What I have learned about posting videos on YouTube for over a year

I am going to preface this entire blog by saying, I am no YouTube expert! I only have a measly 45 subscribers and around 20ish videos posted. I just wanted to write this blog to reflect and share my experience with one year on the platform.

Creating Videos is Hard

There is a lot of work that goes into a video! I generally hold myself to pretty high standards with most things so I naturally wanted my videos to be really good right from the beginning. This is just not realistic. There is so much to learn about the various types of shots, dealing with light, editing, and so much more.

I have learned that the ideation phase of brainstorming concepts for videos and planning out stories really excites me. I also enjoy actually filming and getting some really awesome shots. However, it takes an extra push to get me to start editing because there are some parts that give me headaches. One particular annoyance is finding music. I spend a lot of time finding music that is copyright-free and works with the video I have in mind. Whenever I finally get into editing though I get excited with how the whole project starts to come together. I just need to get myself working on the video and then the joy comes back to me.

Putting a video together takes a lot of effort as you can see. Learning this has helped me better plan a consistent posting schedule. I know during the week when I need to have planning done by, shooting wrapped up, and then editing at the end.

Thankfully, the barrier to entry is low even if making videos takes a lot of learning. I have made every single one of my YouTube videos with just my iPhone 11. Phones' camera quality has just gotten better and better over the years, and even some of the top YouTubers mix in some clips with their phones. Sometimes you can't even notice the difference, and it is easy to pick up your phone and start recording.

So that is what I would encourage you to do if YouTube is of interest to you. Just start! Creating videos is hard, but you can't learn how unless you start. One year later, I know I have so much more to learn, but I am pretty happy with how far I have come.

Everything Else Takes Time

With YouTube, everything besides the video is almost more important than the video itself! Now obviously, if your content sucks no one is going to stick around, your watch time is going to plummet, and YouTube won't recommend your videos. The opposite also holds true. You could have incredible content, but if you have awful thumbnails, bad titles, and neglect the description, your videos won't even be clicked on in the first place! There is an art to drawing people in to watch. I spend more time than would have originally thought working on thumbnails, titles, and video descriptions.

Now Looking to Grow My Channel

Now that I have a year of experience under my belt, I feel more confident making videos. I feel like I am creating quality content that not a lot of people are seeing.

This has led me to really start thinking about my strategy. The advice I have heard multiple times is to start with a niche audience. Pick a small subset of people that could gain value from your help, cater to their wants/needs. Moving forward I am going to shift the focus of my videos to do just that.

I also understand the importance of consistency. The more videos I post, the more likely one will catch the attention of an audience, and the more likely I will grow my channel. The YouTube alogirthim apparently rewards consistency, along with other things as well.

Hopefully, trying out a new format will yield some better results. I certainly will check in once I have completed year 2!

Interested in following along with my journey more or connecting with me? Make sure to follow me on my socials!

Until next time!

-Hawkin