How to Start a YouTube Channel: A Practical Guide for New Creators

Starting a YouTube channel can seem daunting, but it's definitely achievable with the right guidance and tools. Join me as I share my personal journey and tips to help you successfully launch and manage your own channel. Watch now to demystify the process of starting and growing a YouTube channel.

TOOLS I USE:

Camtasia and Audiate: https://techsmith.z6rjha.net/baoeQm

Castmagic: https://get.castmagic.io/b4k5hd6m0u7f

Shure MV7 Microphone: https://amzn.to/44AGAHQ

SmallRig Table Top Tripod: https://amzn.to/3UxlBRL

Fuji X-S10 with 18-55 Fujinon Zoom: https://amzn.to/4bb3FTU

El Gato Lighting: https://amzn.to/3UxlBRL

Colored LED Tube Light: https://amzn.to/3UxlBRL

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Optimizing Video Production Workflow: "I use both of them together because I can actually edit my videos in sort of this word processor like environment, which has really started to save me a lot of time." — Mike [00:02:44 → 00:02:44]

Navigating YouTube Content Creation: "Just realize if you're going to be doing a YouTube channel, it's going to be all done on your own. I would stick with a goal of two videos a week." — Mike [00:03:22 → 00:03:33]

Finding Your Niche for YouTube Success: "The real big piece of deciding to start a YouTube channel is what's your niche going to be? What is that thing that you're excited about? And remember, you've got to talk to people about this every single week." — Mike [00:05:27 → 00:05:35]

Navigating YouTube Channel Branding: "I want to caution you to really be careful about your channel name. I know this seems like a small component of the whole YouTube thing, but you need to be able to have a channel name that allows you to be flexible so you're able to pivot if business conditions change, if the interest of your audience starts shifting." — Mike [00:05:35 → 00:05:56]

Flexibility in Content Creation: "That's what I did, because that's going to allow me to pivot multiple directions and talk about a lot of different topics on my channel." — Mike [00:06:21 → 00:06:29]

Exploring YouTube Vlogs: "Now this particular channel, camera conspiracies, this is my favorite channel on YouTube by far. This guy is just incredible. He has a ton of videos that he's done and they're the most entertaining videos." — Mike [00:09:01 → 00:09:18]

Creating Content for YouTube: "I think I'm a good example of somebody that just has been consistent, interacted with my community when I can, tried to stay focused on, you know, a set of topics that people would be interested in seeing." — Mike [00:11:33 → 00:11:47]

Maximizing YouTube Earnings From the Start: "The best way that you can monetize your channel from day one is to join some various affiliate programs." — Mike [00:12:04 → 00:12:12]

Understanding YouTube Monetization: "this race to a thousand subscribers, this race to 4000 watch hours doesn't necessarily mean you're suddenly going to get rich once you've joined Adsense with YouTube." — Mike [00:13:41 → 00:13:54]

Earning Through YouTube: "Sometimes it's higher, sometimes it's lower. It all depends on the products that I talk about. It depends on what affiliate programs are out there that I can use." — Mike [00:14:51 → 00:15:01]

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KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS VIDEO:

1. **Starting is Doable:** Mike emphasizes that while starting a YouTube channel isn't the easiest task, it's certainly achievable. He shares his own experience of growing his channel as an older creator, proving that age isn't a barrier.

2. **Preparation and Patience Required:** Building a channel takes time and patience. Mike mentions it took him over six months to hit 1,000 subscribers, highlighting the importance of persistence.

3. **Learning Curve:** Expect a learning curve, especially with technical aspects like video editing and creating engaging thumbnails. Mike uses specific tools like Camtasia and Canva to streamline this process.

4. **Content Strategy is Key:** Finding and sticking to a niche that matches your interests and expertise is crucial. Mike talks about the importance of flexibility in your channel’s focus, which can evolve over time.

5. **Monetization Tips:** Mike discusses starting to monetize early through affiliate links and collaborations. He also cautions that hitting subscriber and watch hour milestones doesn’t guarantee big earnings, underlining the value of consistency and patience.

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Note: This is not a sponsored podcast although some of the products and services linked to in this description are affiliate links. This means if you click on them and make a purchase, I make a commission. This page contains Amazon affiliate links.