process. I truly believe that if this is something you are passionate about you will find the time. I have two YouTube channels, and sometimes I don’t know where I get the time from, but because I love to do it, I somehow manage to fit it in.
- Are you willing to be vulnerable?: Putting yourself online for anyone to see can be scary, so I totally understand the feeling of not wanting to share too much about yourself. However, the best way to connect with your audience is by being vulnerable. You don’t have to be super open, but just opening up little by little can help. People want to follow or subscribe to a person that they can relate to, so I encourage you to try to do that little by little if you decide to embark on this journey.
I hope this article was able to help you today! If you have been wanting to start a YouTube channel, I would recommend that you do it!