8 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Youtuber
8 Things to Consider Before Becoming a Youtuber
Just thirty years ago the ideal career looked different than it does today. YouTube was created in 2005 by three former PayPal employees. This video-sharing website took the world by storm, and suddenly people had a new way to entertain themselves. They also had a new way to possibly make money: the Youtuber career was born. People are still becoming Youtubers, whether for fun or for a career. However, if you’re going to do it seriously, there are a few things that you should consider, and here are eight of them.
1. Pick a Niche
Before you become a Youtuber, you’ll want to consider your niche. YouTubers that have a niche usually do better than those who post videos at random. Before making your YouTube channel, you’ll want to consider what you’ll be called, and what types of videos you’ll make. Most people choose a video type that is sustainable for them to do regularly. Think about not only what you’re interested in, but what others would be interested in as well. It’s important to create content that others actually want to see. Take some time to iron out all of the fine details before creating your channel.
2. Consider Your Tech
An important part of becoming a Youtuber is creating videos. In fact, it’s the whole point. Because of this, you’ll want to consider which technology you have at your disposal. This may mean downloading a good video background remover, or a good video editing software. There are a lot of poor programs that hide behind paywalls and don’t give any actually useful features. Consider what type of technology you’ll need, and then set out to get it. This may mean everything from a good camera to good software.
3. It Takes Time
A lot of people have a fantasy of uploading to YouTube and suddenly going viral. However, it’s more than likely that you’ll work hard for a pretty long time before gaining any substantial views or attention. Going viral is possible, but it’s unlikely to happen overnight, and for some people, it doesn’t happen at all. Successful YouTubers put a lot of time into their videos and trying to market their channels. It’s important to understand that gaining any amount of a following will take time unless you happen to get very lucky. This is OK, and it’s normal, even if it’s frustrating.
4. It’s Hard Work
Most people don’t understand just how hard it is to become a successful Youtuber. There’s a lot that goes into the planning and production of YouTube videos, or at least the videos that become successful. Successful YouTubers put hours upon hours into their videos, especially in post-production. Those who put out one video per week work almost the equivalent of a part-time job for their channel. Becoming a Youtuber is more than just having fun filming videos, there’s an entire business operation behind it that matters too.
5. Transcription Matters
As the world shifts to accommodate people of all types, it’s becoming important for media to do the same. Transcription helps your channel by allowing those who are hearing impaired or neurodivergent to enjoy your content, because of this, it also helps increase your views. Studies have shown that adding captions can increase your views by a whopping 14.38% in just the first 14 days of doing so, and then 7.32% overall. Take the time to transcribe, there’s no downside.
6. Learn Video SEO
SEO is very important to the success of anything online. SEO stands for search engine optimization, and it’s required to help Google and other search engines place your website in their results. The better your SEO is, the higher your channel will place when people search for like terms. Each website has its own SEO algorithm, and it’s important to understand it well so that your channel can be viewed more frequently. Take some time to study SEO, especially SEO for YouTube before uploading videos.
7. Can You Handle It?
The internet is sometimes not a very nice place to be. There are a lot of “internet trolls” and other less-than-kind people. Before creating a YouTube channel, you’ll have to consider if you have thick enough skin. You’ll be bound to get some negativity toward your videos and even yourself as a person. People online will scrutinize and comment on every aspect of your life and your person. Being able to handle the bad along with the good is one part of being a Youtuber. Consider if you’re sound enough to handle opening up your life and your person to the world, as it’s often mentally draining to do.
8. You’ll Need To Be Social
This is a given, as being a social media personality requires you to be in front of people. However, many people don’t understand just how social they’ll have to be when becoming a Youtuber. You’ll need to constantly be social, which for most people is a lot to handle. Nobody is made to be social 24/7 and doing so is exhausting. Before you become a Youtuber, consider the fact that you’ll need to be much more social than the average person. You’ll also want to consider if this is doable for you, and any boundaries that you’ll set both with your viewers and for the sake of your family and privacy.
Closing Remark
Becoming a Youtuber is often something that people want to achieve. However, not everyone will get to it, and some people will try only to discover that it’s not for them. There are many things to consider before becoming a Youtuber, from equipment to personal matters. Take the time to really think of all that this career or hobby will require and if you’re able to deliver and manage it. Most importantly, consider what you can do to make your time as a Youtuber fun, as it’ll make it easier and more rewarding in the long run.
Featured photo by Jenny Ueberberg on Unsplash
