So You Want To Be a YouTuber?

It’s a thought any member of Gen-Z has had at least once in their life. After all, when you see people making a killing recording their routines or reacting to funny clips, it’s human nature to think “hey, I could do that!”

What I’m talking about, of course, is starting a YouTube channel. The only barrier between a teenager sitting in their room and ad revenue, subscribers and stardom online is a computer and camera. What did Pewdiepie or Emma Chamberlain have when they started out that any of us don’t have? Admit it, you’ve thought about this to yourself. Maybe it was when you were 12 and you recorded the most embarrassing video known to man. We're here to tell you what separates the longterm successes from the majority, AKA most of us that posted one thing five years ago and hopes to god it’s been deleted or nobody has ever seen it.

Go All-In

Most advice for people looking to get on YouTube can be overly complicated. The most important philosophy you can have is one of, quite simply, not being shy. If you’re doing this, you have to go all in. Don’t be embarrassed about what you’re doing. People watch those on YouTube because they have committed everything to what they are doing, and if you truly want to turn into something, you can’t have any hesitation. Be loud, be talkative and take risks.

Another part of going all-in isn’t just in your energy and confidence, it’s in your scheduling. Those who consistently post more than once a week are 4x likelier to gain traction than those with fluctuating posting schedules. If you’re just starting out, keeping a regular schedule with multiple posts per week is incredibly vital.

"We're usually about three weeks ahead on videos just in case anything happens,” says Matt Dejar of YesTheory, an account with 6 million subscribers that has achieved the impossible (and, perhaps more importantly, a meeting with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air). “A lot of it, sometimes, is just timely. If there's a holiday or if there's something going on and we want to do something around that, then we'll do that. For example, there's a [certain high-profile sporting event] that's coming up. We want to do something around that. Can't say what, but we'll see how it goes."

Having a Niche

You knew this one was coming. The oldest advice in the book.... It's a tale as old as time. Still, it’s probably the most important philosophy you’ll ever have on YouTube. Often times, people will try to make videos on any and every topic they can think of, but narrowing it down a tad and having your own niche can be beneficial in gaining a real audience early on. Niches can be comedic shorts, gaming, fashion, cooking, or whatever it is you love, as long as you stick to it.

By having a niche, those who view on your content will know exactly what they are getting in the future. Think about what happens when you follow somebody… You’re following because their past content is a signal of what you’ll be able to see in the future. Having a niche gives people clarity and allows them to

The Three Keys

So how do you pick a niche? It comes down to three key words: Passion, Demand and Audience. You must have, for starters, the passion to keep making videos about the topic, because if your heart isn’t fully into it then it’s a lost cause. It must also be a topic where there is demand for content. The best way to check this is through tools such as Google Trends, where you can see the demand for particular topics. Maybe you really want to focus on, I don't know, exotic animals:

In terms of competition, you must also research those who’s videos will be similar too yours. Is the “market”, so to speak, oversaturated, or is there demand for more content? What can you do to differentiate yourself from those already in your niche, and what can you take from them to improve what you are going to do? The combination of passion, demand and audience is certainly what will help you decide on your niche.

Of course, at the end of the day, nothing is promised on YouTube. There are so many users with the same goals and hopes, so standing out can be a tall task. All you can do is give it your best shot. The one certainty is that if you do make it big, you now owe SocialSleuth 10% of your earnings.