MY FIRST STEPS INTO MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL
At the end of 2023, I decided to start a YouTube Channel. As someone who has always worked for other people, I really wanted to create something that was mine, a space where I could talk about the things that I wanted, and hopefully connect with like-minded people.
I launched my channel in March 2024, and I have decided to outline all the steps I took to get to the launching stage below. I hope this can help people who are wishing to embark in a similar journey.
1) Creating the YouTube Channel
The firsts thing I did was create my channel. After some pondering about what to name the channel, I decided to keep it simple and just use my own name. I used a picture of myself as the channel icon and I designed a banner using the free version of Canva.
2) Research
I then started to do some research on what people recommend to do when starting a YouTube Channel. The main resource I used was Ali Abdaal’s video, as well as his Skillshare class “Youtube for Beginners”
3) Schedule
If I wanted to juggle between my day job and YouTube without burning out, time-management was the key. I decided I wanted to dedicate 10 hours a week to my YouTube project, which I then allocated to scripting, filming, editing and design.
4) Ideas
Throughout this process I pinned a note in my Apple Note app, where I kept a running list of my video ideas. As soon as I had some spare time, I then wrote the idea on a notebook, brainstorming possible concepts to add to each video.
5) Gear
When it came time to think about my gear, I knew that I had a very limited budget. I bought a second ring light for £10, and a Lavalier microphone for £20 on Amazon.
I decided to wait to buy a camera until I get monetised, and to start filming using my iPhone 11. By using the screen-sharing feature, I knew I was going to be able to film using the outside camera whilst also looking at myself.
6) Introduction video
At this point, I was ready to post my first video. It was just an introduction video where I talked about who I am, why I opened the channel, and what I wanted to talk about on the channel. I knew nobody was going to watch it. However, I decided to film to become familiar with the process of recording, editing and posting videos while also getting used to talking in front of a camera.
7) My first video
A week after my introduction video, my first official video was ready to be filmed. I completely underestimated how long the process was going to be. It took me 2 hours of filming and 2 hours of editing. I'll admit - I got cold feet just before posting it. However, I decided to ignore the little voice inside my head that was still afraid of people's opinions, and I clicked “publish”.
So that’s it really. These are the first steps I took to launch my YouTube channel. It has been a scary process, but I am very excited and curious to see where all of this is going to bring me.
Lesson learned
One thing that stopped me from starting with YouTube earlier on, was fear of judgement. The truth is that nobody cares about what you do. And if they do, and they judge you for it, is their opinion actually that important?
You don’t really need a lot of expensive things to start your YouTube channel. Your phone, a cheap microphone and a location with lots of natural light will be enough.
When you start off on YouTube, you don’t have to know already what you want to talk about in your channel. You can start by talking about whatever interests you, and then figure out your niche along the way.