I've been making videos since February 2015, which seems like such a long time ago even though it's only been just over a year. During that time, I've figured out a few things that I wish I'd learned sooner, which I'm sharing with you today.
1. Don't spend a fortune on equipment for your first video.
It can be daunting for new creators to get started when there's so much competition, especially when everyone seems to own a DSLR these days. But when you first start out, the painful truth is it's difficult to get anyone to watch your videos at all - no matter how good the quality is. So whatever equipment you have right now (even if it's just your phone), start out with that, and work on being comfortable in front of the camera. If you're still making weekly uploads after a couple of months, you can justify splashing out on some better tech.
2. Spend time leaving thoughtful comments on other people's videos (not spamming).
When you're first starting out, leaving comments on other videos is one of the only ways other people can find your channel. But don't just leave comments saying "Great video!" and nothing else, and definitely don't beg them to subscribe to your channel. You're far more likely to get people's attention if you actually watch the videos and leave genuine, thoughtful comments. Try to imagine the type of comments you would want to get if you'd made the video you're watching.
3. Focus on the subscribers you have and on keeping them happy, instead of getting new fans.
YouTube is all about the numbers, and it's easy to get obsessed with watching your number of subscribers grow. However, I've been much happier with my content since I started focusing on keeping my current subscribers happy rather than making videos that will attract new subscribers. Keep looking back at what you've made and see what got the most thumbs up, comments and views, and keep that in mind when you're thinking about what video to make next.
4. Always reply to comments (apart from spam, obviously).
If someone's taken the time to watch one of your videos and leave a comment, let them know that you appreciate it - a simple "thank you" or "thanks for watching" will do as a reply if you're short on time, but I love getting into a good discussion in my comments section. If you hover over their user name you can see if they make videos themselves - if they do, pop over to their channel and say hello. It's great to network.
5. Aim for every video to be better than the last one.
No one expects you to know how to make amazing videos straight away - it's much harder than it looks! So when you're new to weekly uploading, just make sure that every video is better than the one before. Whether you're trying something different and you're really proud of that, or you've spent more time editing. The aim is to look back at your channel every six months or so and be embarrassed about how much worse your videos used to be.
6. Find your voice.
A lot of people start making videos with the intention of becoming "The Next (Insert Name of Successful YouTuber here)" - but if two people make the same video and one person has a few million subscribers and the other one has ten, whose video do you think people are going to watch? Once you start making videos you'll figure out pretty quickly what suits you and what doesn't. Don't worry about finding an audience, just make content you're passionate about, and they'll find you.
Do you have any tips for people who have started a YouTube channel?