Calling ALL Wannabe YouTuber's

I’ve made a YouTube Channel in the very late and depression year of 2020. Being at home during quarantine has made me realize that I don’t want to go back to work now more than ever. I am in no way expecting to blow up and make YouTube a full-time job. It takes a ton of effort and hard work. I have to say; I’m here for it! Though, I won't be doing it. I don't feel comfortable being in the spotlight, even if I don't have subscribers. I love making videos, but broadcasting them is a whole different can of worms.

Why should you brand yourself on YouTube?

I’m an author, a primary reason I started my YouTube channel was to have another platform to promote my self-published book, Daydreamer. I wanted to connect with my writing community in a whole different way, and then I began making lifestyle videos and loved it.

It’s a free platform. It takes absolutely nothing to open a YouTube account. I started with just my phone and the laptop I already had. Though, without having semi-ok quality in a video, it could stray people away from your channel. But if you're providing quality content, it won't matter initially, and once you build up a platform, you'll feel more comfortable investing in equipment.

What did I use to edit? I used Adobe Premiere Pro because I was already familiar with some adobe apps and thought it would be most comfortable to navigate. Premiere Pro is usually pretty easy to use, and anything that you can't figure out can be solved by looking it up on Google or YouTube. The app is beginner-friendly, but it was $22 a month. So, if you can't afford to invest in that luxury, you can use a free app. I've used an excellent free app before is iMovie, and most YouTuber's edit with that as well. There are probably more free apps out there and are probably pretty to use as well.

Equipment: I did buy a camera kit; it came with a small tripod and many other things that you need for the camera. That was $500, and now that I look back on it because I am not still actively posting videos, I regret that purchase. Don't invest that much money into a camera set up so early.

What’s in it for you?

Suppose you keep going with YouTube. You push out quality content, you love what you do, and you become monetized. You can now put even more work into your videos to maximize your income as a YouTube Partner. What lit a fire under me to start my channel was a YouTube video from someone that goes by the name of Kelly Stamps. The first twelve days of the month, she already made $9,000. On average, THERE ARE EIGHTEEN MORE DAYS TO GO! You can dedicate a few hours a day to filming a video, editing, and publishing it. The one that takes up most of your time would be the editing, but the work is gratifying once you look at the final product.

She also put countless effort into her channel, and so does most people who have become monetized. You can do it! It just doesn’t happen overnight, of course. I’ve only been doing YouTube on the side officially for a week. I have 11 subscribers, and I was able to get four videos up.

The first two videos are weird to me. The audio is a bit too loud as I was trying to work my editing software. But with each video, I get increasingly better at seamless editing, camera quality, and controlling my sound.

There is nothing you can't learn how to do. So, if you're thinking about taking your platform to YouTube, then do it.