Darren Taylor
I've Got It
I have now been uploading content for 6 months and even though I am still a newbie, I have learned a lot from some amazing people on this forum and on YouTube to get to where I am now (at 447 subs). So here are my biggest lessons. I hope they help!
1 - Start small
I used my smartphone on a mini tripod I bought for £7 when I first started, then I invested in a second hand bridge camera and tripod for £200 later to improve my production quality. But the key here is, I got started, and wasn't put off by smartphone production quality in the first instance. Even my bridge camera won't provide the best production quality, but I am a long way off investing in an expensive SLR camera to maximize production, and that's OK. I'll get a good SLR camera when I grow more and it's justified.
2 - Don't give a damn about the numbers
Ignore your sub count and views first of all. Focus on retention and getting better on camera. I used to think my videos I filmed 5 months ago were good at the time, I look back now and think they are average at best (mostly I think they suck). Focus on you first, your performance, your charisma, your cadence, your quality, your.
3 - Get involved!
My earliest flurries of subs came from commenting on other videos in my niche. Comment with value or a good perspective (no sub 4 sub or asking for subs or "check out my channel" comments) I got 15 subs following a comment on 1 Gary Vaynerchuk video and 5 on a video creators video and the odd 1 or 2 every so often from other videos
4 - Pay attention to technical gurus
When the likes of Tim Schmoyer, Roberto Blake, Derral Eves, Sean & Benji etc say to do something that works, do it! So many creators watch these channels but don't put their advice into action (I have been guilty of this too) I have only recently had a channel trailer for example (oops) but it has massively increased the rate at which I gain subs.
5- Don't get disheartened
It's easy to quit when you're uploading videos and you get maybe 1 or 2 views. But don't quit. The reason you shouldn't quit is because you love what you do, you're passionate about it and you would make videos for free right? (If not, then you'll need to evaluate why you're on YouTube). As long as it's still fun, keep going. When it stops being fun, maybe then it's time to stop uploading and do something else.
6 - Upload times don't matter that much
In the early days you won't have the level of fandom many other YouTubers have. In fact, I think about loads of my favourite YouTubers and in most cases I watch their content at my leisure in my own time, not as soon as they publish. I have experimented with my defined optimum upload times and other times too, but it made little to no difference at all. When you get bigger, I am sure it will, but if you're small, then it won't make a huge difference (at least in my case)
7 - Keep showing up
People finding your channel aren't going to trust that you'll be around for a long time, so when you're growing and only have a handful of videos it will be painful at first, but when you keep showing up and uploading, people who find you will be more likely to sub because you've been consistent.
1 - Start small
I used my smartphone on a mini tripod I bought for £7 when I first started, then I invested in a second hand bridge camera and tripod for £200 later to improve my production quality. But the key here is, I got started, and wasn't put off by smartphone production quality in the first instance. Even my bridge camera won't provide the best production quality, but I am a long way off investing in an expensive SLR camera to maximize production, and that's OK. I'll get a good SLR camera when I grow more and it's justified.
2 - Don't give a damn about the numbers
Ignore your sub count and views first of all. Focus on retention and getting better on camera. I used to think my videos I filmed 5 months ago were good at the time, I look back now and think they are average at best (mostly I think they suck). Focus on you first, your performance, your charisma, your cadence, your quality, your.
3 - Get involved!
My earliest flurries of subs came from commenting on other videos in my niche. Comment with value or a good perspective (no sub 4 sub or asking for subs or "check out my channel" comments) I got 15 subs following a comment on 1 Gary Vaynerchuk video and 5 on a video creators video and the odd 1 or 2 every so often from other videos
4 - Pay attention to technical gurus
When the likes of Tim Schmoyer, Roberto Blake, Derral Eves, Sean & Benji etc say to do something that works, do it! So many creators watch these channels but don't put their advice into action (I have been guilty of this too) I have only recently had a channel trailer for example (oops) but it has massively increased the rate at which I gain subs.
5- Don't get disheartened
It's easy to quit when you're uploading videos and you get maybe 1 or 2 views. But don't quit. The reason you shouldn't quit is because you love what you do, you're passionate about it and you would make videos for free right? (If not, then you'll need to evaluate why you're on YouTube). As long as it's still fun, keep going. When it stops being fun, maybe then it's time to stop uploading and do something else.
6 - Upload times don't matter that much
In the early days you won't have the level of fandom many other YouTubers have. In fact, I think about loads of my favourite YouTubers and in most cases I watch their content at my leisure in my own time, not as soon as they publish. I have experimented with my defined optimum upload times and other times too, but it made little to no difference at all. When you get bigger, I am sure it will, but if you're small, then it won't make a huge difference (at least in my case)
7 - Keep showing up
People finding your channel aren't going to trust that you'll be around for a long time, so when you're growing and only have a handful of videos it will be painful at first, but when you keep showing up and uploading, people who find you will be more likely to sub because you've been consistent.
